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 …
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.
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.
8-December-2022
Downtown Redmond Station construction progress October 11, 2022. Photo courtesy Sound Transit.
Sound Transit’s new light rail project that will bring service to downtown Redmond, Washington, has been awarded an Envision Platinum Award, with sustainable achievements across five areas of Envision. Sound Transit is building the extension with parters who include Jacobs (Lead Design Firm), Stacy and Witbeck/Kuney, a Joint Venture; WSP, Hatch LTK, Hensel Phelps, and Modern Railway Systems.
The Downtown Redmond Link Extension Project (DRLE) is a 3.4-mile light rail extension that includes new surface and elevated guideway structures, stations at Marymoor Village and Downtown Redmond, a parking garage, and associated utility, drainage, environmental, and roadway improvements. Currently under construction, this project will extend Sound Transit’s 2 line from the future Redmond Technology Station providing residents and commuters in Redmond with direct light rail service to Overlake, Bellevue, Mercer Island, downtown Seattle, the University of Washington, Northgate, Lynnwood, SeaTac Airport and Federal Way.
QUOTES:
“Doing this well on the first attempt at Envision verification is testament to Sound Transit’s long and deep commitment to excellence in sustainability. We are proud of this achievement and look forward to continuing our work to provide environmentally friendly public transit that connects people throughout the Puget Sound region to where they live, work and play.”
— Kimberly Farley, Sound Transit Chief System Officer
“SWK and Jacobs are excited to achieve Envision Platinum for the Sound Transit Downtown Redmond Link Extension project. Exceeding the original goal of Envision Silver and earning Envision Platinum recognition is a testament to the collective vision of Sound Transit, WSP, SWK and Jacobs and their pursuit of continual sustainability improvement,. We are very proud to be a part of this tremendous effort to advance more sustainable and resilient infrastructure and deliver a project that adds lasting value to the region.”
— Zach Adams, SWK Deputy Project Manager
“We are pleased to announce an Envision Platinum Award for the Downtown Redmond Link Extension project. The high level of stakeholder engagement, the emphasis on renewable energy sources, and the importance given to protecting the environment during construction are among the sustainable achievements that have set this project apart.”
— Melissa Peneycad, ISI managing director
This award recognizes Envision-verified achievements on this project related to:
— Providing sustainable transportation options;
— Empowering communities through meaningful engagement;
— Using renewable energy;
— Improving the quality and reliability of infrastructure services; and
— Protecting the environment.
6-December-2022
ISI has awarded an Envision Bronze Award for sustainable infrastructure to the 2nd Concession Project, a major north-south arterial corridor under the jurisdiction of the Regional Municipality of York (York Region). Located in the Town of East Gwillimbury, this is the second project in Ontario to earn an Envision award for sustainability and the first project in the transportation sector in the province to do so.
The project in brief
The 2nd Concession project—the largest project ever undertaken by York Region’s Transportation Services Department—was a necessary investment in infrastructure to accommodate the tremendous growth in York Region and the Town of East Gwillimbury in particular. The six-kilometer corridor, extending from Bristol Road to Queensville Sideroad, crosses the Rogers Reservoir, a popular conservation area and recreational trail in the East Holland River watershed, which the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority manages.
This project widened the 2nd Concession from two lanes to four and included trails, three bridges, retaining walls, active transportation facilities, and stormwater management.
Some of the unique elements of this project included:
—An elevated wooden boardwalk through wetlands and marshes connecting forests with growing residential communities.
—Benches, bike racks, and a flagstone meeting area.
—A wooden-clad pedestrian bridge in the Rogers Reservoir overlooks the historic canal and lock system, which the project protected and preserved.
—Bridges spanning an active rail corridor and the Holland River.
—Curvilinear and terraced tree-patterned retaining walls.
—Dedicated cycle tracks (the first in the Region).
Quotes
“Congratulations to York Region and its project partners on earning an Envision Bronze award for sustainable infrastructure for the 2nd Concession project. This award results from tremendous teamwork, leadership, and community collaboration. Everyone in the area should be proud of this achievement. Protecting and enhancing the corridor area as an important resource for residents was given high priority in the planning and construction of the project, with a context-sensitive design maintaining or improving the natural systems and community quality of life aspects receiving careful attention.”
— Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s managing director.“Yesterday was the first time we took our dogs for a walk along 2nd Concession. The view from the bridge is amazing. The viewing platforms on the bridge are a nice touch. The boardwalk for the trail blends in well with the environment. You and your staff have done a wonderful job on this project.”
— R.W. a long-time resident living in the project corridor
This project had verified sustainability achievements in the following areas, among others: meaningful stakeholder engagement; improved infrastructure integration; improved mobility, safety and access; and wetland restoration.
22-November-2022
It has been another amazing year for ISI’s signature learning and networking event. Our 2022 conference delivered actionable strategies and insights to advance sustainable infrastructure, with expert panel discussions that connected powerfully to the current operating environment. The event also offered a deep dive into Envision application examples while affording many opportunities for ENV SPs to renew their credential. As we turn the page on this year’s conference, here are some key takeaways.
The hub of a unique community.
Our conference had something to offer everyone in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Professionals from the public and private sectors joined the sessions; among them planners, architects, engineers, developers, owners, constructors, and infrastructure operators.
We lean heavily on our base of engaged Envision champions to deliver this annual conference. So let there be no doubt, we could not have pulled this off without your contributions. We would like to thank the organizing committee, including Justin Waples from the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and John Williams from Autocase for helping develop this year’s lineup of session topics and speakers. We would also especially like to salute our session moderators and speakers who delivered fantastic content throughout this two-day event.
All told, there were over 1,300 registrants, with most sessions garnering more than 500 attendees from every corner of the infrastructure sector across the US, Canada, and beyond!
A big win for learning and credentialing.
Attendees took the opportunity to fulfill their ENV SP credentialing hours. In case you were not able to attend, the recordings of each session will be available in your ISI account before the end of the year. View them there, rather than through your Zoom Events platform, to earn education hours towards your credential maintenance.
These topics and more were explored: Climate extremes and their implications for infrastructure planning; the future of net embodied carbon; tackling 21st-century infrastructure disparities; climate science and Envision at NASA; the current landscape of policy and administrative priorities; sustainable infrastructure financing; lessons from the airport sector; and the ways in which infrastructure owners and partners are “looking beyond” regulatory compliance on projects.
ENV SPs also took advantage of the pre-conference courses held on November 15 to learn about the Envision framework and examples of Envision application. The morning courses qualified for credentialing hours: “Initiating Envision Use for Organizational Readiness”; and “Preparing for Project Success.”
Strong sponsorship.
We received the support of numerous sponsors, and it was thanks to their generosity that we were able to offer the conference free to attendees. We are grateful to all our conference sponsors:
Platinum: AECOM | HDR | MDR Strategy Group Ltd.
Gold: R.V. Anderson Associates Limited | WSP
Silver: Ethel G. Rubio | 5engineering, llc | RS&H
More ways to connect.
New this year, professionals and students submitted poster abstracts in response to a call from ISI’s Academic Committee. Each day of the conference had a poster and networking session where attendees could join breakout rooms to interact with the presenters. At the close of the conference, on behalf of the committee, ISI’s President & CEO Anthony Kane announced the winners of the poster event, who received prizes in the form of ENV SP training credits.
In the professional category, the winner was Mark Bruder, P.Eng, ENV SP of R.V. Anderson Associates. Bruder and colleagues submitted a proposal describing work done to rehabilitate the Springbank Reservoirs in London, Ontario.
There were two winners in the student category. Kase Poling, a Ph.D. candidate in civil engineering at Virginia Tech, presented his project focusing on recommendations to enable the future design and reconstruction of more resilient communities following the 2016 West Virginia floods. And Naoki Weldon and a team from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo presented a sustainably-designed transitional housing community, named the Coastal Gardens Community, that used the Envision framework for enhanced environmental, social, and economic benefits.
ISI thanks all participants who took the opportunity to present their projects during the poster sessions.
Final word
Last but not least, ISI extends a sincere thanks to all of you, the attendees who are on the “front lines” in leading the change we are seeking. Your commitment helps drive a future of sustainable, resilient, and equitable civil infrastructure!
17-August-2022
Antoinette Quagliata, Manager, Sustainability Services at Dewberry, interviewed Anthony Kane, president and CEO of ISI in a podcast posted by Dewberry. She asked about emerging trends in the types of projects pursuing Envision verification, how ISI activities tie in with federal infrastructure funding, and about what’s next for ISI beyond the U.S.
