Maggie’s Leeds is built adjacent to the Leeds Cancer Centre at St James’s University Hospital. The Maggie's Centre’s innovative design consists of a series of contained gardens that capture the therapeutic effect of plants and contrast with the more formal surrounding hospital buildings. The design creates a warm, informal interior space as well as an inspiring exterior to encourage positivity among Centre visitors and passers-by.

The building takes the form of a collection of stepped planter elements, each holding a piece of garden, bringing the planting into and over the building itself. Shared and private internal spaces are playfully created between and within the planters.

The building's low energy design takes a fabric first approach, with excellent air tightness, building form and fabric thermal performance making the demand for heat exceptionally low. Large glazing areas favouring the low winter sun make good use of solar heat during the winter months.

Large, well positioned openings draw air through the building, keeping occupants cool in the summer months and omitting the need for energy intensive cooling.

The building benefits from low energy LED lighting throughout, with light levels set low to help minimise electricity consumption and give the building a calm, domestic ambience.

The services have been intricately coordinated with the architecture to give the building a spacious and seamless feel, and to contrast with the institutional feel of the surrounding hospital buildings.