Exeter, NH (February 12, 2009)—Phillips Exeter Academy and TMS Architects have recently been awarded a LEED® Gold certification for three new faculty residences.
 
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system to determine if a building meets specific green building criteria. The six major environmental categories required to be satisfied: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation and Design. Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of LEED certification are awarded based upon points earned within each of these categories.

The Gold certification for the three residences was achieved by reducing utility energy consumption by 50 percent, and eliminating the use of fossil fuels for heating by using geothermal energy through wells drilled up to 220-feet below the surface. They also incorporated local building materials and native plants in the landscaping, recycled the majority of the construction waste, and installed a rain garden to capture runoff from hard surfaces such as roofs and driveways. 

The building materials used in the homes contribute to the overall sustainability of the project. The R-value (the resistance factor of thermal loss) of the walls of the homes was greatly increased by using structural, insulated panels that have an insulating layer of foam sandwiched between structural sheathing. Triple-paned windows, fluorescent lighting, a drain water heat recovery system from showers, heat recovery ventilators to capture and return warm air, and Energy Star® appliances have been installed in all three residences. There is easy access to recycling, and low-to-no VOC materials have been employed to prevent “off-gassing.” 

The Academy’s three awarded residences are the first in New Hampshire to receive LEED Gold certification, with only 10 homes in the state to hold this honor. The achievement exemplifies Phillips Exeter Academy’s and TMS Architects’ commitment to sustainability. In January, more than 1,320 homes in the United States have been named LEED-certified; 276 of which have achieved Gold status.

Portsmouth, NH-based TMS Architects was founded in 1984 by partners John Merkle, AIA, and William Soupcoff, AIA. For more information about PEA construction and sustainability programs, contact Mark Leighton, Exeter’s Associate Director for Design and Construction 603-777-4529.

Interested in learning more?

Read about Exeter's other LEED-certified building, the Phelps Academy Center...

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Listen to Roger Wakeman, director of facilities management, talk about sustainable building practices at Exeter...