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The City of Coral Gables’ Cocoplum 1 Pump Station earns Envision Bronze Award

19-July-2022

The Cocoplum 1 Pump Station, owned by the City of Coral Gables, Florida, has earned an Envision Bronze award, recognizing stakeholder involvement and delivery of community benefits, climate resilience, and protection of the surrounding lands.

The upgrades to the wastewater system in this project are the latest example of the infrastructure owner’s commitment to sustainability: the City of Coral Gables has more than 20 public works officials who are Envision Sustainability Professionals (credentialed professionals trained in the use of the Envision sustainable infrastructure framework and rating system), and it has also pledged to use Envision on other city infrastructure projects. 

Hazen and Sawyer was the lead Envision firm on this project.  The project partners included Miami-Dade County, Hazen and Sawyer, and David Mancini & Sons, Inc.

The upgrades included replacing the force main and upsizing the capacity of the station pumps, eliminating the need for Pump Station D to repump Cocoplum 1 station flows and improving system reliability. The project also widens an existing bike path along the force main route on Cocoplum Road and installs a sidewalk between Cocoplum Road and Sinsonte Avenue in response to a request from the local Homeowners Association (HOA). Design elements to improve the resilience of the Pump Station include the installation of a backup emergency generator, the use of more durable materials, and the elevation of critical equipment to avoid damage from flooding and sea level rise.

Verified Sustainability Achievements

—Improving overall community quality of life
—Involving stakeholder
—Avoiding natural world impacts
—Increasing project resilience

Quotes

“This is a great Utilities Division accomplishment, but the results will benefit everyone,” explains Jose Saucedo, Senior Project Manager at City of Coral Gables. “We’re very happy for this achievement.”

Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s Managing Director: “Public works projects provide excellent opportunities to address a range of community needs. And this project is no exception. In addition to implementing the necessary upgrades to resolve the initial moratorium and keep the pump station functioning now and well into the future, the project team has also incorporated other elements to improve community livability, such as improving an existing bike lane used by residents, installing a new sidewalk, and ensuring the traditional aesthetic character of the community is preserved by this project.”

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

Iconic Sixth Street Viaduct in Los Angeles earns Envision Platinum

13-July-2022

Photo courtesy of Skanska-Stacy and Witbeck (SSW).

The Sixth Street Viaduct, the largest bridge project in the history of Los Angeles, has earned an Envision Platinum award for sustainability, specifically for addressing community needs, adding significant public space and amenities, and improving community safety and resiliency.

The $588-million project is funded by the Federal Highway Transportation Administration, the California Department of Transportation, and the City of Los Angeles. The City’s Bureau of Engineering, under the leadership of City Engineer Gary Lee Moore and in partnership with the City’s Bureau of Contract Administration, led the development of the new Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project.

The new bridge was designed by HNTB Corp, with HNTB the Engineer and Architect of Record, in collaboration with Los Angeles architect Michael Maltzan Associates and Danish architect Dissing+Weitling. Construction of the bridge was delivered through CMGC and led by a joint venture of contractors Skanska-Stacy and Witbeck (SSW).

“The Ribbon of Light,” as the viaduct has been dubbed, opened with a July 9th public celebration held on the viaduct followed by full opening to traffic on July 10th, 2022.

Verified Sustainability Achievements

—Providing much-needed public space and amenities.
—Improving community safety and incorporating alternative modes of transportation into the project’s design.
—Rebuilding an iconic structure.
—Supporting long-term sustainable growth and development.
—Incorporating resiliency into the design.

Quote

“The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering is proud to deliver the largest bridge project in the city’s history,” said Gary Lee Moore, City Engineer. “The new viaduct looks to the future and will unite the community with a multi-model structure that will be a destination point for both residents and visitors. This project is an example of what future infrastructure projects should strive to achieve through collaboration with stakeholders and the delivery of a project that improves community mobility, quality of life, safety and resilience. The Sixth Street Viaduct has achieved these sustainable goals, as shown by the Platinum Envision award.”

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

New Saco River Water Drinking Water Resource

13-July-2022

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) has awarded Maine Water Company’s Saco River Drinking Water Resource Center the Envision Silver Award for sustainable infrastructure. The center treats and filters water from the Saco River in Biddeford, Maine so that 40,000 people in the communities of Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach and Pine Point have a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water that meets all state and federal drinking water standards.

