Category

Archive

Phase II of Broad Channel Infrastructure Project Receives Envision Verified Award from ISI

23-May-2023

Streets in Broad Channel Phase I were raised to reduce their vulnerability to climate change and received new storm sewers, curbs, shared sidewalks, signs and crosswalks

(Long Island City, NY – May 23, 2023)  NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley announced today that Phase II of an infrastructure project in Broad Channel, Queens, which is raising streets and adding new storm sewers to reduce flooding in an area that is frequently inundated by Jamaica Bay during high tides and storms has been selected to receive an Envision Verified Award for sustainability from ISI.

Phase II of the work will provide upgrades to residents on West 14th Road, West 15th Road, West 16th Road and West 17th Road. Construction includes the installation of new bulkheads at the end of each street to address eave attenuation and flood mitigation; rising each street’s centerline; shared streets; signage and striping that that will enhance safety by providing pedestrians the right of way; and the addition of new storm sewers and replacement of sanitary sewers and water mains.

Read the full project announcement here.

ISI has awarded Envision Platinum to Alliant Energy’s Wood County Solar Project

18-April-2023

A project that is part of Alliant Energy’s plan to add nearly 1,100 MW of solar power is the latest infrastructure project to be awarded Envision Platinum, highlighting its contributions to sustainable development and clean and renewable energy.

Located in Saratoga, Wisconsin, the Wood County Solar Project, built by EPC contractor Burns & McDonnell, will produce approximately 300 GWh of electricity annually. Pre-project analysis carried out by Alliant Energy underlined the long-term economic, community, and environmental value of developing new utility-scale solar while retiring its coal-fired facilities in Wisconsin. This project is part of Alliant Energy’s solar program that includes adding nearly 1,100 MW of solar power into Wisconsin’s power grid by the summer of 2024.

Quotes:

“Guided by our purpose to serve our customers and build stronger communities, we are proud to be recognized with the Envision Platinum award for our Wood County Solar Project. We know it’s important to build projects with sustainability in mind because of what it means for our customers. We’re able to create a healthier environment while producing reliable, clean energy for the next 30 years.”
— Barbara Tormaschy, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Regulatory Strategy at Alliant Energy

“ISI congratulates Alliant Energy and the project partners on achieving Envision Platinum for an outstanding project that advances clean and renewable energy in Wisconsin. The independent, third-party verification process using the Envision Framework determined that this project attained the highest award level possible, with significant accomplishments that will benefit the local community and environmental sustainability for decades to come.”
— Melissa Peneycad, ISI Managing Director

In the full project announcement, learn more about the verified results of this project, which included accomplishments tied to protection of wetlands and habitats, well-planned resource management, beneficial use of timber, and greater infrastructure integration and efficiencies.

Anthony Kane Presented the Bowman Sustainable Land Development Distinguished Lecture at Virginia Tech

17-April-2023

On Friday (April 21), in advance of Earth Day, ISI’s President & CEO Anthony Kane presented the Bowman Sustainable Land Development Distinguished Lecture at Virginia Tech. This lecture is organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Bowman Sustainable Land Development Program at Virginia Tech and takes up the theme of “Measuring Change: The Journey of Creating the Envision Rating System and the Future of Sustainable Infrastructure.”

Learn more

ISI welcomes Feniosky Peña-Mora to its Board of Directors

21-March-2023

Washington D.C., 21 March 2023 — ISI is very pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Feniosky Peña-Mora of Columbia University to its Board of Directors. Professor Peña-Mora fills the member-at-large seat previously vacated by Martin (“Marty”) Janowitz, who completed his term in 2022.

“We are indebted to Marty for his contributions to the board and the tremendous support he has provided to the development of the Envision® sustainability framework over many years,” said Anthony Kane, ISI’s President & CEO. As communities and public agencies look to solutions like Envision to achieve sustainability, equity, and resiliency in the built environment, ISI is fortunate once again to be able to attract another infrastructure professional of outstanding calibre to join its board: Feniosky Peña-Mora, the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at Columbia University.

“Professor Peña-Mora has made exceptional contributions to infrastructure sustainability through his research, teaching, academic leadership, and practice, and in particular as the former commissioner of New York City’s Department of Design and Construction — the country’s largest municipal public works department,” Kane highlighted. “The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure is privileged to be able to benefit from Dr. Peña-Mora’s wealth of expertise and significant prior board experience in shaping strategic direction at ISI.”

