If you’ve flown into Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport from the south lately, you may noticed a long, modern, serpentine structure rising from the red clay and wondered what it could be.

Answer: It’s the largest and priciest high school in Clayton County history.

About 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta, off Interstate 675, Morrow High School is under construction with a striking, linear design that aims to maximize sunlight for students in a relatively narrow building.

The school was designed by Perkins & Will, the same firm behind K-12 projects Drew Charter School in East Lake and the redesign of Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Grant Park. And it’s already picked up hardware—a Phil Freelon Professional Design Award at the NOMA 2020 Conference, in the “Unbuilt” category.

Morrow High is coming together adjacent to the new East Clayton Elementary School. It includes an S-shaped academic building, adjacent basketball area with a suite level, and a 6,000-square-foot football stadium with artificial turf and a running track.

Recent progress on the 350,000-square-foot school project, the largest and most expensive in Clayton County history. Its stadium is seen in the distance. Eberly & Associates

According to Perkins & Will’s project description, the facility will provide “an uplifting learning environment for a predominantly Black working-class neighborhood in the suburbs of south metro Atlanta” that prioritizes sustainability, wellness, and safety.

Construction of the $80-million campus began in early 2020, spread across 125 acres owned by the school system, about four miles from the current Morrow High. According to Clayton News-Daily, the 350,000-square-foot facility is the largest and most expensive high school ever built in the southside county, paid for with SPLOST VI monies and capital outlay funds.

Finalized design for the school's connection between learning spaces and arena. Designs by Perkins & Will

The state-of-the-art project expects to finish construction in early 2022, according to a recent update by Eberly & Associates, which is providing civil engineering services. Additional facilities include a grass multipurpose field, turf softball and baseball fields, and six tennis courts.

Have a closer look in the gallery above.  

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