This award recognizes the success of the project team in achieving sustainability goals in these areas:

— Leadership in sustainability
— Use of renewable energy
— Protecting surface and groundwater sources
— Wetland restorage
— Preparing for long-term adaptability

On behalf of Maine Water employees and the company, we are pleased to be the first project in New England to receive a Silver Level Award from ISI. When it became clear that our 1884 drinking water plant needed to be replaced, we were intentional about demonstrating our long-held commitment to the environment and sustainability. The Saco River Drinking Water Resource Center will be a source of high-quality drinking water for decades and generations to come and will do so responsibly. We thank our partners Hazen and Sawyer and MWH who shared our passion and commitment to the project and its sustainability.

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

Keeping Envision Front and Center on the World Stage

7-June-2022

Back-to-back events in May 2022 provided opportunities to put Envision® front and center on an international stage. Recognition of Envision as a transformative framework for sustainable infrastructure keeps growing, and below are some key activities President and CEO Anthony Kane and Managing Director Melissa Peneycad undertook to continue that momentum.

Anthony Kane speaking at the Envision Italia Event (left) and at the University of Genoa (right).


Envision Italia and University of Genoa Keynotes

While in Italy for the Envision Italia Conference, Kane gave a presentation on sustainable infrastructure at University of Genoa, on May 25. A 550-year-old university well known for its program in sustainable architecture, engineering, and design, Università di Genova provided an opportunity for Kane to speak about the state of sustainable infrastructure in front of an audience of faculty and students (some of whom are using Envision in their master theses!). The next day, he traveled to Rome to deliver a keynote address at the Envision Italia Conference, organized by our Italian partner, ICMQ. Senior leaders representing the companies, operators, and ENV SPs that make up the Envision community in Italy were in attendance. The event’s return to an in-person format after more than two years delivered valuable project updates and lessons learned on developing sustainable infrastructure in Italy. In the same week, ISI was also pleased to announce that another Italian project had received an award through Envision Italia, the Bologna Bypass Project.

 

ISI’s Melissa Peneycad moderating a session at the International PPP Forum in Barcelona.

UNECE Conference

Melissa Peneycad represented ISI at the 6th UNECE International Public-Private Partnerships Forum in Barcelona (May 4-6, 2022), where PPP practitioners from around the world gathered to challenge one another and share best practices. She moderated a panel on how the circular economy can be supported by “People-first” PPPs, that are evaluated against five people-first outcomes and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a discussant in another session, she provided live assessments of projects from Mexico, Brazil and Slovenia that were submitted to UNECE as case studies aligning with its People-first evaluation methodology, leading to a robust discussion about sustainable PPP development.

Melissa Peneycad giving the opening keynote at CSCE 2022. Right: Professor Rishi Gupta, the conference chair.

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering Conference

Peneycad delivered the opening keynote at Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Conference in Whistler, B.C. ISI-approved Envision-qualified trainers from luuceo consulting presented an Envision Workshop, and ISI also had a booth at this conference. Attended by 550 academics and practitioners, from 14 countries, this conference provided an unparalleled opportunity to communicate the value of Envision on projects alongside ISI’s partner in Canada, the CSCE. The event saw participation by key infrastructure leaders and decision-makers, including plenaries by the federal and provincial (British Columbia) ministers of infrastructure. A full announcement about CSCE 2022 appeared on the Envision Canada website.

CICCP and Tecniberia’s Sustainability Initiatives in Spain Receive Support from ISI

2-June-2022

Left: Pablo Bueno Tomás, President of Tecniberia (The Spanish Association of Engineering, Consulting and Technological Services Companies), ISI President & CEO Anthony Kane, and Miguel Ángel Carrillo Suárez, President of the Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos (CICCP) (Spanish Council of Civil Engineers). Right: Araceli Garcia Nombela, Secretary General of Tecniberia, with Mr. Kane and Mr. Tomás.

The prestigious Spanish Council of Civil Engineers (El Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos) and Tecniberia, that country’s foremost association for engineering companies, are two of the most influential organizations in Spain for advancing sustainability in infrastructure.

In May, the leaders of these organizations met with ISI President & CEO Anthony Kane in Madrid and entered into a collaboration agreement. Through this three-way partnership, ISI will support the country’s civil engineering community to lead the A/E/C industry to plan, design, and deliver greater sustainable and resilient infrastructure, using the Envision® Sustainability Framework.