Feniosky Peña-Mora, ScD., PE(DR), NAS(DR), CCM(UK), F.CIOB(UK), NAC, Dist.M.ASCE, along with being the Edwin Howard Armstrong Professor, is a Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering and of Computer Science at Columbia. He is the Executive Director of Columbia’s Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space, which identifies how best to design, construct, and manage buildings, infrastructure, and civic space, emphasizing functionality, sustainability, and resilience.

From 2014 to 2017, he was Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC). In response to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, DDC managed the creation and expansion of resilient and sustainable infrastructure projects to protect New York City against extreme weather emergencies and reduce green gas emissions. As part of the New York City Build-it-Back Program, he led the Program Management efforts to procure and manage three Construction Management-Design-Build contracts responsible for raising, rebuilding, and flood-protecting over 1000 homes in the three hardest-hit NYC Boroughs. Among the most significant projects of Peña-Mora’s tenure at DDC were the new $740 million Police Academy, the new $640 million 911 Site, and the Times Square reconstruction.

Prior to his public service leave at DDC, he was dean of the school of engineering and applied sciences of Columbia and an endowed professor. Previously, he held endowed professorships at MIT, where he had earned his MS and PhD in civil engineering, and at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he also served as Associate Provost. Peña-Mora is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the FIATECH Engineering & Technology Innovation Award, as well as numerous awards from ASCE.

Professor Peña-Mora is a member of the Boards of New York City Health and Hospitals, the ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). At ASCE, he chairs the Industry Leaders Council (ILC) and the Board Strategy Advisory Committee (BSAC), which is currently updating ASCE’s strategic plan.

At ISI, Prof. Peña-Mora will serve alongside Board Chair Michael Murcha (Madison Metropolitan Sewage District) and Board Members Erin Cooke (San Francisco International Airport), Lauren Evans (Pinyon Environmental), Sergio Pecori (Hanson Professional Services Inc.), Mark Pestrella (Los Angeles County Public Works), and Renee Ring (Environmental Financial Consulting Group).

Research Paper Considers the Equity Lens in Envision and Other Rating Systems

22-February-2023

Social equity, historically overlooked in the A/E/C industry, is receiving more attention of late as stakeholders have pushed for more diverse approaches to project delivery for communities. When considering equity in the A/E/C industry, it can be instructive to look at how different rating systems grapple with the concept, says new research, published in the journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability.

Sustainability frameworks all attempt in different ways to encourage social equity achievement, the authors find. Moreover, they argue that differences in how these systems understand and value the idea can contribute to substantial differences in actual project conception and implementation.

Titled “Social equity in sustainability certification systems for the built environment: understanding concepts, value, and practice implications,” the article cautions that project teams need to bring a clear set of goals regarding equity of what and for whom. Also fundamental are “the ideas of how to measure and evaluate the distribution of social costs / benefits in order to put social equity into practice.”

The research, authored by a team from HDR, Inc., was published at the end of January and can be freely accessed at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ac949d

“Equity and social justice refer to the responsibility of a society to ensure that civil and human rights are preserved and protected for each individual, and that all persons are treated equally and without prejudice. These issues are particularly relevant to infrastructure development, which often involves the provision of significant benefits as well as potentially significant impacts.” — Envision v3, Introduction, p. 15

Envision® and Equity

Envision provides a consistent, consensus-based framework for assessing sustainability, resiliency, and equity in civil infrastructure. The equity dimension is embedded in Envision and paired with the term “social justice.” The dedicated Credit titled QL3.1 – “Advance Equity & Social Justice” is designed to ensure equity and social justice are “fundamental considerations within project processes and decision making.” The evaluation metric to be used is the degree to which equity and social justice are included in stakeholder engagement, project team commitments, and decision making. Higher levels of achievement for this credit call for empowerment of communities to engage in the development process, or even positively addressing or correcting an existing or historic injustice or imbalance.

The “Advance Equity & Social Justice” credit is related to these other Quality of Life Credits: QL1.2 (“Enhance Public Health and Safety”), QL2.1 (“Improve Community Mobility and Access”), QL2.2 (“Encourage Sustainable Transportation”), and QL3.2 (“Preserve Historic and Cultural Resources”). It is also related to Leadership Credits LD1.3 (“Preserve Historic and Cultural Resources”), LD2.2 (“Plan for Sustainable Communities”), LD3.1 (“Stimulate Economic Prosperity and Development”), and LD3.2 (“Develop Local Skills and Capabilities”).

