13-December-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
6-December-2024
This month we’re recognizing all organizations who reached 3, 5, and 10-year membership milestones with ISI in 2024. These companies and public agencies are committed to implementing more sustainable, equitable and resilient infrastructure projects with ISI and Envision.
Envision enables organizations to go beyond traditional minimum project requirements and focus on the areas that are critical to their long-term success, including: human well-being, mobility and access, community development, economic development, leadership, planning, collaboration, materials, energy, water, siting, conservation, ecology, emissions, and resilience.
Continue reading this article.
3-December-2024
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.
2-December-2024
Richmond, Virginia provided an update on November 22 on the amazing work it is undertaking to meet climate and resilience objectives. The city’s new sustainable design standards, which reference the Envision Framework, were presented to community members and city employees in the City Council Chambers.
These standards are part of RVA Green 2050, led by the Office of Sustainability. Designed as an equity-centered, community based, integrated climate action and climate resilience plan, this initiative is formally called RVAgreen 2050: Climate Equity Action Plan 2030.
Richmond’s Mayor Levar M. Stoney was joined by Office of Sustainability Director Laura Thomas and other staff. ISI President & CEO Anthony Kane was also invited to share remarks!
The intent with the new sustainable design standards is for new development projects to “not only meet the functional requirements, and community needs but also align with the long-term vision for an equitable, sustainable, and vibrant Richmond.” To that end, Envision is identified as a key tool, particularly for horizontal projects where the framework “shall be applied… regardless of size, ensuring that sustainable practices are integrated throughout planning, design, construction, and operation” (4.2).
Learn more:
Sustainable Design Standards: https://www.rvagreen2050.com/sds
RVA Green Website: https://www.rvagreen2050.com/rvagreen-2050-plan
RVA Green 2050 plan: https://www.rva.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/FullDocumentRVAgreenClimateEquityActionPlan2030.pdf
18-November-2024
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!
16-October-2024
Washington, D.C. and Guatemala City – The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) is excited to announce a new partnership with Guatemala Green Building Council (GGBC) to bring the Envision framework and rating system to Guatemala. The goal of this collaboration is to encourage professionals working in Guatemala’s A/E/C industry to use Envision to plan, design, and deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects that support the long-term health and well-being of their communities.
In September, ISI and GGBC formally signed the partnership agreement during América Sostenible & Resiliente, a GGBC-hosted regional meeting to encourage conversations about advancing sustainable and resilient construction by the countries that make up the Americas Regional Network of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).
“We are excited to work with GGBC to expand growth of Envision in Latin America” says Anthony Kane, ISI President & CEO. “ISI’s partnership with GGBC strengthens our regional network and local impact, while supporting our mutual goal to increase the sustainability of infrastructure across the Americas.”
GGBC is a non-profit, member-based, and mission driven organization focused on improving the quality of life by leading the transformation of urban surroundings. A WorldGBC member, the organization seeks to transform the construction sector to use more environmentally friendly, socially responsible, and economically feasible practices to support the needs of future generations.
“The partnership between the Guatemala Green Building Council and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) marks a significant step toward advancing resilient and sustainable infrastructure in Guatemala,” affirmed Pamela Castellán, Chair of Americas Regional Network and Executive Director of GGBC. “By aligning local expertise with global standards, this collaboration will empower our communities to build with sustainability in mind, addressing critical environmental challenges while fostering economic growth and resilience.”
ISI was founded in 2010 by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) to support the development of a sustainable infrastructure framework. In collaboration with the then Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, ISI integrated the best of industry experience with cutting-edge academic research to produce the Envision framework and rating system. Envision now serves as a benchmark guidance tool for infrastructure owners, engineers, designers, architects, planners, contractors, operators, and other stakeholders in the early planning and design stages of infrastructure development. To date, more than 9,000 individuals around the globe have earned the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential, and more than 170 projects have been verified using the Envision rating system.
To learn more about GGBC, please visit https://www.guatemalagbc.org/.
To learn more about ISI, please visit https://sustainableinfrastructure.org/.
18-September-2024
ISI staff visited China, the largest infrastructure market in the world, to explore opportunities to apply Envision to very large and consequential projects, including the development of entirely new cities.Read more
21-August-2024
Washington, D.C. and Santiago – The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Chile Green Building Council (Chile GBC) to bring the Envision framework and rating system to Chile. The goal of this collaboration is to encourage professionals working in Chile’s A/E/C industry to use Envision to plan, design, and deliver sustainable and resilient infrastructure projects that support the long-term health and well-being of their communities.
“We are excited to continue the growth of Envision in Latin America through this partnership with Chile GBC, the leading organization in Chile for sustainable development,” says Anthony Kane, ISI President & CEO. “Together ISI, Chile GBC, and our other partners in the region will work together to increase the sustainability of infrastructure across the Americas.”
