It was a first for schools in Shanghai on January 17, as Yew Chung International School of Shanghai’s (YCIS) new Ronghua Campus was awarded the prestigious ‘Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’ (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). During a ceremony at the new campus, the school received the award from Mr Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO of USGBC, making YCIS the very first school in Shanghai to ever earn a LEED certification.

The new YCIS Ronghua Campus, which is set to open its doors on February 26, is a state-of-the-art campus for children ages 2-6. The campus was designed in collaboration with Fielding Nair International, a globally renowned architectural firm specialising in innovative learning spaces for children. Featuring a Learning Community structure, classrooms at the campus are constructed using flexible layouts that can change according to classroom activities and needs.

‘LEED for Schools’ is the recognised third-party benchmark for high-performance schools that are healthy and comfortable for students, faculty, and staff. A school can only achieve LEED certification after undergoing a technically rigorous construction process, including the incorporation of environmentally-friendly building materials to achieve an efficient and healthy indoor environment.

During the ceremony, Mr Ramanujam said of the campus, "A LEED school is better than any other school because it creates the best environment for children to have optimal physical, mental, and social health. Every child learning in a ‘green’ school in a generation is the vision of USGBC, and I think that story starts here at YCIS Shanghai’s Ronghua Campus.”

Following the ceremony, Mr Andrew Mellor and Ms Isabel Xu, Co-Principals of the campus said, “We are proud to be the first school in Shanghai, and one of the very few LEED-certified schools in the whole of China, to have received this tremendous award. Ronghua Campus is a significant demonstration of our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff, and we hope our opening next month inspires our community to strive for a greener future.”

To learn more about Ronghua Campus and the benefits it offers young learners, please click here.