The Envision framework ties equity goals to a wide array of other project goals and activities. For example, in QL.1 (“Enhance Public Health and Safety”) the historic factors of equity and social justice within the project context are among the criteria that the project team should consider. This is to demonstrate that health and safety risks and impacts are not disproportionately borne by one community over another.

Holland Area WRF Anaerobic Digester Project Earns Envision Gold

2-February-2023

The Holland Area Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) operated by the Holland Board of Public Works (HBPW) received an Envision Gold rating for sustainability for an anaerobic digester project. This project adds an anaerobic digester for solids reduction and biogas collection, treatment and cogeneration at the Holland Area Water Reclamation Facility WRF operated by HBPW.

In response to reduced landfill options for dewatered solids disposal, limitations on land applications of biosolids, and limitations on the volume of solids that can be stored at the WRF, anaerobic digestion provides a more sustainable option. The anaerobic digester at the WRF is expected to reduce the amount of wastewater solids from the water reclamation process by approximately 50%. The digestion process reduces solids by converting a portion of those solids to biogas.  The generation of this biogas in turn allows the WRF to produce electricity and heat from the wastewater being treated. The facility will treat the wastewater solids to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Class A biosolids standard, which allows many options for beneficial reuse including fertilizer. Anaerobic digestion also reduces the odor potential of the wastewater solids.

HBPW has demonstrated a continuous commitment to getting the best out of major infrastructure. This is the utility’s second Envision rating. In 2016, Holland Energy Park was the first base load power generating plant to receive an Envision rating.

QUOTES

“Envision goes beyond the basic efforts of project management and development, into areas that benefit the community in a holistic way,” explained Dave Koster, HBPW General Manager. “Our goal is to bring as much value to those impacted by the project as possible.”

“Options for disposing of biosolids are increasingly difficult to find and the costs are raising. The anaerobic digester allows us to address these challenges in a sustainable way,” said Joel Davenport, HBPW Operations Manager.

Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s managing director, noted: “HBPW and the project partners engaged with the community to ensure its needs and goals were understood and incorporated to the greatest extent possible, and the result is a transformative development for sustainability at the Holland Area WRF that will benefit the community for many years to come. Congratulations to the entire project team on the success of this project.”

“The Envision framework digs into details that ensure that the design and construction will benefit the community for the long haul,” said Sam Bender, HBPW Water & Wastewater Process Engineer. “It is an honor to work through this process knowing that what we build today will continue to have a positive impact far into the future.”

SUSTAINABILITY ACHIEVEMENTS

The Envision verification process recognized achievements on this project related to:

  • use of renewable energy to meet current and future demand.
  • demonstrated leadership commitment to sustainability
  • protecting surface and groundwater quality; and
  • alignment with community quality of life goals

View the full announcement in our project directory.

ISI welcomes Mark Pestrella to its Board of Directors

25-January-2023

Washington D.C., 25 January 2023 — ISI is very pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Pestrella, P.E., the Director of Los Angeles County Public Works, to its Board of Directors. He fills the seat vacated by Gary Lee Moore (City of Los Angeles), who completed his term in 2022. ISI thanks Gary for his tireless leadership and dedication to ISI.

As communities and public agencies look to solutions like ISI’s signature Envision framework to achieve sustainability, equity, and resiliency in the built environment, ISI is fortunate to be able to attract dedicated infrastructure professionals of outstanding calibre to join the leadership team at ISI.

“Mark Pestrella brings nearly four decades of experience providing leadership in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of complex infrastructure systems of every description at LA County Public Works, and his department, from the beginning, has also been a key member and partner for ISI in advancing sustainable and resilient infrastructure practices,” says Anthony Kane, ISI’s president and CEO, and ex-officio member of the Board.

As Director of L.A. County Public Works, Mark Pestrella serves as the Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, the County Road Commissioner, and the County Engineer. With an annual budget of more than $2.7 billion and a workforce of 4,000 employees, Los Angeles County Public Works is the largest municipal public works agency in the United States, providing vital public infrastructure and civic services to more than 10 million people across a 4,000-square-mile service area. Its diverse operations are defined within the following business areas: Water Resources, Transportation, Environmental Services, Construction Management, and Municipal Services.

