Located across Britain and abroad, Maggie's Centres are conceived to provide a welcoming 'home away from home' – a place of refuge where people affected by cancer can find emotional and practical support. Foster + Partners Industrial Design designed and developed a series of highly crafted bespoke furniture elements for both the interior and exterior gardens of the Manchester centre.

The design of the Manchester centre aims to establish a domestic atmosphere in a garden setting and, appropriately, is first glimpsed at the end of a tree-lined street, a short walk from The Christie Hospital and its leading oncology unit. The building occupies a sunny site and is arranged over a single storey, keeping its profile low and reflecting the residential scale of the surrounding streets.

The centre combines a variety of spaces, from intimate private niches to a library, exercise rooms and places to gather and share a cup of tea. The heart of the building is the kitchen, which is centred on a large, communal table. Institutional references, such as corridors and hospital signs have been banished in favour of home-like spaces. To that end the materials palette combines warm, natural wood and tactile fabrics.