August, 2020 - Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

ISI is Enhancing its Website in Early September

28-August-2020

Website Refresh Occurring in September

From Friday, September 4th through Saturday, September 5, ISI’s website is being improved and will be inaccessible. Once complete, you will experience improved functionality and new features through your “ISI account.”

Please keep in mind that on Tuesday, September 1st—72 hours prior to the website refresh—the website will not allow you to begin a new exam. However, if you had previously started an exam before September 1st, you should be allowed to continue taking the exam. It is also important to note that access to project files and exam data could be limited through the morning of Tuesday, September 8th.

The schedule for updates is as follows:
Friday, September 4th
During the late hours on Friday evening , September 4th, ISI’s website will be shutdown entirely. The 11-hour shutdown will last through Saturday morning, September 5.

Saturday, September 5th
Saturday afternoon, September 5th, the website will relaunch with almost all functionality available, including new exams. However, access to completed exam data and some project files could be limited through Tuesday morning, September 8.

ISI thanks you for your patience and understanding. Once the refresh is complete, we are confident that the improvements will be more user friendly, will enhance your work, and allow you to navigate the site with ease.

If you have any questions, please contact Dyan Lee, ISI’s Marketing and Communications director.

ISI and FEMCIC Partner to Bring Envision to Mexico

20-August-2020

Washington, D.C. — 8-18-2020:

The Federación Mexicana de Colegios de Ingenieros Civiles (FEMCIC) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) are proud to announce their partnership to bring the Envision framework and rating system to Mexico. Working together, ISI and FEMCIC are hopeful that the A/E/C industry will use Envision to plan, design, and deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure to enhance societal health and wellbeing, protect the environment, and boost economic prosperity across Mexico.

The President and Chief Executive Officer of ISI, Anthony Kane, is elated to be collaborating with FEMCIC and extending the Envision framework into Mexico: “We see this as a tremendous opportunity for Mexico, its citizens, communities, and the A/E/C industry. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a greater need to rebuild better infrastructure to aid communities in bouncing back stronger. The Envision framework and rating system can empower all stakeholders to do just that.”

Mr. Alejandro Guevara, president of FEMCIC, agrees and said: “Mexico has an opportunity to implement a process for sustainable infrastructure development, and the civil engineering community will be leading the effort to demonstrate how our organization is partnering with international organizations like ISI to improve our nation’s infrastructure.”

Oscar Cortes, vice president of International Relations of FEMCIC, agrees and said, “This partnership will be a highly beneficial relationship as it promotes the use of the best management tools for our engineers.”

FEMCIC is the leading Civil Engineering Society in Mexico comparable to ASCE in the United States. As such, they promote (within their membership) capacity building, and they coordinate the certification process across all 60 local chapters in Mexico. FEMCIC also engages its local, state, and federal legislative officials to promote an integrated development process for sustainable infrastructure as part of policies and regulations.

Envision is the product of the collaboration between ISI, which was founded by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. ISI’s partnership with FEMCIC is a natural progression of that work.
To date, thousands of individuals in the United States, Canada, and Italy have earned the Envision Sustainability Professional Credential (ENV SP). More than one hundred project teams have also had their projects verified. Numerous professionals and experts in the A/E/C industry have benefited from learning Envision. Infrastructure owners, engineers, designers, architects, planners, contractors, operators, and other stakeholders have found it most impactful when used as a guidance tool in the early planning and design stages of infrastructure development. Doing so helps engineers identify and analyze their needs before approving and executing projects.

The goal of both ISI and FEMCIC is to help individuals and communities thrive. With FEMCIC’s stamp of approval, ISI is eager to work collaboratively with them to deploy Envision. Together, they’ll be ensuring a more sustainable and resilient Mexico.

To learn more about Envision or the partnership between FEMCIC and ISI, please contact Dyan Lee, ISI’s director of Marketing and Communications, at lee@sustainableinfrastructure.org. You may also contact FEMCIC directly at presidencia.femcic@gmail.com

Please check out the FEMCIC website

Download the press release in English / Spanish

ISI Honors 5-Year Members

18-August-2020

To help communities and organizations navigate the complexities of sustainability, resiliency, and equity, ISI embraces strong partnerships and purposeful models of cooperation and collaboration with our member organizations. No single entity or organization has the capacity to act alone, which is why we value consensus building and meaningful relationships. The following is a list of companies, public agencies, and academic institutions celebrating 5 years of membership with ISI.

In total, ISI is honoring nearly 50 accounts who have been members through June 30, 2020.

As you will see below, hundreds of Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs) are employed by these member organizations. ISI would like to personally thank each organization and its ENV SPs for their commitments to Envision and to sustainability.

If you have any questions about membership or would like to join, please contact ISI’s Membership Director, Audrey Gorham, or ISI’s President and CEO, Anthony Kane.

