HMFH Architects designed Fairhaven Elementry earns Verified Leader School status for sustainability performance by The Collaborative for High Performance Schools

The LeRoy L. Wood Elementary School is the first in Massachusetts and only the second in the U.S. to achieve Verified Leader School status for sustainability performance by The Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). Opened in September 2013 and designed by Cambridge-based HMFH Architects, the school utilizes abundant daylighting, high-performance heating and cooling systems and flexible learning spaces to support the education of 450 students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The Massachusetts School Building Authority, a partner in funding the LeRoy L. Wood Elementary School, provides additional state funding to communities whose school construction projects achieve Verified Leader School status. "We are pleased to be honored as one of the top educational facilities for sustainability in the US, and proud to be named as the first in our state to earn this benchmark leader status," said Dr. Robert Baldwin, Fairhaven's superintendent of schools. "Our success at the LeRoy Wood Elementary School proves that school buildings can be designed efficiently and economically without a premium cost addition for sustainable design." "We know from first-hand experience and recent research that a healthy, energy-efficient environment enhances student performance and makes learning more enjoyable for students and teachers," said Pip Lewis, AIA, LEED AP, the HMFH principal for the firm's Fairhaven school projects. "The CHPS Leader School verification recognizes the collaborative work of the entire team in achieving this high-performance learning environment for the students and faculty of the LeRoy Wood Elementary School." CHPS is leading a national movement to improve student performance and the entire educational experience by building the best possible schools. Founded in 1999 as a collaboration of California's major utilities to address energy efficiency in schools, the program has expanded to address all aspects of school design, construction and operation.