The new OCC for the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH) sits within the existing RMH campus in Sutton, south London and is adjacent to the headquarters of the Institute of Cancer Research, in the heart of a planned wider ‘London Cancer Hub’ masterplan. As well as 63 medical daycare chemotherapy infusion bays, the OCC incorporates a Rapid Diagnostic Centre and a whole floor dedicated to research.

Central to the vision of Maggie and Charles Jencks for a new kind of cancer care was their belief in the potential of architecture to reassure people and make them feel valued. Designing a Maggie’s has given Ab Rogers Design the chance to extend its love of creating spaces that engage people on a human level, and make them alert to their surroundings through the firm’s first complete building.

The Pears Building accommodates the UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation, offices for the Royal Free Charity, and a 35-bed patient hotel. One of only five specialist immunology centres in the world, the Pears Building is a leading research organisation that enables UCL to deliver research excellence and the Royal Free Hospital to combine local patient care with world-class expertise. Opportunities for spontaneous interaction are built-in, with visual connectivity between departments. Lab and write-up spaces are arranged around a central atrium, which incorporates generous circulation, break-out spaces, and booths to support informal meeting, professional collaboration, and socialising.