Chile GBC is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transformation of the built environment to be more sustainable. An established member and part of the board of the World Green Building Council, this organization works together with its members and strategic allies to promote technological innovation, capacity building, the generation of public policies, and the development and implementation of different certification systems in order to encourage the preservation and efficient use of resources and improve the quality of life, health, and well-being of people and their communities.
Chile GBC is a regional leader in the development and management of information facilitating platforms that seek to contribute to accelerating the implementation of sustainability solutions and foster market transformation. Additionally, they are an UNEP Global ABC member and are integrated into several working groups related to financing, advocacy and regulation, materials and carbon neutrality both in this organization and WorldGBC. Chile GBC is also a local and regional leader in training on various topics related to the circular economy; health and well-being; certifications for materials, buildings, infrastructure and cities, and strategies for carbon management, among other technical content.
“Emerging economies need to increase investment in the development of new infrastructure, which in a country like Chile that meets seven of the nine climate vulnerability criteria, needs to be sustainable, resilient and aligned with carbon commitments, while minimizing environmental impacts and generating greater benefits for communities,” remarked María Fernanda Aguirre, Executive Director of Chile GBC. “For several years, Chile has been highlighted in international rankings as the Latin American country that leads in terms of competitiveness in infrastructure, so the implementation and growth of Envision in Chile allows us to go one step further. This alliance will help us to increase the ambition of new public and private construction assets in terms of environmental and social sustainability, and promote better quality standards and practices of excellence in design, construction and management of the operation of projects of different scale and complexity.”
ISI was founded in 2010 by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Public Works Association (APWA), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) to support the development of a guide for sustainable infrastructure. In collaboration with the then Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, ISI integrated the best of industry experience with cutting-edge academic research to produce the Envision framework and rating system. Envision now serves as a benchmark guidance tool for infrastructure owners, engineers, designers, architects, planners, contractors, operators, and other stakeholders in the early planning and design stages of infrastructure development. To date, more than 9,000 individuals around the globe have earned the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) credential, and more than 170 projects have been verified by the Envision framework.
Chile GBC and ISI will formalize this alliance during the “América Sostenible” event that will take place from September 9 to 13 in Guatemala City. Likewise, the 2025 work agenda will be launched to strengthen the promotion of Envision in Chile during the annual assembly of members and allies on November 28.
To learn more about Chile GBC, please visit https://www.chilegbc.cl
To learn more about ISI, please visit https://sustainableinfrastructure.org
20-June-2024
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
9-May-2024
Santa Monica’ SWIP is an all-underground Advanced Water Treatment Facility and first-of-its-kind to purify wastewater and stormwater for water reuse.
Santa Monica, Calif. and Washington, D.C. — The City of Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) has earned an Envision Platinum award for sustainability. Substantial accomplishments across multiple Envision credit areas, from leadership and community quality of life to resource allocation, climate resilience, and the natural world, combined to give this project the highest Envision award level, Platinum.
The City of Santa Monica SWIP reduces the city’s traditional reliance on costly imported freshwater resources from Northern California and the Colorado River by creating new, local water supplies. The project is an advanced treatment water recycling plant that treats the city’s municipal wastewater, stormwater (wet-weather), and urban runoff (dry-weather) with the new stormwater harvesting tank. Otherwise, the stormwater is discharged into Santa Monica Bay. Once treated, the advanced treated water is conveyed through the existing distribution system and reused for landscape irrigation. The new system also allows for excess produced water to be recharged into the groundwater supplies and extracted later for reuse as a local and sustainable drinking water supply.
Quotes
Selim Eren, PE, Principal Civil Engineer, said: “Santa Monica has introduced a world-class, first-of-its-kind water reuse project with SWIP. This Project exemplifies the City’s leadership and commitment to the protection of natural resources, climate resilency and innovation.”
Kristi Wamstad, ISI’s Verification Director, said: “ISI congratulates the City of Santa Monica for its commitment to environmental stewardship, sustainability and water self-sufficiency. While developing a diverse, sustainable, and drought-resilient local water supply, the project makes a significant positive impact on quality of life through water quality improvements, greater community mobility and access, and improved public spaces.”
Background to the Project
Historically, to withstand periods of drought, it has been necessary for the City of Santa Monica to import much of its water from drought-stressed Northern California and the much-in-demand Colorado River. Amid growing statewide concerns over the long-term availability of water, the city has taken aggressive steps over the past decade, focusing both on water conservation and developing new, local water supplies. Conservation efforts have managed to significantly reduce overall water consumption, while the development of new water supplies for landscape irrigation and other uses—from waters previously considered waste—has reduced the city’s reliance on imported waters. In 2019, a key stormwater capture and reuse project known as the Santa Monica Clean Beaches Project, recognized with an Envision Gold award, helped move the city closer to those objectives.
