Cuningham

Our team traveled to Virginia, Minnesota yesterday to celebrate the grand opening of North Star Elementary, the third and final of Rock Ridge Public Schools’ new learning environments.   Sited on a large city block that formerly housed the district's Roosevelt Elementary and Virginia High School, North Star Elementary reclaims greenspace for play and gathering and fosters a connection between outdoor and indoor learning environments. A playground, sport courts, natural play areas, sliding hill, and large plaza create a new community asset in the heart of Virginia.   Inside, learning is on display with maker, art, and music labs, and upper-level learning spaces are connected with an indoor slide, promoting movement and play. On the school’s second floor, students can extend their learning outdoors onto a rooftop learning patio.   Congratulations to Rock Ridge Public Schools and the entire team on the successful completion of this transformative new learning environment! Learn more: bit.ly/3Xk4hCw

National engineering firm Woodard & Curran is setting the standard for regenerative office design with its new office in Portland, Maine. Located on the city’s waterfront, the workplace adheres to three core principles: designing out waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in circulation, and regenerating nature. Working closely with workplace consultant Lisa Whited and Epicycled, Cuningham embraced circular economy principles in the programing and design process, with the ultimate goal of prioritizing future flexibility and minimizing future waste. Learn more about how this resilient office reflects Woodard & Curran’s commitment to creating a healthy environment by meeting current needs while being equipped for future growth, long-term sustainability, and employee satisfaction: bit.ly/3Xc0LtC 📸: John Benford

We’re excited to be celebrating the grand opening for phase 1 of Saturday Properties’ Revelry, a new, 420+ unit luxury apartment community in Madison, Wisconsin.   Featuring a wide variety of unit types and flexible communal multi-use spaces, such as a rooftop deck and fire pit, outdoor pool and lounge areas, and rain gardens, Revelry provides residents a sense of personalization and is designed to encourage community connections, both inside and outside of the building.   Throughout the construction process, Cuningham’s in-house National Green Building Standard (NGBS) verification services played a key role in delivering superior energy efficiency outcomes on the project.   Learn more about how Cuningham is reframing design through the lens of “healthy living” to create multifamily residential developments that elevate residents’ quality of life: bit.ly/3He8aQf

The University of Minnesota’s multi-campus system, one of the largest in the country, is planning and taking actions to become net zero. As part of this effort, Cuningham helped the school develop its first facility decarbonization predesign study, to be replicated for all existing buildings on the school’s Twin Cities campus.    Cuningham’s Jeff Mandyck and Jennifer Garman are joining University Architect Marc Partridge, AIA, CID, LEED AP and Systemwide Chief Sustainability Officer Shane Stennes at Society for College and University Planning (SCUP) National in Philadelphia this week to discuss the school's decarbonization planning processes, best practices, and lessons learned from actions across geographical regions, diverse campus-wide energy systems, and existing facilities net zero strategies.   Interested in learning more about flexible and adaptable approaches to campus decarbonization? Reach out to Jeff: bit.ly/3y7ARO1

Last week we celebrated not one, but two ribbon cuttings, as the remodeled hotels opened at both Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley.   Spanning over 1,100 rooms between the two hotels, the extensive renovations include both cosmetic and technical upgrades, ranging from Ojibwe art instillations to state-of-the-art entertainment systems. Built in the mid-90s, the renovations are the most extensive in the hotels’ histories and are designed to balance an authentic representation of the Anishinaabe people with a modern, upscale hospitality space.   Congratulations to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the entire project team on these successful reopenings. Grand Casino Mille Lacs & Hinckley

Cuningham’s “Design 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵: Changing the Housing Paradigm” program is part of our commitment to continually deepen our firm’s design practice and research capabilities. This summer, the program's eight leaders are focused on developing a deeper understanding of Los Angeles’ student housing crisis. Throughout July, they're collaborating with a cohort of university students to explore four critical areas they’ve identified as places where they can have impact: Architecture + Technology; Land Use + Policy; Partnerships; and Storytelling. To kick off their work together, the full group met in Los Angeles for an immersion co-led by Cuningham Director of Innovation Marcy Schulte, DEI Strategist Lynn Orosco, and Murmur Ring founder Ashley Lukasik. A full week of site visits, presentations, and workshops curated by Murmur Ring began with a presentation at our Culver City office by members of Accelerate Resilience L.A. (ARLA), a nonprofit working to activate communities, organizations, and governments to expedite climate resilience, and SPHERICAL, a strategic design and integrative research studio working to regenerate the health and integrity of Earth’s living systems. As the Design 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 cohort moves from the immersion into research and ideation, they will consider how emerging technologies and creative partnerships such as these can be utilized to help resolve Los Angeles’ student housing crisis. Stay tuned for information on their discoveries and designs following the program’s culmination event in early August. #DesignCatalyst #ChangingTheHousingParadigm #HousingInsecurity #StudentHousing 📸: Murmur Ring / Jacquelyn Trezzo

Cuningham is thrilled to announce the appointment of Dan Olic as the firm's new Chief Operating Officer. Olic brings over 25 years of experience managing large-scale, technical projects across a wide range of market sectors, including healthcare, large scale mixed-use, hospitality, high-rise residential, and retail. Previously Olic was Cuningham’s Director of Project Delivery, building and facilitating high-performing, cross-functional teams. With an unwavering commitment to excellence and a proven track record in driving strategic growth, Olic will play a pivotal role in shaping our future, enhancing operations efficiency, improving project delivery, and delivering unparalleled value to our clients. Learn more about Dan: bit.ly/3SbdN7E

We’re excited to announce that our 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 Designers have joined our leaders for the second phase of our program, Design 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵: Changing the Housing Paradigm. They include design students Kristin Garner, Delaney Ryan, and Alyssa H. from the University of Southern California, urban design student Yesha Malaviya from the University of Michigan, and design research student Benedicta Gokah from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. Here, leaders and students gathered for the first time in our Culver City office as a team.   Over the next six weeks, they will be researching and developing solutions to address housing insecurity for college students with focus on the Los Angeles area. Last week they kicked off their work with a week-long immersion where they met with innovators in the local housing ecosystem.   We’re excited to see how their research develops. Stay tuned for information on their discoveries and designs following the program’s culmination event in early August.   #DesignCatalyst #ChangingTheHousingParadigm #HousingInsecurity #StudentHousing 📸: Murmur Ring / Jacquelyn Trezzo

We are thrilled to congratulate Cuningham's Coffee Polk, AIA, NCARB on being elected an at-large director for National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)’s Board of Directors for 2025. Coffee has been a steadfast advocate for the training, development, and licensure of aspiring architects for many years, and her election is reflection of this dedication.   Congratulations Coffee and thank you for your continued support facilitating the licensure and credentialing of architects to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Learn more about NCARB and their evolving governance structure below.   #NCARB #Architect

Congratulations to Valleywise Health on officially moving into their new facility. Cuningham is honored to have contributed to the design of Valleywise Health Medical Center, which will enhance the health and well-being of the entire southwest region. It’s an honor to see the facility open to the public and setting a new standard for the future of care. #ValleywiseHealth #CommunityCare