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About CivicArts

CivicArts LLP
Finsbury Business Centre
40 Bowling Green Lane
London
EC1R 0NE
+44 207 549 8499

CivicArts/ Eric R. Kuhne & Associates creates landmark destinations on five continents that restore the genius of place, the legacy of civilizations, and the story-telling quality of architecture. Combining bold architectural form with market research and economic sustainability, CivicArts’ projects continue to win awards across all sectors of the property industry.


Award winning work for CivicArts’ includes: Darling Park in Sydney; Tower of Light, Kuala Lumpur; Tower of 1001 Arabian Nights, Kuwait (1 kilometer tall tower); Shell Centre Tower in London; Cube Tower in Montreal; Petal Towers, Toronto; Lumbini Cloud, Nepal; Southern Cross Sanctuary, Canberra; Wave and Lighthouse Towers at Island Gardens, Miami; Griffentown Towers, Montreal; Bucklersbury House, London; and integrated towers in all of the Civic Centre Schemes in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London, Almaty, Astana, and Moscow.


In addition, CivicArts has created the City of Silk (Madinat al Hareer) in Kuwait; Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens in Dubai, Manama Lagoon in Bahrain; Lakeside in Cairo; and most recently the new District Town Centre on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi (connecting the new Louvre, Guggenheim, and British/Zayed Museums into a centerpiece for the entire Middle East. All of these celebrate the profound history of Arabian Civilization with contemporary design and the
richness of ornament that captures the ethos of each unique culture. CivicArts continues to build on 15-years of success in the Arabian Gulf Region.


Founded by Eric R Kuhne in 1983, CivicArts is a research and design practice dedicated to rediscovering the pageantry of civic life. Work is a constellation of three segments of the property industry: Large Scale Mixed-Use Centres, City Centres, and Concept Development / Master Plans. Currently engaged in designing mixed-use masterplans across five continents, its portfolio ranges from new cities, town centres, retail / leisure destinations, cultural landmarks, waterfronts and residential quarters, to public parks and gardens. Wherever it builds, CivicArts integrates architecture, landscape, urban, interior and industrial design to create an aesthetic that celebrates the cultural ethos of its hosts.


Enlightened design has the power to sustain a robust vitality of civic life, and that the city has been, and always will be, the ultimate ‘Marketplace of Ideas’. Great civic places are gifts to the city and her citizens, but it is not enough to simply build open public spaces. They must actively support the pageantry of civic life that is played out in the shops, restaurants, pubs, gardens and galleries that surround them. It is this animation of the streetscape that converts circulation spaces into meeting places, giving rise to the vibrant ‘Café Society’ that is the hallmark of a CivicArts scheme.


The measure of great design is not just within the project, but how much shared-value it brings to the city, society, culture and clients. Design invigorates the spirit of every era of every place. CivicArts celebrates the legacy of the cultures as much as their prophecy. CivicArts’ designs become symbols for our time, hallmarks for their next generation of citizens, and catalysts for the new economies that shall empower their cultures’ future.


CivicArts’ Research & Design draw upon diverse disciplines to create landmark centres that identify with their surroundings. From archaeology and anthropology, to cosmology and cultural history, their designs combine setting, science and even contemporary legends to forge a sitespecific narrative. The office continues to expand into new markets and new cultures, establishing alternative design solutions that restore the important story-telling qualities of architecture to cities the world over.

Founder
Senior Design Director
Senior Design Director
Senior Design Director
Senior Design/ Visualisation Director

CivicArts are committed to ensuring that Eric’s legacy will be honored and the team that Eric built, nurtured and mentored will carry on. The company is forged from a strong team of committed and talented professionals, most of whom have been at his side for more than a decade. As a result Eric’s unique vision will be manifest as the current projects continue through to completion, planned projects are green-lighted and the business continues to pursue opportunities to grow in keeping with Eric’s Marketplace of Ideas design philosophy. 

Eric’s family, friends and colleagues will come together in the fall to celebrate his life and extraordinary legacy. Planning of this celebration is underway and we will share details once they are finalized.  In the meantime the team at Civic Arts will honour Eric’s memory by continuing his work and working together to realize his vision.

 

Sincerely,

Pamela McDonald Kuhne and the CivicArts team

Pamela@civicart.com

It is truly a sad and difficult time and Eric’s passing is a tremendous personal loss to his family, Civic Arts and the worldwide architecture community. We appreciate the kind expressions of condolence and patience during this time.

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