Aspire Trade School

Huntersville, North Carolina

Project Stats

Location: Huntersville, North Carolina
Project Size: 65,561 sq. ft.
ICF Use: 28,728 sq. ft.
Cost: $18.7M
Total Construction Time: 12 months
ICF Installation Time: 85 days
Completed: June 2023

Construction Team

Owner: Aspire Foundation
General Contractor: Samet Corporation
ICF Installer: Olympic Construction
Architect: Boomerang Design 
ICF Distributor: Concrete Supply

The Aspire Trade School is a specialized educational institution where students can learn a trade while earning their high school diploma, preparing them for the workforce. 

To achieve this same innovative approach to its physical facilities, they chose to build with Nudura® Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) instead of typical construction methods. The continuous insulation provided by the ICF walls increases energy efficiency, leading to long-term financial savings with lower heating and cooling costs. In addition, ICFs offer enhanced durability in an environment where safety is paramount. Having a structure that is resilient to natural disasters such as fires and hurricanes was invaluable.

This project involved interfacing four different building materials – Nudura ICF blocks, Prebuck forms for openings, air barriers from Tremco Sealants and Dryvit's exterior finishes for the façade. The compatibility of these products streamlined the submittal, procurement and installation processes.

At the end of construction, the school will have one warranty for all these products, simplifying any potential future issues. The collaboration with Nudura opened doors to other cutting-edge brands like Tremco, Dryvit and Prebuck, all working together to create a safe, energy-efficient and beautiful school for the owners, faculty and staff, and the students.


Building the first charter trade high school in North Carolina

Explore the process of constructing this state-of-the-art ICF school from the foundation to the exterior finishes.

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