The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and the Envision Review Board have initiated a process to refine and enhance the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework, with the objective of publishing Envision version 4 (v4) in 2028.

Envision v4 will continue to provide a streamlined, flexible, and globally adaptable framework for assessing and verifying sustainable infrastructure projects. The updated version is intended as an improvement rather than a significant rewrite to v3, to ensure the framework’s continued relevance, usability, and alignment with industry trends and needs. Envision v4 represents the next phase of Envision’s leadership in supporting sustainable infrastructure best practices, by providing a robust, credible, and valuable tool applicable across a diverse range of project contexts and geographic regions.

We anticipate that Envision v4 will respond to evolving user needs and feedback on potential areas of improvement by:

• Addressing challenges posed by v3
• Refining credit language
• Clarifying processes
• Expanding global applicability

Much of this, though, is yet to be determined through the work of the Envision Review Board with input from the Envision community. A summary timeline for v4 development is shown below. Additional detail will be added as the process progresses.

• 2025 – Data Collection & Envision v3 feedback period
• 2026 – Development
• 2027 – Resource development
• 2028 – Release of Envision v4

We realize the introduction of a new version of the Envision Framework raises a lot of questions. You’ll find responses to a few below.

Will v4 be a significant rewrite of v3?

Envision v4 is not intended to be a major rewrite, but rather a honing and refinement of the requirements in v3.

Can I still register and pursue verification under v3? When will v3 be closed to new registrations?

You can still register and pursue verification under v3. Dates have not yet been set to close v3 registration, but that will likely occur during or after 2028, depending on the v4 launch date.

Will there be a deadline to submit projects for verification under v3? How long will v3 be around?

There are currently no plans to sunset v3 verification for projects registered in v3, given the lengthy timelines for civil infrastructure projects.

How can I provide feedback?

There will be multiple opportunities to provide feedback – both on Envision v3 and the draft revisions. Check this page for schedule updates and subscribe to the ISI newsletter through your ISI account or at the bottom of the page to stay updated on the process.

How will v4 impact completed projects/awards?

The release of v4 will have no impact on projects that have already gone through the verification program and received an award. The refinement is intended to make sure the framework continues to align with industry trends and user needs, but the update does not diminish the sustainability successes of v2 and v3 projects.

Congratulations to the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources and Freese and Nichols on the success of the Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project, which retains its Envision Silver Award after successfully completing the post-construction review stage of verification.

Located in Gwinnett County, Georgia, the project addressed critical community needs related to water, sewer, and trail infrastructure. To support ongoing and anticipated population growth in the eastern portion of Gwinnett County, this project was designed to expand water and sewer capacity to support economic development and growth in the area. It also created an extensive trail system and provided exceptional recreational amenities for its residents.

Link to Eastern Regional Infrastructure Project award profile announced on October 17, 2024.

ISI launched its pilot for the Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which focuses on helping small and/or economically distressed communities in their efforts to develop more sustainable, resilient, and equitable infrastructure.Read more

Three infrastructure projects in Italy have obtained Envision awards through ICMQ. Stazione di Lecce and Stazione di Teramo each earned Envision Gold, and the redevelopment of Piazza Sigmund Freud, adjacent to Milan’s Porta Garibaldi Station earned Envision Silver. All three are Rete Ferroviaria Italiana-owned projects.

The Teramo Station project, pictured above, will support integration of the station with its urban and regional context, including by redeveloping station environments and creating spaces for community interaction. Located in the Abruzzo region, this project is also designed to enhance intermodal services by increasing parking facilities—facilitating efficient access to and from the station.

The Lecce Railway Station project, located in the Apulia region, focuses on removing architectural barriers, upgrading the existing underpass, and enhancing the travellers’ building to revitalize the station complex. The project also protects and enhances the heritage status of the traveller’s building and is implementing the GBC Historic Building protocol.

