Cuningham

Cuningham was honored to attend the grand opening for Rise Early Learning today. As a tenant within an affordable housing community, the project is a first-of-its-kind early childhood education facility in the state of Minnesota. By offering affordable childcare paired with affordable housing and wrap-around services, Rise Early Learning eases the cost burden for its families, making high-quality, affordable childcare available to those who would otherwise not have access. Funded by CommonBond Communities and designed by Kaas Wilson Architects, Cuningham was the design architect for the early childhood education space, helping the client adhere to the project’s three guiding design principles: trauma-informed design, equity, and play. Read Cuningham’s Heidi Neumueller, AIA, LEED AP and Hailey Wrasman’s recent piece “Breaking the Trauma Barrier” to learn more about how Cuningham used trauma-informed design strategies on the project to support holistic student, caregiver, and staff well-being: bit.ly/3K3YWrj Congratulations to the entire team on the successful opening of this transformative new environment. #TraumaInformedDesign

Cuningham is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathan Harris as Chief Executive Officer. An experienced leader in the AEC industry, Harris will guide the firm's business strategy, operations, and ongoing investments to grow Cuningham's reputation as a high-performing design firm dedicated to delivering extraordinary service and innovation to our clients. Serving as Cuningham's Chief Financial Officer since 2022, Nathan's leadership is defined by a deep understanding of financial strategy, risk management, and operations. As Cuningham moves forward under new leadership, we remain focused on delivering solutions that go beyond buildings and traditional architecture to help our clients address their unique challenges, drive growth, and increase resilience. Learn more about Nathan: bit.ly/4bIoHcJ

Fieldhouse Dinkytown Student Housing Apartments has been selected as a Finance & Commerce Top Project of 2023.   Honoring the best building and construction projects in Minnesota, Finance & Commerce’s Top Projects are selected based on degree of difficulty, design creativity, innovative construction techniques, cooperation among contractors and management, and sustainability efforts.   Cuningham’s design for the recently-completed Fieldhouse Dinkytown, an off-campus student living community in Minneapolis, features a wide variety of private and communal multi-use spaces to give residents a sense of personalization in how they work, sleep, study, exercise, and socialize with other residents. Pedestrian-focused enhancements at the street level combined with a variety of transit resources make the project an inclusive community hub that integrates micro-mobility into the surrounding commercial district.   Learn more about how Fieldhouse Dinkytown uses healthy living principles to encourage users to form community connections: bit.ly/3He8aQf #HealthyLiving #StudentHousing

As one of the oldest centers of its kind in the country, the Minneapolis American Indian Center provides services to more than 10,000 community members and is home to many important programs promoting education, healing, cultural awareness, and employment. At the center's recent Grand Re-Opening, Cuningham had a chance to celebrate the renovation and expansion of this nearly 50-year-old community landmark with fellow community members. The center's dramatic updated front entry welcomes visitors to enjoy the building's new commons space, cafeteria, and art gallery. Additional features include updated community meeting spaces, a fitness center, a black box theater, teen tech space, and increased areas for the art studio and youth spaces. We're proud to have contributed as a consultant to Full Circle Indigenous Planning + Design, LLC, serving as the interior designer, landscape architect, and architect of record. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the event and the inspiring work being done.   #Minneapolis Loeffler Construction & Consulting

Cuningham team members had a great time at the Asian American Architects/Engineers Association's Appreciation Event. It was an honor to celebrate with the many sponsors, speakers, and members who make the AAa/e’s monthly programs, events, and organization a success.   As a corporate member of the AAa/e, Cuningham is proud to have sponsored several events over the past year, including the Annual Awards Banquet, a recent event with Los Angeles Community College District, and a panel discussion with healthcare owners.   Learn more about AAa/e’s commitment to empowering professionals working in the built environment in personal and professional growth, business development and networking, and leadership: bit.ly/3o30yHT

