What Clearscapes does

Clearscapes is a private, interdisciplinary, full-service architectural design firm founded in 1981 in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializing in public, private, and institutional projects with particular depth in historic preservation, adaptive reuse, sustainable design, and master planning. The firm's core services span architectural design from schematic design through construction administration, historic rehabilitation following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation (qualifying clients for Federal and State Historic Investment Tax Credits), master planning and feasibility studies, and sustainable/green building design incorporating LEED certification pursuits, geothermal systems, solar PV, and rainwater harvesting. Signature projects include the Marbles Kids Museum (80,000 SF with IMAX theater), Raleigh Union Station (mixed-use rail facility), Raleigh Convention Center (with the firm's proprietary Shimmer Wall kinetic facade), CAM-Raleigh, Asheville Art Museum (70% gallery expansion), Elizabeth City Opera House, and YouTube Production Studio.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model, earning fees on custom engagements scoped by project complexity, with all pricing bespoke and not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: two-thirds of work originates from repeat clients, supplemented by competitive bidding on public-sector RFPs and direct engagement with institutional and private developers. Distribution is regional, concentrated in North Carolina with measured expansion within the state (Raleigh, Asheville, Washington, Elizabeth City, Zebulon, Clayton). Marketing is executed through a comprehensive website portfolio, sustained industry award recognition (over 80 design awards across four decades from AIA NC, AIA Triangle, Preservation NC, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Capital Area Preservation bodies), and engagement with professional organizations including AIA and academic affiliations with NC State's College of Design.

Customer segmentation is vertical-led across four primary segments: government/municipal (cities, towns, counties, state agencies), educational institutions (universities, colleges, K-12), cultural/arts institutions (museums, performing arts venues), and private developers (commercial, residential, mixed-use). The firm's leadership includes Principal Fred Belledin (noted as founding principal in one source) and Associate Principal Mary Conley, supported by senior architects, project designers, and administrative staff in the 11-50 employee band. Clearscapes has no disclosed outside equity, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no public ticker, indicating independent, principal-owned continuity since founding.

Name

Clearscapes

Legal name

Clearscapes

Website

https://clearscapes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clearscapes is a private, full-service architectural design firm founded in 1981 in Raleigh, NC, delivering historic preservation, adaptive reuse, sustainable design, and master planning services to government, education, cultural, and private clients, primarily across North Carolina.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Project-based architectural and design fees for public, private, and institutional clients. Services include new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, and historic preservation projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clearscapes is an interdisciplinary, full-service architectural design firm providing architectural design, historic preservation and rehabilitation, master planning, and sustainable/green building design services. The firm serves public, private, and institutional clients with project types including new construction, renovation, adaptive reuse, museums, libraries, government facilities, transit stations, and community centers. Services span from schematic design through construction administration with expertise in LEED-certified sustainable buildings and historic rehabilitation.

Product overview

Clearscapes is an interdisciplinary, full-service architectural design firm founded in 1981 in Raleigh, NC. The firm offers architectural design, historic preservation and rehabilitation, master planning, sustainable building design, and urban design services. Their portfolio spans diverse project types including museums (Marbles Kids Museum, Contemporary Art Museum, Asheville Art Museum), libraries (North Regional Library, Cary Regional Library), government facilities (Zebulon Town Hall, Clayton Law Enforcement Center), transit stations (Raleigh Union Station, Go Raleigh Station), and community centers (John Chavis Memorial Park, Pullen Arts Center). Notable projects include the Shimmer Wall decorative louver system at Raleigh Convention Center and sustainable facilities like Echoview Fiber Mill featuring geothermal systems and 40% energy reduction. The firm has received over 80 design awards and serves primarily repeat clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services Full-service architectural design for public, private, and institutional projects including museums, libraries, government facilities, transit stations, and community centers, delivered from schematic design through construction administration.
• Historic Preservation & Rehabilitation Specialized restoration and adaptive reuse of historic structures following Secretary of the Interior's Standards, enabling clients to qualify for Federal and State Historic Investment Tax Credits.
• Master Planning Comprehensive planning services for parks, campuses, and community facilities including feasibility studies, stakeholder engagement, and strategic implementation planning.
• Sustainable/Green Building Design Environmental design incorporating LEED certification pursuits, geothermal systems, solar PV, rainwater harvesting, and energy-efficient building technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 design awards received across multiple years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• O'Brien/AtkinssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation on Raleigh Convention Center project in collaboration with Thompson, Ventulett, and Stainback (TVS), Atlanta, GA
• ARCA DesignsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local Asheville architect for Asheville Art Museum expansion. Clearscapes served as design architect from Schematic Design through Design Development and provided full Construction Documents for the renovated North Wing.
• WSPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Go Raleigh Station transportation study and major station improvements at this critical inner-city transit center.
• Surface678supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on John Chavis Memorial Park Strategic Implementation Study to translate master plan goals into design vision.
• East Carolina University Drama DepartmentsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique partnership for Turnage Theater Foundation to provide high quality programming and unique opportunity for university students.
• NC State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing client relationship including Bureau of Mines Building renovation for College of Sciences. Building previously housed NC State's first nuclear reactor.
• Dix Park ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for All Faiths Chapel renovation at Dix Park. The tireless work of the Conservancy to seek out and learn from the rich history of this special place brought stories of the past to life throughout the chapel.
• Wake County and Town of CarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic-private partnership between Wake County, Town of Cary, and a private developer for Cary Regional Library - the County's first library in an urban setting.
• Wake CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic/private partnership between Wake County and non-profit children's museum for Marbles Kids Museum and IMAX Theater.
• College of Design at N.C. State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique public/private partnership between the College of Design at N.C. State University and a private foundation for CAM-Raleigh museum and educational facility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EwingCole: Mid-Atlantic architecture firm with deep cultural, civic, and higher education expertise. Comparable in scale and project typology to Clearscapes, particularly for adaptive reuse and institutional commissions.
• LS3P Associates: Southeast US-based architecture firm of comparable size serving civic, educational, and cultural clients. Closest geographic and scale-based peer to Clearscapes with overlapping institutional practice areas.
• Duda Paine Architects: Durham, NC-based architecture practice focused on cultural, academic, and adaptive reuse work. Highly comparable in size, geography, and design specialty to Clearscapes' institutional and historic preservation focus.
• Ennead Architects: Architecture firm renowned for cultural and civic institutions including museums and libraries. Directly comparable to Clearscapes in museum and cultural facility practice, with broader geographic reach.
• Annum Architects: Boston-based architecture firm specializing in cultural, civic, and educational buildings with strong historic preservation credentials. Directly comparable practice mix to Clearscapes.

Broad incumbents

• HOK: Large global design firm with significant civic, cultural, and sports venue practices overlapping Clearscapes' institutional and public-sector portfolio.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with extensive civic, education, and cultural practices that increasingly competes with regional firms like Clearscapes for marquee institutional commissions.
• Gensler: Global design firm whose civic, cultural, and education practices compete for many of the same institutional project types Clearscapes pursues, particularly in transit-oriented civic commissions.
• SmithGroup: National architecture and design firm with deep cultural, higher education, and science/research practices that overlap Clearscapes' university and museum work.
• HKS: Major architecture practice with strong civic, sports, and higher education sectors that competes for institutional projects similar to Clearscapes' award-winning civic portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/clearscapes_raleigh
• Xx.com/clearscapes
• Facebookfacebook.com/clearscapes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clearscapes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clearscapes