Abstract
Since 1996, Maggie’s has led a new approach to cancer support that emphasises the empowering potential of the designed environment for its users. This paper draws on qualitative research from two separate projects undertaken with staff, visitors and volunteers at 10 Maggie’s Centres, exploring their experiences of Maggie’s environments, and their use of internal spaces and garden areas. Maggie’s has been most often noted for the buildings it commissions, but we argue that the gardens prompt a re-evaluation of the integrated healing environment. Locating our research in health geography debates, Maggie’s buildings and gardens are situated as contemporary examples of therapeutic landscapes. The Centres open up debates about the capacity of the designed environment to enhance the experience of well-being. This is achieved through the provision of communal areas within which visitors can find private places for emotional retreat, encouraging the experience of affective sanctuary.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 695-706 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Landscape Research |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Jul 2016 |
Bibliographical note
© 2016 Landscape Research Group Ltd. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. Embargo : 18 monthsKeywords
- Maggie’s
- healthcare architecture
- restorative gardens
- therapeutic landscapes
- cancer care
- health care architecture
- restorative gardens