Event Wrap: ISI’s Zofnass Research Workshop in Los Angeles

ISI delivered a hugely successful Spring Zofnass Research Workshop, May 15–16 in Los Angeles — a unique event packed with learning, networking and field visits tied to sustainable infrastructure and Envision.

Bringing together experts from leading public agencies and engineering consulting firms, this first-of-its kind workshop offered valuable project perspectives and case studies from the Los Angeles area, a region with one of the highest concentrations of experienced Envision users and agencies.

Click to view a PDF with photos from each day of the workshop

ISI will build on this event’s success to continue developing a mix of Zofnass Research Program workshops; both public and invitation-only.

The L.A. workshop featured:

  • Presentations on the impact of recent fire disasters, the need for resilient infrastructure, and the solutions and strategies best able to prepare assets and communities now and in the future.
  • Case studies and firsthand project lessons from public agencies and engineering consulting companies involved in sustainability and resiliency planning across the LA region and insights on the tie-ins with Envision application.
  • Discussion of research on the costs and benefits of implementing Envision — highlighting insights into the time, effort, and financial investment required for verification, and how project teams are measuring value.
  • Social activities and opportunities for attendees to network with industry colleagues.

In the Field

Opportunities for applied learning continued on the ground on Day 2 with guided field visits to a range of Envision-related projects across Los Angeles. These projects included:

  • LA Metro stations

    Click to view a PDF with photos from each day of the workshop

  • Sixth Street Viaduct Seismic Improvement Project
  • Los Angeles Street Services Asphalt Plant No. 1
  • South Los Angeles Wetlands Park
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt Park Stormwater Capture Project
  • Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP); Biogas-to-energy project; and Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF)
  • Projects at Los Angeles International Airport:
    • Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility
    • Central Utility Plant
    • LAX Automated People Mover
    • Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF)
    • LAX/Metro Transit Center

The tour stops offered lessons learned and real-world context to help attendees better understand the implementation challenges and the long-term benefits of sustainable infrastructure.

Clockwise from top left: the LAX Automated People Mover, the Central Utility Plant at LAX, the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, the Sixth Street Viaduct, the Roosevelt Park Stormwater Capture Project, and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant

Thank You!

ISI would like to extend a sincere thank-you to all the presenters and host agencies who made this experience possible:

California High-Speed Rail Authority, HNTB, LA County Public Works, LA Metro, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Stantec, Bentley Systems, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, LA Sanitation and Environment.

And a special thanks to our Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board for supporting this event: HNTB, NV5, Stantec, Bentley Systems, En3 Sustainability Solutions, and Greenprint Partners.

ISI was also honored to host a delegation from China during the workshop. This group included sustainable development experts and representatives from engineering consulting companies across China, many of whom are ENV SPs actively working on Envision-supported projects in China. Learn more about the China delegation visit.

Session Recordings

In case you had planned to be in LA for the Spring 2025 Zofnass Research Workshop but were not able to attend, session recordings are available to users in their ISI accounts, under Education > All Courses.

Call for Judges for ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition

The ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition is currently seeking judges for the 22 ASCE Student Symposia that will take place across the United States throughout the spring of 2025. ISI continues to support the ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition this year through promotion and participation, and we hope you’ll consider joining us as we engage with these talented young students!

 

Judges should:

  • Have experience in sustainable design and be familiar with the Envision framework – ENV SP credential is a plus.
  • Enjoy interacting with students.
  • Have time to review and score project submissions before the event. Pre-work, which includes scoring technical design proposals, sustainability, and public outreach posters, will take about two hours per team submission.
  • Plan to attend the student symposium in-person to view poster displays, judge presentations, and meet with judging team to finalize team rankings.
  • Be impartial and fair to all participating teams.

 

To volunteer, fill out the volunteer form. Select “competition judge” and “ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition.” Under “How did you learn about this student symposia volunteer opportunity?”please note ISI.

 

ISI holds second Zofnass Research Program Workshop in New York City

Infrastructure professionals gained new insights into the use and implementation of Envision to develop more sustainable projects at ISI’s second Zofnass Research Program Workshop.Read more

Apply to Become an ENV SP Trainer!

Are you an ENV SP who wants to share your knowledge with other professionals in your industry? ISI is now accepting applications from credentialed ENV SPs for our upcoming Train-the-Trainer course in March. This course is designed to prepare participants to plan and deliver their own Envision workshops, and completion of the course will qualify participants as certified Envision Trainers. Applications are due March 11, and this live virtual course will be held March 25 – 28 from 12 – 5 PM EST each day. Enrollment is limited, so click below to get started!

 

Click here to download the Train-the-Trainer application.

ISI and FEMCIC Partner to Bring Envision to Mexico

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