Profile - Cuningham Group

HISTORY

When John Cuningham founded Cuningham Group in 1968, he developed a model of architecture that is highly inclusive and incorporates extensive client, consultant, engineer, and contractor participation. Nurtured by John and a committed team of leaders, we have expanded locations, services, and markets over the decades to meet a growing demand from respected local, regional, national, and international clients.

Markets

Cuningham Group is organized into specialized market groups to provide clients with dedicated teams of professionals focused on meeting the specific needs of each project and the marketplace. We see crossover value in all of the work we do and believe each project informs the next, leading to more comprehensive design solutions and healthier communities.

Design Process

At Cuningham Group, we believe that creativity and innovation are central to our mission, and are best served through a collaborative, inclusive process that engages each and every key stakeholder. In other words, our team leverages a model emphasizing collective rather than individual brilliance for unparalleled place making. We have a deep conviction that the places we design tell our client’s story and celebrate the experience, both environmentally and architecturally. To succeed in this approach, we depend on the power of listening and asking the right questions to reveal the inherent story of each client, in line with their vision and objectives. We know that the built environment can be created in harmony with natural systems, and, in our eyes, beauty is integral to sustainable design. We understand the power of new technology to share useful information, and in the wisdom of collective experience. The design process at Cuningham Group is holistic in approach and skillfully embraces all available information and participants to create truly original projects for our clients.

Co-Creative Process

Cuningham Group’s co-creative Visioning and Design Workshop process is an engaging, flexible, and efficient process that invites our clients to join the creative team. First, clients are asked to envision a new kind of future and then, to participate in developing a conceptual design in real time (3-D) based on a shared vision.

A Shared Vision
The purpose of a Vision Statement is to provide an overall guide for the entire process, establish priorities, align resources with priorities, and facilitate efficient decision making. Ultimately, the result is a rock solid foundation upon which to develop and implement the design approach.

Experience
Cuningham Group has facilitated more than 15 Vision-based Design Workshops for innovative, forward-thinking clients from Maine to California. Each one has been unique to the particular needs of the community, and has helped build trusting relationships throughout the design process. This fosters the kind of trust necessary to move projects forward with speed, precision, and confidence.

The experience of Eanes ISD in working with Cuningham Group to develop a facility master plan has been a challenging and rewarding experience. It was truly masterful how they took the thoughts and ideas that were literally lining the walls of a room with Post-it notes and butcher block paper and synthesized them into a cohesive and comprehensive set of parameters immediately approved by our Board.

Their approach included involvement of District administrators, principals, teachers, students, and community members for a full range of input from our stakeholders. The positive momentum is being used as the springboard for the District’s 2014 bond proposition.

Bob Cervi, Director of Maintenance and Operations
Eanes Independent School District

Every Building Tells a Story^®

Our Every Building Tells a Story^® philosophy emphasizes one-of-a-kind design solutions, and perfectly complements our desire to engage clients in a collaborative, team-oriented process. Together, with our clients, we aim to understand the project vision and the story they want to tell. Our designers then extract creative metaphors from that information and from the character of each site to inspire all aspects of project design, from basic forms and shapes, to finishing materials and colors. Through this approach, clients benefit from unique, innovative and memorable environments and experiences that set them apart from competition.

SUSTAINABILITY

Our projects are designed for the betterment of communities and society as a whole, and sustainability and green design are a natural extension of this core ideology. To us, sustainability is more than a checklist of LEED^® points. We approach sustainability with a strong commitment to creating a better environment at all levels and scales. In each design, we consider value to the owner/client, stewardship of our planet and its resources, the wellness of those who occupy our projects, vitality of our neighborhoods, and avenues for enjoyment and learning that a project can bring to its occupants and visitors.

Co-Creative Process

Every Building Tells a Story®

Every Building Tells a Story^®