He was nominated to ISI’s Board by the American Public Works Association (APWA), one of the three national engineering organizations that co-founded ISI, with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). He is a longtime APWA member and advocate for sustainable infrastructure and under his leadership, Public Works has set records in leading a sustainable infrastructure sector. In 2015, Public Works was publicly recognized by ISI as the first government agency in the U.S. to credential 100 Envision Sustainability Professionals, and the number has now grown close to 400. In 2016, he successfully assisted the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in adopting EnvisionTM as the infrastructure standard of the County, making the County one of the first public agencies in the U.S. to do so.

Mr. Pestrella will serve alongside Board Chair Michael Murcha (Madison Metropolitan Sewage District) and Board Members Erin Cooke (San Francisco International Airport), Lauren Evans (Pinyon Environmental), Sergio Pecori (Hanson Professional Services Inc.) and Renee Ring (Environmental Financial Consulting Group).

Envision Review Board Podcast

12-January-2023

Great initiative here from ISI’s Envision Review Board! Richard Fernandez of Aquario Engineering interviewed Margaret Cederoth, Director of Planning and Sustainability at the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a special Envision Review Board Podcast. Have a listen …

 

Welcoming the Envision Review Board’s newest member: Patricia Gómez

6-January-2023

ISI would like to take the opportunity to recognize the newest member of the Envision Review Board: Patricia Gómez, Deputy Chief Resilience Officer with Miami-Dade County. You can learn more about Dr. Gómez in her bio below.

Originally created in 2015, the Envision Review Board is comprised of industry-leading infrastructure professionals representing public agencies, private companies, and general interest groups. The mission of the Envision Review Board is to ensure the continued integrity and efficacy of Envision and its associated tools, resources, and documents; to provide for consistency in interpretation and development; and to assure the ongoing relevance of the tool and its associated best practices to the highest standards of scholarship and practice. In this way, Envision is a tool created and overseen by the infrastructure industry itself. More about the Envision Review Board.

Bio: Patricia Gómez

Patricia Gómez, Ph.D., PE, CEM, GBE, LEED AP, has more than 20 years of direct experience working on engineering and sustainability-related opportunities in both the public sector and private industries.

Dr. Gómez currently serves as the Deputy Chief Resilience Officer in Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience. During her county career Dr. Gómez has successfully implemented several projects that have increase the sustainability and resilience of the county operations and the community and reduced electricity consumption such as the enterprise-wide utility billing management software, and the Building Efficiency 305 (BE305), the Climate Action Strategy and on-site solar installations for county facilities.

She began her career with Miami-Dade County as an Engineer with the Department of Environmental Resources Management working on the County’s Climate Action Plan. Dr. Gómez is a LEED AP BD+C accredited professional, a Certified Energy Manager and a Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. Dr. Gomez holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami.

Ship Canal Water Quality Project in Seattle Earns Envision Platinum Rating

13-December-2022

The Ship Canal Water Quality Project includes a 2.7-mile, 18-ft and 10-in internal-diameter tunnel that will extend from Ballard to Wallingford. Left: Ballard Tunnel Segment. Right: Wallingford Shaft Site. Photos supplied in December 2022 courtesy Seattle Public Utilities.

Seattle Public Utilities’ Ship Canal Water Quality Project has been awarded Envision Platinum for sustainability. This project had verified achievements across several areas of the Envision framework, and in particular, it will bring significant water quality improvements to prevent 75 million gallons of polluted stormwater and sewage from entering the region’s waterways on average each year.

Public Utilities and King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division are completing an underground storage tunnel to reduce the amount of polluted stormwater runoff and sewage that flows in the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Salmon Bay, and Lake Union from the sewer system.

In some parts of Seattle (as with many other places), stormwater and sewage share a set of pipes — a combined sewer system which, during heavy storm/rain events, overflows when pipe capacity is exceeded. Untreated sewage and stormwater then flow directly into the Ship Canal, posing public health concerns and harming fish, wildlife, and the environment. The Ship Canal Water Quality Project is crucial for keeping the waterways clean and protecting human health and the environment over the long term.

This project is funded in part by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency through the State Revolving Fund and Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans. The project’s 2.7-mile, 18’10”-diameter tunnel will be able to capture and temporarily hold more than 29 million gallons of stormwater and sewage during heavy rains. As the heavy rains subside, flows will be sent to King County’s West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in Magnolia for treatment.

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.