Magnify Credit Union South Lakeland Branch: Lakeland, FL

Teaching for the Future

A Florida credit union wanted its new branch to be an investment in the community it serves. It designed the building to run off solar power, use rainwater for irrigation and flushing and to create a welcoming environment with an open plan interior that eliminates the teller counter. Rather than developing a new site, it selected an already developed site and built the branch around the previously existing ice cream shop. The building, which received an 83 ENERGY STAR rating, used 75 kBtu/ft² in 2011, while its photovoltaic array produced 68 kBtu/ft². The owner is repositioning and adding PV panels in pursuit of net zero energy status.