Introducing Leading 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵: a pilot leadership program created to invest in employees who have shown exceptional leadership and dedication to Cuningham's core values and purpose. Participants will leverage their varied skills, backgrounds, and perspectives to contribute research and tackle one of the most pressing issues facing our communities: housing insecurity among college students.    The program recently kicked off with a series of workshops led by experts in ecological justice, community organizing, design research, and digital transformation. Later this month, the team will meet in Los Angeles for an immersive week. They'll conduct site visits, connect with nonprofit leaders, and explore the housing ecosystem to better understand the myriad challenges at play.    The 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 leaders will also provide mentorship to our soon-to-be announced Summer 2024 Design 𝘊𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵 cohort over seven weeks starting in June. Stay tuned as we share updates and insights from their work. #Design #Architecture #LosAngeles #HousingInsecurity #Housing 

The Confluence Hotel just won three Minnesota Real Estate Journal Real Estate Awards — “Hotel/Hospitality,” “Interior Design – Hotel,” and “Greater Minnesota.”   As a central piece of the City of Hasting’s downtown revitalization plan, Cuningham transformed the historically registered, hundred-year-old H.D. Hudson Manufacturing building from a defunct factory into a modern mixed-use boutique hotel and apartment building. Named after the nearby confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, The Confluence Hotel reestablishes this historic landmark as a center of community, culture, and commerce.   As the project’s interior designer, Cuningham helped preserve the historic fabric and character of the building with thoughtful interventions that celebrate the area’s natural and industrial roots. The main lobby highlights original timber joists, steel columns, and existing brick around the transparent and perforated bar. In place of the factory’s hoistway stands a grand staircase built with the reclaimed timber floors. Outside, the building’s roofline still features its iconic domed cupolas.   Congratulations to the entire project team on the awards. Learn more about how this adaptive reuse of a historic structure is helping revitalize Hastings: bit.ly/3tfU7GE #AdaptiveReuse #InteriorDesign #HospitalityDesign

Littleton Public Schools' Explorative Pathways for Innovative Careers (EPIC) Campus has won the A4LE Southwest Region Monarch Award.   The Monarch Award recognizes excellence in educational facility planning, from conception to completion, emphasizing thorough planning processes, comprehensive educational specifications, and functional designs for educational spaces.   Adapted from the site of a former car dealership, EPIC Campus is a beacon for hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art environment. With ample classroom space outdoors as well as indoors, the school supports firsthand experience to prepare students for careers spanning construction/aerospace trades, healthcare, and natural resource management.   Congratulations to the entire project team on this honor.   Learn more about this multi-use, community-based learning environment: bit.ly/47D73EZ   #A4LE #EducationalDesign #CareerTechnicalEducation #RegenerativeDesign

Senior living communities across the country are facing staffing shortages; a new, transformative approach is needed.   Cuningham's Amy Cheever is at the Environments for Aging Conference and Expo this week discussing the topic on the panel “Elevating the Staff Experience.” From travel distance studies to daylighting strategies, cultural influences to technology updates, Amy will help outline how architecture can align with facility operations to transform the staff experience in senior living communities — attracting and retaining top-quality staff members and in turn, improving care.   For more on how Cuningham is designing industry-leading senior living communities that prioritize caregiver wellbeing, connect with Amy: bit.ly/3W0Orw9   #SeniorLiving #EFACon

According to a report by the International Labor Organization, over 27 million individuals worldwide are currently compelled to work against their will. Thirty-six percent of these people are forced laborers in the construction industry and building materials supply chain.   Cuningham’s Jessica Ceron and Dylan Watson recently attended Design for Freedom by Grace Farms' third Annual Summit, where they heard from experts working to eradicate forced and child labor from the built environment.   Cuningham’s participation in the event is part of the firm’s commitment to work with industry leaders like Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and Grace Farms Foundation to learn more about fair labor sourcing and discover how we can become better stewards of ethical, forced-labor free practices within the built environment.   Learn more about the event and access resources of fair labor sourcing: bit.ly/4avD83w For the full International Labor Organization and Walk Free report: bit.ly/3UcXFnO   #FairLabor #AECIndustry #BuiltEnvironment