Synergy Credit Union - Synergy continues to be a green leader

When the Synergy Centre was designed, it was not only focused on a vastly improved member experience and the opportunity to be a community hub. Being green friendly was front and centre.

Synergy Credit Union is proud to announce that The Synergy Centre received its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification. LEED is a rating system that is recognized as the international mark of excellence for green building in 150 countries. Since 2002, the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and LEED Canada have been redefining the buildings and communities where Canadians live, work and learn.

The Synergy Centre, which opened in March 2016, is tailored to promote a holistic approach to be sustainable in five key areas (sustainable site development, water efficiency, material efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality).

“Striving towards LEED certification was part of the discussion when the initial planning for The Synergy Centre took place,” said Synergy CEO Glenn Stang. “It’s really remarkable to see how it came together and we couldn’t be more proud of how the project turned out.”

The benefits for achieving these targets are vast. They include natural working light in all possible areas, efficient and comfortable heating and cooling, reduction of carbon footprint, a healthy environment and lower operating costs.

Striving to meet LEED standards has been done through a number of steps, which began with a construction process that aimed to reduce waste by 75 per cent:

The office walls and flooring are adjustable and movable, giving the location flexibility to meet future needs. And it eliminates future costly and material-wasting renovations.
The state-of-the art mechanical and control room provides a comfortable and healthy environment throughout the building, while being 47 per cent more efficient than similar-sized buildings. The climate can be controlled remotely from any location with an Internet connection.
The landscaping is designed for arid climates, requiring less water and fertilizer resources.
The naturally lit, spacious environment allows for less energy to be used by artificial lighting. The lighting is activated by sensors only when needed.
When the building was designed, the “winged” external shape was chosen to maximize the positioning of the sun. That complements the fritted glass, which has ceramic beads inside it. The design of the beads allows that when the sun is high, it blocks more heat and energy, allowing for more comfort and less need for air conditioning during the summer. When the sun is low, which happens more often in the winter, it lets more sunlight in, increasing the heat coming in from the windows.

“Our staff and members will tell you it’s a really unique environment that they enjoy being in,” said Synergy’s Chief Financial Officer Christine Tucker. “It also gives us the flexibility to adapt more easily to meet our members’ needs in a rapidly evolving financial industry.”

Lloydminster, Sask. - Wednesday | October 30, 04:31 PM