ARC, RFS and Harvey's Laconia Middle School project earns CHPS

ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge said that Laconia Middle School, designed by ARC and RFS Engineering, has received CHPS Certification by the New Hampshire Department of Education. The Collaborative for High Performance Schools, known as CHPS, is a non-profit organization that encourages school districts to design and build sustainable, high-performance learning environments to optimize children's education. The 118,000 s/f middle school building was completed last year. ARC served as the architect for the project, RFS provided integrated engineering as well as overall project management services, and Harvey Construction Corp. served as the general contractor. The three-story building, which includes classrooms, administrative spaces, a library/media center, cafeteria and kitchen, as well as a gymnasium and multi-purpose room, serves grades six through eight and accommodates up to 750 students. The new building replaced an existing 1961 facility on the same site. With CHPS Certification, Laconia Middle School will receive the additional 3% reimbursement, amounting to about $750,000, from the state of New Hampshire. "This is great news. We're all very excited that this ARC/RFS-designed project has achieved the goal of receiving CHPS Certification," said Henry Reeder, FAIA, principal-in-charge of the project at ARC. Throughout the phased demolition and construction period, the school was able to remain open. Bob Champlin, superintendent of Schools, shared ARC's enthusiasm, adding "that the new facility offers state-of-the-art educational features to provide our students with hope and opportunity is so critical to our mission. We have been blessed with the best."