ISI is very pleased to be collaborating with CICCP and Tecniberia and extending the Envision framework into Spain, home to a highly experienced civil engineering community: “We see this as a tremendous opportunity for Spain, its citizens, communities, and the A/E/C industry,” said ISI’s Anthony Kane. “Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has never been a greater opportunity to form new international partnerships in support of better infrastructure and healthier communities. The Envision framework and rating system can empower all stakeholders to do just that.”

This is an impressive milestone for supporting sustainable infrastructure in Spain through a partnership with two organizations that play an influential role in how infrastructure projects are planned and carried out, not only in that country but in other regions where its civil engineering firms and professional community have a significant presence.

Though headquartered in the United States, Envision is growing around the world through project verification and credentialing. 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.

The Envision v3 Manual was translated into Spanish and became available late last year, a product of ISI’s partnership with FEMCIC in bringing Envision to Mexico. The fact that this resource is already available in Spanish will be tremendously valuable in communicating the value of the Envision framework in Spain.

Terminal Expansion Project at Port of Vancouver Receives Envision Platinum Award

31-May-2022

The Centerm Expansion Project and the South Shore Access Project at the Port of Vancouver have obtained an Envision Platinum Award for Sustainability.

This design-build project centers on terminal expansion and improvements which will increase container and vessel handling capacity, but includes off-terminal improvements to the adjacent road and rail network. The combined project will help meet the increasing export and import demand for containers shipped through the Port of Vancouver.

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is concurrently delivering these improvements with project partner WSP Canada, Inc. (the lead Envision Firm); AECOM; Centennial Expansion Partners (CXP), a joint venture between Dragados Canada, Jacob Brothers Construction, and Fraser River Pile & Dredge Inc.

This award recognizes the success of the project team in achieving sustainability goals in these areas:

— Prioritizing the needs and goals of the local communities through meaningful investments.
— Meaningful and credible stakeholder engagement.
— Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions
— Sustainable siting and innovative marine restoration.

View the full announcement in our Project Directory.

Bologna Bypass Project Earns an Envision Platinum Award

25-May-2022

A key upgrade to the Italian city’s highway connector system, the project focused on the creation of well-integrated infrastructure in collaboration with stakeholders, systematically reducing noise and air pollution. The project also emphasized social and economic benefits, including the extension of parkland and the addition of 20 km of cycling paths. 4.5 million fewer hours of road travel per year will result, translating to 1,350 tons less carbon dioxide.

Serving as a vital transportation node for Italy and providing a strategic artery for a leading national manufacturer, the Bologna highway system is closely tied to the country’s economic prosperity.

This is the first highway infrastructure project in Europe to obtain a Platinum Award under Envision®. At a cost of €1.5 billion, the bypass will strengthen the urban section of the A14 expressway linking Bologna, Bari, and Taranto with an extension of approximately 13 kilometers. While retaining connections with the A1 expressway linking Milan and Naples, and the A13 (Bologna-Padua) expressway, the bypass speeds up access to Bologna via the city’s ring road system.

Vehicles will spend approximately 4.5 million fewer hours on the road per year as a result of the project. This will significantly enhance the quality of life in local communities and reduce CO2 emissions in metropolitan Bologna substantially (1,350 tons per year).

A significant feature of this project was that the design addressed not only the needs of vehicular traffic, but also the necessity of connecting the A14 highway with other transportation modes, all informed by a strong network logic. The purpose was to integrate the bypass with key urban junctions and existing local infrastructure in a way that would generate socioeconomic value, maximize benefits and promote sustainability.

A public-private partnership (PPP) project, the Bologna bypass also benefited from the strong work of an interdisciplinary project team emphasizing transparency and broad stakeholder involvement throughout the design process. With this foundation, a transformative project took shape focusing on the environment, innovation, and mobility.

Learn more about why this project earned a Platinum rating by visiting the Project Profile

Long Beach Municipal Urban Stormwater Treatment Facility

14-April-2022

The Long Beach Municipal Urban Stormwater Treatment Project (LB-MUST) is a comprehensive and innovative regional project.

It will intercept and treat dry weather runoff, and first-flush storm flows generated within the City of Long Beach before discharging to the Los Angeles River and Estuary. The centralized downstream advanced treatment facility has a planned capacity capable of collecting and diverting approximately 41% of the City’s 12,200-acre watershed.