But Quagliata began the interview with a question about why infrastructure owners seek Envision verification for their projects, and here is part of Kane’s response:
“The number one feedback for them is that they find the verification process leads to better project delivery, better project management, and more effective communication. Additionally, project teams find that Envision verification leads to more innovative solutions, less errors and challenges in the project.”
To hear more of the interview, access the podcast and the accompanying article in the following link: Dewberry podcast.
9-August-2022
Developed in collaboration with ISI’s Envision Review Board, two new credit amendments have been approved and are now on ISI users’ dashboards — amendments #008 and #009 (part of the Credit Amendments (v3) consolidated package under “Verification Resources” at https://v4.sustainableinfrastructure.org/login). Users can refer to the resource shown with a red box in the screenshot below:
The Envision guidance manual is the official reference for project assessments. Credit Amendments from ISI modify the manual to clarify how Envision credits are assessed and verified in certain situations encountered by real projects.
As a reminder, ENV SPs and other Envision users should periodically check your dashboard every few months to be sure they have the most up-to-date resources as ISI may add or amend resources at any time.
1-August-2022
The East Side Coastal Resiliency project uses a series of berms, flood walls, flood gates and raised parklands to create a continuous 2.4-mile barrier to protect 110,000 residents of the Lower East Side in Manhattan from future coastal and tidal flooding.
NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Thomas Foley announced Aug. 1 that the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project, which is enhancing parks while creating a 2.4-mile long flexible flood barrier extending from Montgomery Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side up to Asser Levy Playground at East 25th Street, has been awarded “Envision Gold” for sustainability from ISI.
ESCR is a $1.45-billion climate resiliency project that will provide flood protection and improve open spaces for more than 110,000 New Yorkers, including 28,000 residents in NYCHA housing. This is especially significant for neighborhoods in the ESCR project area that were severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Managed by DDC, the project involves significant upgrades to public open spaces and five parks, including improved waterfront access through reconstructed bridges and entry points. It will also upgrade existing sewer systems to capture and manage precipitation during storms.
Quotes:
NYC Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley: “DDC is honored to bring flood protection and improve open spaces for 110,000 New Yorkers who were affected by Sandy and who live in an area with limited recreational opportunities. DDC and all of City government are taking climate change seriously and targeting our efforts to the communities that need it most. I’d like to thank the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure for recognizing this project with its Envision Gold Award.”
Mayor Eric Adams: “It is affirmational to be honored for our work to protect New Yorkers from the impacts of climate change. In the face of the biggest environmental threat we all face – we will continue to plan ahead, innovate, and get stuff done for New Yorkers.”
21-July-2022
Washington, D.C. — July 21, 2022 — The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure is pleased to announce that the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure has joined ISI, moving from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD), where it was established 15 years ago. At ISI, it will be called the Zofnass Research Program.
“The Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure has completed its mandate to create a sustainable infrastructure rating system and produce research that was directly supportive of Envision,” said Harvard Emeritus Professor Spiro Pollalis, the driving force in the program since 2007. “ISI is the natural home for the Zofnass Program following an evolution that saw the research shift to an industry focus with the potential to provide even more value to the sustainable infrastructure community.”
“The Zofnass Program was instrumental in developing Envision and then supporting its growth through a strong applied research program, so it was always very important to ISI that we keep the name of the program’s namesake and benefactor, Paul Zofnass,” said ISI’s president and CEO Anthony Kane. “It’s amazing how Envision serves so well the original purpose, and that’s due to the first three years of very intense work, and in all honesty, that opportunity wouldn’t have come to pass without Paul.”
Today, with more than 130 Envision-verified infrastructure projects and more than 6,000 Envision Sustainability Professionals around the world, it is easy sometimes to forget the pre-Envision era.
In the 2000s, for example, there were other rating systems, but none were built specifically for infrastructure, and none were as versatile as Envision is today. Creating such a rating system was going to be a heavy lift. It required the combined knowledge, experience, and resources of the largest firms in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (A/E/C) industry.
Zofnass opening the Planning Sustainable Cities Workshop at Harvard in November 2016. Long after the launch of Envision®, he remained a magnetic presence in the program named after him.
“I recognized that if anyone could appreciate and understand the subtlety and issues of sustainable design, it would be the engineering and design firms who were our clients,” Paul Zofnass wrote in the foreword to the 2013 book Infrastructure Sustainability and Design (edited by Pollalis and colleagues), as he looked back on the mid-2000s.
