Some projects remind you why you got into construction. The American Leadership Academy expansion in Monroe, North Carolina is one of them.
Hayco Construction is currently underway on a significant new build for American Leadership Academy, a charter school serving students across the Union County area. The project includes two major structures rising on the same site, each serving a distinct purpose within the school community.
The Project
The first structure is a two-story classroom facility, purpose-designed learning spaces built to support ALA’s academic program. The second is a larger multipurpose facility housing a full gymnasium and a dining hall with a commercial kitchen.
Together, these two buildings will give American Leadership Academy the physical capacity to serve more students, expand programming, and create a real sense of campus identity.
What Makes This Project Complex
Multi-building educational projects aren’t just twice the work, they’re a different kind of coordination challenge. Each building has its own structural system, its own mechanical and electrical demands, and its own inspection milestones. Managing two structures on a shared site means careful sequencing of trades, site logistics, and delivery schedules so neither building delays the other.
The gymnasium and dining hall combination in the multipurpose building presents its own set of technical demands:
• Large clear-span structural systems for the gymnasium that cannot be interrupted by support columns
• Commercial kitchen infrastructure including ventilation, grease interceptors, utility connections, and health code compliance
• Acoustic considerations where gym noise cannot bleed into adjacent dining or corridor spaces
• Finish specifications that serve both a daily-use cafeteria and a community event space
These aren’t new challenges for Hayco, they’re exactly the kind of project where our institutional experience matters most.
The Hayco Standard on School Sites
Every Hayco project begins with safety, and educational sites are no exception. Pre-task planning, site-specific safety protocols, and daily coordination with ownership ensure that the site stays secure and the build keeps moving forward.
We do what we say we’re going to do. That includes delivering a building that’s ready for students.
Stay tuned for more project updates on the American Leadership Academy build. Follow us on LinkedIn for photos and progress milestones as construction advances.