The city’s SWIP project is focused specifically on advanced treating municipal wastewater as well as capturing stormwater, urban water runoff, and treating them up to drinking water standards. Its components include the development of new infrastructure to advance treat the city’s wastewater, an all-underground advanced water treatment facility (AWTF), a new stormwater harvesting tank, and upgrades to the existing treatment facility. This first-of-its-kind project contributes significantly toward self-sufficiency goals identified in the city’s Sustainable Water Master Plan, by producing up to 10% of the city’s water supply.
The project is proof of Santa Monica’s commitment to environmental innovation as the shortage of water resources challenges California and western US states sharing this precious resource. By capturing rainwater and urban runoff away from the Santa Monica Bay and treating it beyond drinking water standards, the project aims to improve water quality in Santa Monica Bay and protect the ocean.
The project aligns with the state’s Water Supply Strategy goals of increasing recycling wastewater and the state’s control measures governing municipal separate storm sewer systems and Enhanced Watershed Management Programs (EWMPs). Here are some of the key sustainability achievements:
Verified Sustainability Achievements
Preserving Water Resources: The city’s sustainability goal is to obtain 100% of its water locally, and the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project (SWIP) plays a key role in reaching this objective. By capturing, recycling, treating, and beneficially reusing 1 million gallons per day of stormwater and municipal wastewater that would otherwise be wasted, the SWIP preserves 10% of the city’s water demand locally, creating a net positive impact on water quality and resources in the watershed. The SWIP is estimated to produce 14.6 trillion gallons of water over a 40-year span.
Management of Stormwater: One of the project’s purposes is stormwater management. Stormwater runoff from the site is captured, along with a significant portion of stormwater generated from the 88-acre upstream catchment basin. A 1.5-million-gallon stormwater harvesting tank is capable of capturing the 85th percentile, 24-hour storm event from the 88-acre watershed area. Once captured, the stormwater is mixed with wastewater, treated at the Advanced Water Treatment Facility (AWTF), and distributed for beneficial reuse.
Natural World: There will be significantly less pollution entering Santa Monica Bay, one of the city’s greatest natural assets and contributors to the city’s social and economic livelihoods. Supporting this outcome is a more modern treatment process. The project employs innovative technologies, including membrane bioreactors and advanced oxidation processes, that provide better water treatment and significantly reduce the amount of chemicals required. Through the diversion of untreated stormwater and treated wastewater from Santa Monica Bay, the SWIP has a net positive impact on ocean water quality.
Reduced Water-Supply Carbon Footprint: The advanced water treatment plant and all components of the SWIP Project operate solely on 100% renewable electricity annually, obtained through the city’s Direct Access agreement with the Clean Power Alliance. All power purchased under the city’s 100% renewable plan comes from 100% solar sources. This equates to 9,633 MWh (34,679,600 MJ) annually and 289,000 MWh of solar power purchased throughout the 30-year life of the project. The city’s commitment to renewable energy is expected to result in 100% renewable power for the entire city, inclusive of all residents and businesses within city limits, by 2025 (currently, 96% of all power in the city is renewable).
Quality of Life Measures: The most direct impact on quality of life will come from locally recycled produced water and improved beach water quality. Wastewater previously not recycled now adds to the city’s water portfolio through reuse, and stormwater previously discharged into Santa Monica Bay contained high levels of coliform bacteria, which frequently prompted water quality warnings and beach closures. This situation was disadvantageous for the local quality of life and for tourism, which brings annually $700 million into the local economy. The ability to capture, treat, and beneficially reuse wastewater and stormwater with this project delivers a positive impact on bay water quality, beach closures, and the community’s water supply.
Stakeholder Engagement: The Santa Monica community, technical leaders, and local and state regulators were meaningfully engaged in and positively supported the project and process. Engagements with stakeholders highlighted, among other aspects, the importance of preserving or enhancing views and local character. In response, the project team employed strategies such as adopting existing city sustainability and water master plans and guidelines, locating much of the facility underground, and preserving and enhancing local landscapes, with a particular emphasis on large trees.
Mobility and Access: The Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project increases mobility and access in Santa Monica’s Civic Center and downtown by adding new sidewalks and bike lanes. An extension of Civic Center Drive to Main Street through this project also allows better vehicle access to the Civic Center and the Bay.
Top: Stormwater Harvesting Tank at City of Santa Monica Sustainable Water Infrastructure Project. Above: Membrane Bio-Reactor. Below: Reverse Osmosis Treatment.
