Clark Nexsen Wins Three 2023 AIA Aspire Design Awards

Clark Nexsen received three American Institute of Architects (AIA) Aspire Design Awards at the 2023 AIA Aspire Conference on September 10 in Asheville, North Carolina, for the Alexandria Center for AgTech, Joyner Park Community Center, and the 421 N Harrington Street office. Hosted by the AIA state chapters of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, Aspire is an innovative regional design conference for the Southeast’s built community to inspire, collaborate, and design the future.

Merit Award – 421 N Harrington Street  

Clark Nexsen’s 421 N Harrington Street upfit provides employees with a modern layout that promotes the firm’s commitment to collaboration, design, access to resources and technology, and employee well-being. With beautiful views of the Raleigh skyline, the one-floor office utilizes a clean and open layout, with natural light, shared common spaces, quiet areas, and maker spaces that allow employees of all disciplines to work together.  

Merit Award – 5 Laboratory Drive 

Challenged to take a nondescript office park and turn it into an inviting, open, and human-centered place, the 5 Laboratory Drive is a cohesive, modern campus that has appealed to prospective tenants by offering a competitive edge in the hunt for scientific talent. The design emphasizes indoor-outdoor connectivity, highly flexible building infrastructure, and new amenity areas, which include a fitness center, business/conference center, and space for a restaurant.  

Citation Award – Joyner Park Community Center  

Designed to align with Joyner Park’s rural context and historic buildings, the Joyner Park Community Center creates more gymnasium space, provides new resources for the community, and offers a slew of new spaces for members to enjoy, such as a dance studio, teaching kitchen, and indoor track. The facility features connections to the park’s greenway system to reinforce indoor-outdoor connectivity and is designed to accommodate future expansion, such as additional gymnasiums.  

About AIA Aspire Design Awards  

The AIA Aspire Design Awards program highlights the diverse range of projects by architects in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The program is carefully structured so that the selection and recognition of honorees elevate the general quality of architectural practice, establishes a standard of excellence against the general quality of architectural practice, establishes a standard of excellence against which all architects can measure performance, and informs the public of the importance of design.