In that decade, the Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG), the firm Paul Zofnass founded in 1990 after 17 years in finance, had grown into one of the leading advisors to the industry. EFCG’s work included helping firms navigate the industry’s first big wave of M&A activity in the 21st century. For this group, Paul was an influential and well-respected figure.
Industry champion
He was also a winsome and magnetic presence, drawing senior leaders from industry and government to EFCG’s annual summits. A long-time environmentalist, he would ask them at these conferences and on client calls, Was there not a universally-agreed framework to measure sustainability in infrastructure?
No, there wasn’t. Paul thought: Was that not the crux of the issue right there — that you couldn’t manage what you couldn’t measure? Even more than that, lacking the ability to compare one project to another with a usable rating system, his clients were missing what could be an influential tool to improve their environmental performance and bottom lines. “How can we help the engineering firms do better and do good at the same time? That was Paul’s single-minded focus with sustainability and infrastructure,” Joan Zofnass recalled of her older brother’s vision.
In 2007, the Zofnass family decided to approach Harvard, proposing the idea of developing a rating system. Dr. Spiro Pollalis, who was recommended by a colleague at EFCG, became the initiative’s key partner within the Graduate School of Design. Paul’s financial contributions and encouragement seeded the new initiative tasked with developing a sustainability rating system for infrastructure. It would benefit, most importantly, from the resources and expertise of the A/E/C firms that were Paul’s clients.
A risk worth taking
“People didn’t really know what sustainability was, let alone share a common technical language to talk about it, but they knew Paul,” recalled Anthony Kane. “It was hugely important that here was a well-respected and influential individual, telling his clients that this is what they needed to be focusing on.”
Left: Paul at the February 2015 Water Infrastructure Conference at Harvard; Right: With Bill Bertera (middle), ISI’s first CEO, and Tim Psomas (former CEO of Psomas Engineering), an initial board member and early champion of ISI, in 2012.
Paul concluded that if he could get them to join this initiative, it could fly, recalled ISI board member Marty Janowitz, a former VP at Stantec who became an early and longstanding supporter of the Zofnass Program. “Paul personally called up the firms and got their CEOs on the phone. Nearly all of them said yes, almost without hesitation.”
Getting that support from company leaders ensured the program could fuse leading research insights. The promising start also made it possible to benefit from the best of other rating system initiatives, like the one being developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). In 2010 ASCE, the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Council of Engineering Companies created ISI and by 2011 ISI and the Zofnass Program had entered into a strategic collaboration. Working together, they were able to integrate the best of industry experience with cutting-edge academic research to deliver Envision in 2012.
A promising foundation
But in 2007, none of that was even remotely on the horizon. So it is incredible now to think that at Harvard for the initial meetings, seated around the table to discuss the concept of the rating system, were 25-30 of the most prominent engineering, design, and architectural companies in the industry, together with public agencies and academics. The draw for them was the opportunity to be involved in creating it, developing it, and ensuring that it would be usable and understandable to their clients.
On an individual-professional level, what took place were incredible, fascinating discussions about how it could work, philosophically and technically, participants recall. Gathering in Cambridge, MA, there were sub-meetings for geotechnical, water, and every conceivable discipline. The firms flew their experts in. It was all pre-Zoom.
At the April 2012 Envision launch event.
Paul remained very engaged, always opening major events or announcements, and that dedication to the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure continued long after the launch of Envision. “Sometimes he and Joan were coming that morning from New York, and we were not starting before they would arrive,” recalled Prof. Pollalis. “They were at every event — they did not miss one.”
As the rating system initiative progressed and requests went out for financial support to continue the work, once again, Paul Zofnass and his new endeavor at Harvard would almost always receive a “yes.” The opportunity to develop the rating system was too big to let go of.
Single-minded vision
After the early concept meetings, what followed was a very intensive period to create the Envision of today, with its ability to capture and align the total value of infrastructure with the credits and points in the framework across various infrastructure characteristics.
Looking back, it was an exceptional feat — combining the required talent and experience in one place to pull it off. One might call it a remarkable confluence, not to say miraculous. But to put it that way might lead you to overlook the convening power, the magnetism, the tenacity, and clarity of vision of someone who succeeded in getting the industry, against considerable odds, to rally around the idea of a single sustainability rating system for infrastructure: Paul Zofnass.
