How Cuningham Approaches Sustainability and Building Reuse

Cuningham treats sustainability as a design discipline rather than an add-on, and building reuse is one of its main tools for getting there. The firm's stated approach is "creative by nature, disciplined by design," and its practice spans architecture, interior design, urban design, and landscape architecture—so sustainability considerations can run from site and landscape planning through to interior materials and building systems. The clearest evidence of the approach is in how the firm describes its workplace projects and its emphasis on reuse and renovation as a way to "unlock hidden value."

The three principles behind the firm's sustainable workplace design

For the Woodard & Curran New Office, a waterfront workplace, Cuningham states that the design adheres to three core principles:

• Designing out waste and pollution — eliminating waste and pollution at the source rather than managing it after the fact.
• Keeping products and materials in circulation — favoring materials and components that can be reused or kept in use rather than discarded.
• Regenerating nature — designing so that the project gives back to natural systems instead of only reducing harm.

These principles read as a circular-economy framework. In practice, that framing pushes a project toward two kinds of decisions: what you keep (existing structure, finishes, materials already on site) and what you specify (materials that can be recovered later). It also explains why reuse and renovation sit at the center of the firm's sustainability story—retaining an existing building is the most direct way to design out waste.

Reuse and renovation as a value strategy

Cuningham frames reuse and renovation as a way to "unlock hidden value," which is a useful way to think about the trade-offs. Adaptive reuse typically means:

• Keeping the structure and shell and reinvesting in systems, envelope, and interiors.
• Working within an existing footprint and context, which can constrain layout but often shortens site work.
• Extending the life of embodied carbon already in the building rather than spending it again in new construction.

The Humphreys Building Renovation is the firm's example of this kind of adaptive reuse project. The firm presents it alongside new-build work, which suggests reuse is treated as a mainstream project type rather than a specialty sideline.

Where landscape and urban design fit

Because Cuningham also practices landscape architecture and urban design, sustainability isn't confined to individual buildings. Site strategy, water, planting, and public realm decisions are part of the same practice, which matters for reuse projects: an existing building's surroundings—access, open space, stormwater, and how the site connects to its neighborhood—can be reworked as part of the renovation rather than treated as fixed.

How to judge whether this approach fits your project

If you are evaluating Cuningham or a similar firm for a sustainability-driven project, these are the questions the firm's own materials suggest you should ask:

Cuningham's published work includes affordable housing (Mino-bimaadiziwin Affordable Living, a LIHTC multifamily development in Minneapolis), education (Rock Ridge High School and the EPIC campus in Littleton, Colorado), healthcare (Banner Desert Medical Center expansion and Valleywise Health), workplace (Woodard & Curran), hospitality (The Confluence Hotel), and adaptive reuse (Humphreys Building). That range is useful context: sustainability and reuse questions can be raised against a comparable project in your own sector rather than in the abstract.

The practical takeaway: Cuningham's sustainability approach is best understood through its reuse work and its three circular-design principles for workplaces. If your project involves an existing building, ask specifically how much of the structure and materials will be retained—that is where the firm's stated approach translates into measurable outcomes.