Academic Memberships

Accounts / # of ENV SPs
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (18 )
Colorado State University (13)

Public Agencies
Agencies / # of ENV SPs

City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering (107)
City of Atlanta – Department of Watershed Management (30)
Pinellas County Public Works (17)
City of Coral Gables (10)
East Bay (7)

Private Companies / # of ENV SPs

Skanska USA (98)
AECOM (63)
Wood (60)
Mott MacDonald (50)
C&S Engineers (32)
Gresham Smith (24)
Walter P. Moore and Assoc., Inc. (20)
Carollo Engineers (19)
Strand Associates, Inc. (15)
Greenman-Pedersen, Inc (14)
Lamp Rynearson (12)
Volkert, Inc. (10)
Moffatt & Nichol (10)
NV5, Inc (9)
VIA Architecture (2)
R. M. Towill Corporation (2)
Haskell (2)
O’Brien360 (2)
SSFM International, Inc. (1)

EA Engineering, Science, and Technology (9)
Clark Nexsen, Inc. (8)
KCI Technologies, Inc (8)
McWane Ductile (7)
Power Engineers Inc. (6)
O’Brien & Gere (5)
Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association (5)
Smith Seckman Reid (4)
Harris & Associates (4)
PMCS Group, Inc. (4)
Clark Dietz, Inc. (4)
Golder Associates S.r.l. (4)
Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (3)
Merrick & Co (3)
Ecovert Sustainability Consultants (3)
Fuscoe Engineering, Inc. (1)
Chastain & Associates LLC (1)
Schnabel Engineering (1)
Harper Corporation (1)
Taylor Future Solutions (1)

View ISI’s Membership brochure and learn about the many benefits you will receive when you become a member organization.

Together, we can Envision a sustainable world.

Please note that any agency that has been with ISI for more than 5 years will be honored when the 10 year mark is achieved.

Buffalo’s Willert Park Green Infrastructure Project Earns Envision Bronze Award

17-August-2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 17, 2020 – The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the Buffalo Sewer Authority’s Willert Park Green Infrastructure Project in Buffalo, NY, is the recent recipient of the Envision^® Bronze award for sustainable infrastructure.

To earn an Envision award, a project must deliver a range of sustainability and resiliency benefits to the host and affected communities. These benefits are validated through a rigorous third-party review process against the Envision sustainable infrastructure framework.

Project Background and Context

The Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) has been a champion of green infrastructure through its “Raincheck 1.0” and “Raincheck 2.0” programs. Green Infrastructure, or GI, is an approach to water management that mimics the natural water cycle and reduces runoff from developed sites. GI includes strategies to reduce runoff such as planting trees, restoring and protecting wetlands, using rain barrels to collect stormwater, and using pervious materials to allow for water infiltration. GI has been shown to be a cost effective and efficient approach to stormwater management compared with other alternatives such as constructing water treatment plants. The Willert Park Green Infrastructure Project was developed in accordance with BSA’s Long-Term Control Plan and will have a significant impact on water quality in the city of Buffalo.

BSA worked in close collaboration with Wendel, Joy Kuebler Landscape Architects and Watts Architecture & Engineering to deliver this sustainable project.

“I am grateful for all of the hard work that everyone has done to complete the Award winning Willert Park project. This Green Infrastructure project was truly a community focused effort that involved outreach, engagement, and participation through community visioning walks, meetings, and collaborative design,” said Oluwole A. McFoy P.E., General Manager of Buffalo Sewer. Mr. McFoy continued, “I am also proud that this project also included the WaterWorx summer youth camp with education and activities around stormwater management and sustainability and helped contribute to the revitalization of Jesse Clipper Square, which was inspired by the original design by the City of Buffalo’s first African American architect John Brent.”

“The team did a fantastic job to make the Willert Park Green Infrastructure project a showcase of sustainability and green design. This award is the culmination of years of hard work that led to a project that provided stormwater management, improved parkland, and better community relations/education. I am very proud to have been part of this team.” Scott Rybarczyk, PE, LEED AP Project Manager, Wendel.

LEARN MORE

Inequality in Civil Infrastructure.

13-August-2020

Inequality in infrastructure is something the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry hasn’t focused on nearly enough in the past. But, the industry is starting to realize that needs to change.

In the following article, ISI’s Managing Director, Melissa Peneycad, reexamined some well-known civil infrastructure projects and discusses how they divided their communities. Melissa also looks at three current projects that have focused on equity, and she discusses how many organizations are hoping to right the wrongs of the past.

Read the article…>

Virtual Award Ceremony & Webinar / August 19, 2020

12-August-2020

Please join us in celebrating the PHX Sky Train® — Stage 2 project during a virtual award ceremony on August 19 at 1 p.m. This is the Phoenix Sky Harbor International airport’s first Envision award and the third Envision-awarded project in the state of Arizona. Find out why this project earned an Envision Gold award and discover lessons learned. Also learn how stakeholders worked closely with the community (fire, police, and city officials) to make this project sustainable and secure.

