Columbia, Maryland (March 4, 2008) – Raleigh-based VectorWorks user, Clearscapes, PA, has been named the 2007 AIA North Carolina Firm of the Year. Each year the award honors a North Carolina firm that has an established presence in the state and has consistently produced quality architecture with a verifiable level of client satisfaction for a period of at least 10 years. AIA North Carolina regards this as the highest honor the Chapter can bestow on a firm.

Formed in 1981 when architect Steven Schuster and sculptor Thomas Sayre combined their creative talents to design environments for some of North Carolina’s neediest citizens, Clearscapes continues that tradition today. The firm also focuses its significant talents on the revitalization of important historic structures and the infill of new construction in sensitive urban historic settings.

Contributing to Clearscapes’ unique design approach is their international practice in public art which includes installations in Calgary, Alberta; Four Lauderdale, Florida; Phuket, Thailand, and Istanbul, Turkey. This collaboration between architects and artists has lead to some of the firm’s most memorable work and productive collaborations.

The theme for AIA North Carolina’s design conference “Original Inspirations: Preservations, Innovation, and Transformation,” was the idea behind this year’s winning firm. AIA North Carolina acknowledges that Clearscapes has carved a purpose out of listening to the desires of the community, imagining the future, and translating that vision into a focal point. Their ability to listen, visualize, and produce often exceeds everyone’s expectations.

Nemetschek North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Nemetschek Group. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek North America has been developing CAD software for the AEC, entertainment, landscape design, and manufacturing fields since 1985. VectorWorks, its flagship product, is one of the world's best-selling cross-platform CAD applications. VectorWorks Architect is an elegant architectural design program that offers cutting-edge BIM capabilities in one cost-effective, cross-platform program.

www.nemetschek.net