The Scotsman

In a corner of the car park at Kirkcaldy's Victoria Hospital, the newly finished Maggie's Centre sparkles like a black diamond in the autumn sun. The work of leading contemporary architect Zaha Hadid, it makes a striking contrast with the concrete tower-block of the main hospital, which looms behind. This latest in the network of Maggie's Cancer Centres is officially opened tomorrow by local MP, Gordon Brown. On Monday it opens for business, welcoming those suffering from cancer, their friends and family, providing information and support - or just a place to be. While the striking dark colour - perhaps a reference to Fife's coal mining heritage - and clean diagonal lines signal its distinctiveness from the outside, the interior yields a surprise. There the predominant colour is white, the jagged lines replaced by soft curves.