The LB-MUST is a prime example of a project in the Lower Los Angeles River Watershed that provides incentives for water agencies throughout each watershed to collaborate in managing the region’s water resources and setting regional priorities for water infrastructure and improving the region’s water self-reliance. This is a multi-benefit infrastructure project that achieves many essential goals such as:

— Advancing local hire and job training goals.

— Using nature-based solutions.

— Providing benefits to disadvantaged communities and economically distressed areas.

— Providing inspiration and education to other agencies and the community, such as delivering multi-benefit solutions to address community challenges.

Colin Averill, PE, Civil Engineer, City of Long Beach Public Works, Engineering Bureau: “Long Beach continues its commitment to improving water quality by delivering an innovative project to treat stormwater and urban runoff with capacity for a substantial portion of the City’s watershed. Sustainability extends beyond the project limits with water reuse, community, and environmental benefits that will support expanded greenspace along the LA River.”

View the full announcement in the Project Directory.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Biosolids Digester Facilities Project Earns Envision Platinum Award

13-April-2022

The Biosolids Digester Facilities Project is located at the Southeast Treatment Plant, San Francisco’s largest wastewater treatment plant.

The SFPUC is investing over $3 billion to upgrade and modernize the aging Southeast Treatment Plant (SEP) as part of a more extensive Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP). Once the upgrades are finished, SEP will reliably work better, smell better, and be a more significant community asset. The SFPUC is also upgrading the SEP for earthquake preparedness, sea-level rise, and operational efficiency. In addition, the work will reduce odors and improve the quality of life for nearby residents and employees.

The Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP) is an essential component of the larger SEP upgrade. The BDFP project will replace and relocate the existing (and outdated) solids treatment facilities with more reliable, efficient, and modern technologies and facilities. This project will help transform the SEP into a modern resource-recovery facility, allow the SFPUC to meet its levels-of-service goals, and be an attractive place to work and visit.

“Achieving Envision Platinum is a major accomplishment, and it reflects the hard work of so many people at the SFPUC and in this community,” SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera said. “Environmental justice is at the forefront of our work, and this award underscores our commitment to a sustainable future, including the health and wellbeing of the communities in which we operate.”

View the full announcement in the Project Directory.

Announcing the Launch of Envision Canada to Accelerate Sustainable Infrastructure Practices from Coast to Coast to Coast

23-March-2022

The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) are pleased to announce the launch of Envision® Canada.

Envision Canada is a partnership between CSCE and ISI to advance sustainable infrastructure practices in Canada by accelerating the use of the Envision sustainable infrastructure framework.

Envision is a holistic sustainability framework and rating system that enables a thorough examination of the sustainability and resiliency of all types of infrastructure. It is the only comprehensive tool in North America that can assist government agencies and their consultants and contractors in delivering infrastructure that tackles communities’ most pressing challenges, including improving the quality of life for everyone, creating good jobs, increasing economic growth, supporting climate resilience, reducing emissions, and cultivating social equity and cohesiveness.

“Envision Canada comes at a time when communities across the country are looking for ways to build a cleaner and greener future,” says Melissa Peneycad, ISI’s Managing Director. “Envision is a  practical tool to support the long-term planning toward a climate-resilient future. I’ve seen firsthand how well it works in the Canadian context and its alignment with Canadian needs and values. I’m excited to work with CSCE and our members across the country to take Envision use to the next level.”

Envision sets the standard for what constitutes sustainable infrastructure and incentivizes higher performance goals beyond minimum requirements.

In Canada, there are over 400 credentialed Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs)—people trained in the use of Envision. Twelve Canadian infrastructure projects have earned Envision awards for sustainability, including Infrastructure Canada’s Samuel de Champlain Bridge Corridor in Montréal, Quebec; the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority’s Gordie Howe International Bridge in Windsor, Ontario; the Surrey Biofuel Facility in Surrey, British Columbia; and the Northeast False Creek Renewal and Development project in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“We’re thrilled to be working with ISI to lead sustainable infrastructure development in Canada,” says David Innes, CSCE’s Executive Director.

“We’ll be focused on improving awareness of Envision, building capacity, and fostering innovation,” explains Michael Benson, CSCE Vice President. “Envision Canada is the result of a fantastic partnership between CSCE and ISI and we look forward to working together to accelerate the use of Envision across the country.”

Please visit EnvisionCanada.com to learn more.

Download the Announcement in English

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