Nemetschek North America Donates VectorWorks to CHILDESIGN
Columbia, Maryland (October 9, 2006)- Nemetschek North America announced today that it has donated VectorWorks to CHILDESIGN, The National Center on Design for Children, for the creation of construction drawings for its latest Design Demonstration Project, the NYC Apartment Project. CHILDESIGN is the leading nonprofit design advocacy organization focused on redefining and elevating the standard of design for children.
"More children die each year from accidents directly caused by poor design or that could have been prevented with better design than from all childhood illnesses combined," says Sandra Edwards, CHILDESIGN CEO and design director. "Alternatively, safety and family harmony can be made possible by design. Here, our partnership with Nemetschek North America is vital. As I frequently caution others, I can design the most forward-thinking, responsible setting, but, if it is not properly built, it would still become a space that puts a child's health, safety, and development at risk."
Edwards continues, "On this project, CHILDESIGN is fortunate to have benefit of union volunteers to insure quality installation. A significant portion of the work will be off-site fabrication, in state-of-the-art union shops away from my supervising eye. Thus, CHILDESIGN must insure that there is absolutely no misunderstanding when the time comes to transform new, green materials into model designs for child-responsive cabinets and structures. It's about being able to convey even the smallest measurement or seemingly minor detail to these skilled craftsmen-for it is in these details that safety for children resides.
"Consequently, the contribution of VectorWorks Designer to our project is invaluable," she says. "The resulting accurate construction drawings, detailed 3D models, and realistic renderings will ensure the tradesmen know exactly what we want and help me verify how well the 'images in my head' translate into finished product before construction begins-preventing both design and construction errors. Particularly on a demonstration project, and certainly in a space where any child will reside, this is critical."
In addition, VectorWorks trainer and user Olawale Oladunni, principal of Doubleola Design, has donated his training and consulting services to CHILDESIGN to ensure the successful transition from design concept to completed project.
"VectorWorks for me has always been a designer- and user-friendly tool," says Oladunni. "I am very excited to be able to use it as a design resource to bring much needed change to the way we view child environmental design, working with the nation's foremost authority on the subject, CHILDESIGN."
The NYC Apartment Project entails converting the space of CHILDESIGN's former office into a prototype apartment that exemplifies sustainable, child-friendly home design. Located in a landmark limestone residential building on the Upper East Side on the same block as the Frick Museum, the prototype will showcase some of CHILDESIGN's recommendations for best practices in making space for a new family member without expanding a home's existing square footage. To demonstrate the new design's "livability," a family will reside in the space.
Unlike the previous demo projects, this is the first to be designed in a minimalist style, proving that children and high design can comfortably exist. It will demonstrate unique ways to create a new room in any dwelling and feature child-inclusive features. The prototype also includes an outdoor family activity center on a 700-square-foot terrace-the first child-friendly green roof CHILDESIGN will have publicly demonstrated.
As the heart of CHILDESIGN's outreach and education efforts, this space will be open upon completion for guided tours by appointment and for meetings and workshops-another first for a CHILDESIGN demonstration project. To protect their privacy, the family will not be onsite during tours.
In addition to enlisting the active support of union leadership and its NYC Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC), CHILDESIGN's project also has the support of City Council officials, the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development, and other innovative manufacturers who care about children, understand the importance of these market sectors, and have already committed to donate product. These include Dombracht, Marvin Windows, Lightolier, and Globus Cork.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-October and is estimated to be finished by year end.
For more details about CHILDESIGN, visit www.childesign.org
For more details about doubleola design, visit www.doubleola.com
Nemetschek North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of European software giant Nemetschek AG. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek N.A. 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. An all-in-one solution that's easier to learn and use and more cost-effective than most other CAD programs, VectorWorks is ideal for firms that don't have unlimited IT budgets. For more information, visit www.nemetschek.net
Michelle Ervin
Marketing Manager
Nemetschek North America
7150 Riverwood Drive
Columbia, MD 21046 USA
www.nemetschek.net
410-290-5114, ext. 719
mervin@nemetschek.net
