Richard Rogers lays foundation stone for new Cancer Centre

Richard Rogers of leading international architecture practice Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners officially marked the next phase of construction work on a new £160 million Cancer Centre at Guy’s Hospital by laying the foundation stone on Tuesday 13 May.

The event was broadcast live on Twitter – a round-up of the live tweeting is on Storify and you can also watch a ‘behind the scenes’ video about the event.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the largest providers of cancer care in London but these services are currently located in a number of different areas on both hospital sites. When the new Cancer Centre at Guy’s opens to patients in 2016, it will bring together the majority of care and research in a single state-of-the-art building.

Richard Rogers, Founding Partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, says: “There is nothing more important than supporting people back to health, and from the initial planning stages the design team put patients at the very centre of the process. This resulted in the development of our care villages concept, which we hope will provide the best possible experience for cancer patients and their families by producing treatment areas that are efficient, friendly, functional and safe, maximising both clinical gain and patient care.”

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners was chosen along with specialist healthcare architect Stantec to design the new Cancer Centre, following an architectural competition process involving cancer patients and staff which was led by construction partner Laing O’Rourke.

The foundation stone ceremony saw the unveiling of a large glass window etched with a drawing based on the original design for the architectural competition that will be installed near the entrance when the Centre opens in 2016. Richard Rogers unveiled the window with cancer survivor Diana Crawshaw and Dr Majid Kazmi, Clinical Director of cancer services at Guy’s and St Thomas’.

Diana, who chairs the Patient Reference Group that has played an important role in shaping the new Centre, says: “Patients will be able to receive most of their treatment under one roof and research will be fully integrated so that patients benefit from the latest advances.”

Dr Kazmi says: “The new Cancer Centre at Guy’s promises to be a truly world-class facility for cancer patients in south east London and beyond. Bringing together researchers and clinicians will accelerate our drive to develop new treatments, enhance the patient experience and improve outcomes for cancer patients.”

Largely funded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, the new Cancer Centre is also made possible by a grant of £25 million from Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and a £15 million grant awarded to King’s College London from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (managed by the Higher Education Funding Council) for a Research and Innovation Hub. Guy's and St Thomas' Charity has provided a grant of £1.7 million for visual and performing arts.

The remainder of the cost will be raised from philanthropic sources including support from individuals, grants from charitable trusts and foundations, and a public fundraising campaign, Guy’s Cancer Centre Appeal, which was launched yesterday.

Guy’s Cancer Centre Appeal will help raise the funds to complete the building – donate £5 by texting GUYS to 70800.