The Coretta Scott King Young Women¹s Leadership Academy (the “Academy”) is the first single-gender school constructed in Atlanta in 60 years. The Academy is part of Atlanta Public School’s pilot program to boost academic achievement by separating the male and female population in middle school and continue through high school. The Academy houses 300 middle school students and 400 high school students. The high school component is comprised of High School 1 and High School 2, which will operate independently, incorporating aspects of the small learning communities’ philosophy. The Academy consists of two structures organized around a central courtyard with the classroom building on one side and the performing arts, dining and athletics facility on the other side. The program includes over 80 instructional units, including state of the art science labs, two gymnasiums, a large dining hall, a performing arts auditorium, band/orchestra and choral rooms and a dance studio. In addition, softball fields, tennis courts, and track and soccer fields provide athletic opportunities to the students.
The project was planned as LEED Silver Certified and incorporates many sustainable features including storm water retention for the athletic field irrigation, construction materials to reduce the “heat island” effect, reduced potable water demand due to high efficiency plumbing fixtures and improved acoustics in classrooms for better student performance.
The project schedule was fast track from design to occupancy. Design and construction overlapped significantly with total design time equal to 12 months and total construction time equal to 16 months.
This was a design build project lead by C D Moody Construction Company, and the architect worked for C D Moody Construction Company.
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