Metropolitan Workshop adds lozenge-shaped community space to Maggie's Cheltenham

A fluted wall wraps the curved exterior of this extension to the Maggie’s centre at Cheltenham General Hospital, added as part of an overhaul by London studio Metropolitan Workshop.

Designed to accommodate a growing number of visitors to Maggie’s Cheltenham, the revamp introduces a mix of spaces for group and private activities, as well as improved storage facilities.

Metropolitan Workshop‘s focus was on maximising available space on the constrained site, which is bounded by a river and surrounding hospital buildings.

The extension is designed to strengthen the centre’s connection to the outdoors while respecting its original design, created by celebrated architect Richard MacCormac within a Grade II-listed Victorian lodge in 2010.

“The client brief was to expand and reconfigure the centre to accommodate a rapidly growing number of visitors while maintaining its calm, supportive, and non-clinical atmosphere,” said studio partner Neil Deely.

“The design also needed to work within a constrained site, respect the existing listed building, and preserve step-free access, while continuing to embody Maggie’s principles of welcoming, light-filled, and emotionally supportive, ‘healing’ architecture,” he told Dezeen.

As with all Maggie’s Centres, the heart of the centre in Cheltenham is a lozenge-shaped communal kitchen and dining table, contained within the 80-square-metre extension. It is illuminated by two circular skylights.

This area is loosely divided from other spaces by cabinetry and furniture in place of walls and partitions, maximising natural light and a sense of community.

“The highlight of the interior is the central lozenge-shaped heart of the building, where the kitchen and the large group table directly face one another across the space,” said Deely.

“This creates a strong social core: the kitchen sits in a curved enclosure projecting into the garden, establishing a visual and physical connection to the outside,” he added.

“Opposite it, the group table connects to a courtyard garden, bringing in natural light and ventilation to what would otherwise be a deep-plan interior. Together, this arrangement makes the interior feel bright, connected, and communal, with cooking and gathering happening as one continuous shared experience.”

Metropolitan Workshop placed the extension to the southeast of the plot – the only viable location – and connected to the original lodge via a glazed link.

This glazed link is designed to clearly distinguish the old and new while acting as a primary circulation spine and entrance.

The old kitchen in the lodge has been replaced with two snugs, designed for private consultations. These have folding doors that allow them to be opened up when not in use.

Otherwise, changes within the lodge are minimal. There is a new bathroom, while an old library has been transformed into a small group activity room with double doors.

Outside, the extension is marked by concrete and Cotswolds stone, including a curved section with a fluted finish and a cantilevered stone seat.

Metropolitan Workshop utilised a palette of concrete and Cotswolds stone for the extension to complement the lodge’s brickwork while ensuring it is an obviously contemporary addition.

“The approach to materials responds to the early concept of a new form as a counterpoint to the existing building,” said Deely.

“This proposal is a distinct stage in the evolution of the centre, just as the original extension is clearly expressed as a piece of architecture in its own right, while both sit comfortably within the overall composition.”

Internally, the brick walls of the lodge are left exposed, teamed with wooden joinery, terrazzo counters and floors of stone, concrete and hardwoods.

Completing the project is a green roof and landscape developed with garden designer Christine Facer, who planned the original outdoor spaces. It includes a wildflower meadow and a sculptural hedge to screen the hospital’s car park.

Maggie’s Centres are run by the charity Maggie’s, which was established by Maggie Keswick Jencks and Charles Jencks in 1995. They are run as drop-in centres that aim to help people affected by cancer, with the first centre completed by Richard Murphy in Edinburgh in 1996.

Other buildings recently completed for charity include Maggie’s Northampton, which Stephen Marshall Architects topped with an angular metal roof, and Maggie’s Royal Free, designed by Studio Libeskind with slanted walls.

The photography is by Fred Howarth. 

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