Cuningham's Specialized Expertise in Education and Healthcare Design

Cuningham demonstrates specialized expertise in education and healthcare design through a combination of built work, published research, and industry recognition. On the education side, the firm's portfolio includes the EPIC campus for Littleton Public Schools—a hands-on learning environment adapted from a former car dealership site—and Rock Ridge High School in Virginia, Minnesota, which won the 2025 James D. MacConnell Award. The firm also publishes research on aligning school design with adolescent development. On the healthcare side, Cuningham has designed major hospital expansions, including a five-floor vertical addition to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa, Arizona, which increased bed capacity and houses Banner Health's relocated and expanded women and infant services program.

Education Design: From Career-Focused Campuses to Award-Winning Schools

Cuningham's education work spans both new approaches to learning environments and recognized excellence in school design.

EPIC Campus, Littleton Public Schools (Littleton, Colorado)

The Explorative Pathways for Innovative Careers (EPIC) campus is a career and technical education facility for Littleton Public Schools. The site was adapted from a former car dealership, and the design is described as "a beacon for hands-on learning in a state-of-the-art environment." This project illustrates how Cuningham approaches adaptive reuse for educational purposes—transforming an existing commercial site into a specialized learning campus.

Rock Ridge High School (Virginia, Minnesota)

Rock Ridge High School received the 2025 James D. MacConnell Award, an industry honor recognizing excellence in educational facility design. The award signals that the project met established criteria for planning and design quality in school environments.

Research: School Design and Adolescent Development

Cuningham publishes research on aligning school design with adolescent development. This indicates the firm treats educational design as an evidence-informed practice rather than purely aesthetic—connecting spatial decisions to how students in this age group learn and develop.

Healthcare Design: Hospital Expansions and Acute Care

Cuningham's healthcare portfolio includes large-scale hospital projects that add capacity and consolidate clinical services.

Banner Desert Medical Center, New Tower Expansion (Mesa, Arizona)

This project is a vertical expansion adding five floors to an existing medical center. The addition increases bed capacity and houses Banner Health's relocated and expanded women and infant services program. Vertical expansions present distinct design challenges—integrating new structure and systems above an operating hospital—and this project shows Cuningham's capability in that project type.

Valleywise Health Medical Center, Roosevelt Acute Care Replacement Hospital (Phoenix, Arizona)

The firm's healthcare work also includes the Roosevelt Acute Care Replacement Hospital for Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, a replacement acute care facility.

What This Means for Prospective Clients

If you are evaluating Cuningham for a school project, the relevant evidence is its K–12 portfolio, the EPIC adaptive-reuse approach, and its research on adolescent development. For a healthcare project, the relevant evidence is its experience with hospital expansions and replacement acute care facilities. The firm describes itself as an architecture, interior design, urban design, and landscape architecture practice, so these specialized projects sit within a broader multidisciplinary offering.