ISI’s President and CEO, Anthony Kane, will be hosting the virtual event and numerous guests from the city have been invited.

Attending this virtual award ceremony qualifies for one hour of education toward your ENV SP credential maintenance.

Again, the virtual ISI Award Ceremony and Educational Webinar event will be held on August 19 at 1 p.m. ET.

Register

Presenters include the following:

William (Bill) Peterson, Gannett Fleming
Senior Resident Engineer, Professional Engineer, Associate
Bill has 20 years’ experience in the A/E/C industry. Bill has been involved in a wide range of projects involving heavy highway construction, bridge structures, airport structures, automotive test tracks, residential development, commercial development and large solar fields.

Mary Anne Derr, Gannett Fleming
Senior Project Manager, Professional Engineer, & Senior Associate
Mary Anne has 30 years of experience with the firm. She has extensive experience managing major transportation and transit projects, including three stages of the PHX Sky Train, two sections of the WMATA Subway System, major transportation projects for MTA in Los Angeles and Valley Metro Rail in Phoenix.

Wade Chance, Hensel Phelps
Project Manager
Wade has with nearly 15 years of experience at the firm. Wade has extensive experience managing large commercial and transportation projects, including two stages of the PHX Sky Train. Wade has had been involved in a wide range of sustainable projects across many regions stretching from the West Coast of California to as far East as Louisiana.

Complimentary registration is now open via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Please let ISI’s Education Director, Lindsey Geiger, know if you have any questions or encounter any snags in the registration process. Otherwise, we look forward to celebrating the PHX Sky Train® – Stage 2 project with you on August 19th!

New York City’s 235th Street Pumping Station Earns Envision Gold

2-August-2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 3, 2020 – The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) $30 million Reconstruction of the 235th Street Pumping Station (PS-313) located in the Bronx borough of New York is the recent recipient of the Envision® Gold award for sustainable infrastructure. The DEP worked in close collaboration with Tetra Tech to deliver this award- winning sustainable project. This project is the third DEP project to receive an Envision award, and the first to earn Gold. To earn Envision Gold, a project must demonstrate that it delivers a heightened range of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the host and affected communities.

Project Context and Background
Originally constructed in 1966, the 235th Street Pumping Station is a combined sewage and stormwater pumping station located within Riverdale Park along Palisade Avenue in the Bronx.

The pumping station handles a dry weather flow of 1.49 million gallons per day (MGD) and has a total station capacity of 10.9 MGD. The 235th Street Pumping Station receives combined sewer flow from approximately 80 acres of sewershed and is the last in a series of three pump stations.

This state of good repair project includes replacing the existing above grade pumping station building with a new building covering the same footprint as the existing building. The foundation and subgrade structure will remain in place with concrete repairs performed on the structure and new equipment (pumps, valves, controls, etc.) installed. A new emergency generator will provide backup power for the station, therefore providing for continuous sewer service to the surrounding area even in times of emergency. A new 20-inch diameter force main from the pumping station will be constructed to provide more reliable service to the surrounding community, and the roadway will be repaired at the end of the project construction.

The primary goal of the PS-313 project is to design a safe, reliable, efficient, resilient, and low maintenance pumping station. In order to achieve this goal, sustainability has been a major focus for the project team since the early planning phases. The ISI Envision rating system was identified early on as an established framework that could guide the project team to meeting this goal, and therefore the team elected to pursue an Envision Gold verification.

“As an Accountable Manager with the PS-313 design team, it was a great experience to see the different facets of the Envision requirements being implemented throughout the design phase and coming together in the construction documents. For a pumping station rehabilitation, the goal was not only to make a better station for the Operators, but also to make a better station for the surrounding community and environment as a whole.” – Steve Elie-Pierre, P.E. – NYC DEP, PS-313 Accountable Manager

“This project met several ambitious sustainability goals which were established at the outset of the project including reducing station energy requirements and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing potable water consumption and eliminating waste from operations and maintenance activities,” said Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s Managing Director. “The project team was able to achieve its sustainability goals largely due to the successful implementation of a comprehensive sustainability management system—one of the best examples of such a system we have evaluated as part of our project verification program. We are pleased to present the Envision Gold award for sustainable infrastructure to New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection and its project partners for the PS-313 project.”

“Tetra Tech is pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with the New York City DEP on this challenging and innovative project. The sustainable features of the upgraded facility integrate DEP’s system and culture of incorporating sustainable Envision certificate requirements into the planning, design and construction to achieve desired goals and provide indispensable operational, social and environmental benefits to residents.” – Joko Osinulu, P.E., PMP – Tetra Tech PS-313 Project Manager.