Bluebeam & Vectorworks Empower Future AEC/O Leaders at AIAS 2025

Each year, the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) Grassroots Leadership Conference brings together student leaders from across the U.S. to sharpen their leadership skills, deepen their design knowledge and explore their role in shaping the built environment. This year, the conference provided a unique lens into the intersection of technology, design, and collaboration, thanks to the involvement of two powerhouse brands from the Nemetschek Group: Bluebeam and Vectorworks.

Through the Nemetschek Global Academic Program (NGAP), both brands offered students an unprecedented opportunity to connect academic theory with professional practice. This partnership wasn’t simply sponsorship; it was an investment in the future of the AEC/O industry, grounded in the belief that education should be a partnership, not just a pipeline.

AIAS Grassroots attracts chapter heads and student advocates from architecture schools nationwide. These attendees are not only future architects – they are leaders shaping their campuses, communities, and the profession itself. At the conference, Bluebeam’s Senior Academic Manager, Sarah Parkinson, alongside Vectorworks’ Academic Marketing Manager Tyler French and Product Marketing Manager Luc Lefebvre, engaged directly with students through immersive workshops, software demos, and mentorship opportunities tailored to their academic and professional ambitions.

The conference experience kicked off with a walking tour designed to provide students with a real-world perspective on architecture and construction. Twenty students joined the customized tour, beginning at two historic renovation projects led by HOK’s Washington, D.C. office. Francesca Oliveira, Technical Principal, and Monika Kumor, Senior Project Designer, shared insights on balancing sustainability, aesthetic goals, regulatory constraints, and project team collaboration. They highlighted how Bluebeam tools help streamline complex processes, offering students a glimpse into the professional workflows that bring large-scale projects to life. 

After the HOK projects, the tour continued to Studio Upwall, a small firm working entirely in Vectorworks. Principal Greg Upwall and Architectural Designer Ana Garcia guided students through recent projects, emphasizing the critical relationships among designer, client, and contractor. Attendees had the rare chance to ask questions about the realities of small-firm practice, from creative problem-solving to client communication, witnessing firsthand how Vectorworks facilitates both design innovation and practical execution.

The final stop of the tour featured interactive software demos from Luc Lefebvre and Sarah Parkinson. Students explored the flexibility and industry adoption of Bluebeam and Vectorworks, connecting the software directly to the projects they had seen earlier. This hands-on approach fosters lasting familiarity with professional tools while inspiring students to adopt them in their future workflows.

Later in the day, Bluebeam and Vectorworks jointly represented the Nemetschek Group at the AIAS Industry Expo, engaging more than 200 student attendees. This shared presence allowed students to explore both brands’ academic offerings and discover ways to integrate professional tools into their campus projects and personal workflows.

At the Bluebeam booth, students explored Bluebeam Revu, the industry-standard platform for PDF-based markup and construction collaboration. They learned how to integrate Revu into studio workflows, design-build projects, and cross-disciplinary teamwork, gaining practical insights into its versatility. In addition, they discovered Bluebeam University, a structured learning platform offering training and certifications tailored to industry needs, giving them valuable tools to bridge the gap between academic projects and professional practice.

At the Vectorworks station, participants engaged hands-on with Vectorworks Architect, experimenting with features such as 2D/3D design, graphical scripting, and advanced rendering. Through Vectorworks University, they gained access to tutorials, self-paced courses, and professional certifications, further extending their learning beyond the conference. Many also discussed how they could bring Vectorworks back to their campuses, using workshops to spark collaboration, creativity, and skill development within their own student communities.

By providing no-cost educational licenses and student-specific certification pathways, Bluebeam and Vectorworks help students bridge the gap between conceptual design and constructability. From sketches and 3D models in the studio to on-site coordination and project management in the field, students leave the conference with tools, knowledge, and confidence to lead in the AEC/O industry.

The AIAS Grassroots Conference 2025 demonstrated how collaboration between academic programs and industry leaders can empower students to envision – and build – the future. Through hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to professional-grade tools, Bluebeam and Vectorworks are shaping a generation of architects and designers ready to tackle the challenges of the built environment with innovation, skill, and leadership.