Piazza Sigmund Freud will feature a new urban park with expansive green spaces, medium- and large-sized trees, pools, and rest areas with terraces. Through the remade piazza, Porta Garibaldi Station in Milan will be reconnected to the adjoining community, becoming the hub of a cohesive and vibrant urban space.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2024 ISI Annual Conference, “Realizing the Vision.” This year, the list of registrants, comprised of civil engineers, planners, designers, architects, constructors, owners, and academics reached 1,800 — a new record for us. A special thank-you to our esteemed presenters and moderators who provided such terrific sessions. And the conference need not fade into memory! You can replay any session through your ISI user account.  

The 2024 ISI Annual Conference was a huge success, providing actionable strategies and insights to our audience, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some key achievements. Here are six big takeaways. 

Envision users are part of a thriving community, one that matters more than ever. The annual conference gathers a diversity of civil infrastructure professionals. You might be part of a small team taking on (seemingly) daunting goals. Or you might be working to change the nature of your organization. Regardless of your specific roles in infrastructure development or your organization’s current level of Envision adoption, throughout our conference, you can see the broader impact that Envision users are achieving together. And that’s truly inspiring! What we do has always been critical and will continue to be even more so.

Envision can be applied to a wide range of project size and types. The broad range of case studies and lessons shared underscored the versatility of ISI’s Envision rating system. We were reminded that no matter the type of project — it might be a new highway, bridge or runway, an improved drinking water facility, a renewable source of energy, a revitalized park system, a climate-resilient shoreline — the Envision rating system can play a key role in delivering a higher-performing project that maximizes benefits for communities.  

Attendees connected to the conference in locations around the globe.

Envision is being applied by public agencies and by AEC firms large and small. Our event attracted 1,800 registrants working to plan, design, and build civil infrastructure projects — 600 more than last year. That’s 600 more professionals committed to delivering triple-bottom line benefits on infrastructure projects. These include social benefits such as achieving stronger and more equitable communities, environmental benefits such as protecting and enhancing the air we breathe and the water that sustains our planet, and economic benefits such as creating local jobs and ensuring ratepayers receive good value for their infrastructure investment.

The ENV SP credential is the credential of choice for sustainable infrastructure professionals. People from across North America and around the world tuned in for the opportunity to learn more about Envision and its implementation. Bonus: by attending, participants also fulfilled their Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential maintenance hours as the conference offered several elective course hours and two prescribed course hours (The “Project Showcase” and the session on “Building Together: Sustainability, Equity and Engagement”). The ENV SP credential is widely used and recognized by the civil infrastructure sector. Whether you’re with an organization with 4 ENV SPs — or 400 ENV SPs — know that you are making a difference for the future of civil infrastructure.

Our speakers and moderators delivered! Our presenters swung for the fences as they shared strategies to plan, design and build sustainable and resilient infrastructure. Their sessions were rich with insights on collaboration, resilience, nature-inspired solutions, cutting carbon, sustainability in construction, the cost of Envision, and moving to scale with Envision. Special thanks to our keynote speakers Ethan Kent of PlacemakingX and TJ Moon of Los Angeles County Public Works and to our guest moderators Prabh Banga (Aecon Group, Inc.), Stephanie Printz (HDR), and Bob Beinstein (AECOM).

We would also like to recognize the bright minds who presented their insights and experiences in the poster session presentations on November 6 and 7. We were inspired by these young students and professionals who will be writing sustainable infrastructure’s next chapter. They helped remind all of us that the right projects connect to communities and deliver gifts to the future.

Finally, advancing sustainable development has always been about collaboration. That collaboration happens every day, between the public agencies and their engineering consulting firm partners. But that collaboration is also demonstrated in the work of the many not-for-profit organizations, institutes and academic organizations who bring their knowledge and experience to the table. Their initiatives and the commitment to implementing them will continue to change our industry for the better.

Working together, these organizations are on the front lines in making infrastructure more sustainable, resilient, and equitable. We hope you will join us again for the 2025 ISI Annual Conference, and we invite you to attend our webinar series throughout the year. Thank you to all of our conference participants and supporters who continue to advance our important mission!