The RDU Park Economy 3 Expansion Project Earns Envision Platinum
30-June-2025
Project adds advanced wayfinding systems for visitors, electric shuttle bus service to terminals, and submerged gravel wetlands for stormwater management.Read more
DEN Runway 17L-35R Complex Pavement Rehabilitation P2 Awarded Envision Verified
24-June-2025
This project delivers critical pavement rehabilitation as well as taxiway lighting upgrades including electrical conversion to LED.Read more
Creston Solar Project Obtains Envision Platinum
20-June-2025
Project supports Alliant Energy’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and diversify energy sources, providing 50 MW of solar capacity.Read more
Wever Solar Project Is Awarded Envision Platinum
20-June-2025
The Wever Solar Project represents a strategic step away from fossil fuels, reducing carbon emissions and generating enough clean, low-cost energy to power thousands of homes. Read more
Event Wrap: ISI’s Zofnass Research Workshop in Los Angeles
20-June-2025
ISI delivered a hugely successful Spring Zofnass Research Workshop, May 15–16 in Los Angeles — a unique event packed with learning, networking and field visits tied to sustainable infrastructure and Envision.
Bringing together experts from leading public agencies and engineering consulting firms, this first-of-its kind workshop offered valuable project perspectives and case studies from the Los Angeles area, a region with one of the highest concentrations of experienced Envision users and agencies.
Click to view a PDF with photos from each day of the workshop
ISI will build on this event’s success to continue developing a mix of Zofnass Research Program workshops; both public and invitation-only.
The L.A. workshop featured:
- Presentations on the impact of recent fire disasters, the need for resilient infrastructure, and the solutions and strategies best able to prepare assets and communities now and in the future.
- Case studies and firsthand project lessons from public agencies and engineering consulting companies involved in sustainability and resiliency planning across the LA region and insights on the tie-ins with Envision application.
- Discussion of research on the costs and benefits of implementing Envision — highlighting insights into the time, effort, and financial investment required for verification, and how project teams are measuring value.
- Social activities and opportunities for attendees to network with industry colleagues.
In the Field
Opportunities for applied learning continued on the ground on Day 2 with guided field visits to a range of Envision-related projects across Los Angeles. These projects included:
- LA Metro stations
Click to view a PDF with photos from each day of the workshop
- Sixth Street Viaduct Seismic Improvement Project
- Los Angeles Street Services Asphalt Plant No. 1
- South Los Angeles Wetlands Park
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Park Stormwater Capture Project
- Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant (HWRP); Biogas-to-energy project; and Advanced Water Purification Facility (AWPF)
- Projects at Los Angeles International Airport:
- Consolidated Rent-A-Car (ConRAC) Facility
- Central Utility Plant
- LAX Automated People Mover
- Intermodal Transportation Facility (ITF)
- LAX/Metro Transit Center
The tour stops offered lessons learned and real-world context to help attendees better understand the implementation challenges and the long-term benefits of sustainable infrastructure.
Clockwise from top left: the LAX Automated People Mover, the Central Utility Plant at LAX, the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park, the Sixth Street Viaduct, the Roosevelt Park Stormwater Capture Project, and the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant
Thank You!
ISI would like to extend a sincere thank-you to all the presenters and host agencies who made this experience possible:
California High-Speed Rail Authority, HNTB, LA County Public Works, LA Metro, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), Stantec, Bentley Systems, City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, LA Sanitation and Environment.
And a special thanks to our Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board for supporting this event: HNTB, NV5, Stantec, Bentley Systems, En3 Sustainability Solutions, and Greenprint Partners.
ISI was also honored to host a delegation from China during the workshop. This group included sustainable development experts and representatives from engineering consulting companies across China, many of whom are ENV SPs actively working on Envision-supported projects in China. Learn more about the China delegation visit.
Session Recordings
In case you had planned to be in LA for the Spring 2025 Zofnass Research Workshop but were not able to attend, session recordings are available to users in their ISI accounts, under Education > All Courses.
Guichon Creek Restoration Earns Envision Platinum
5-June-2025
BCIT turned the occasion of critically needed remediation works into an opportunity to restore part of the nearby creek system. Read more
Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility Earns Envision Platinum
14-April-2025
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has earned its third Envision Award, this time for the Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility situated between San Francisco and Oakland, California.Read more
14-April-2025
Three Envision Italia Projects Earn Awards
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.
LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE: Federal Way Link Extension
16-May-2024
Project expands light rail from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Des Moines, Kent, and Federal Way
Seattle, Washington and Washington, D.C. – The Federal Way Link Extension (FWLE) project has earned an Envision Platinum Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). This recognition, the highest possible Envision award level, was received for the project’s achievements related to sustainable transportation, mobility and access, stakeholder engagement, infrastructure integration, and multiple other areas of sustainability. FWLE is only the seventh transit project in the U.S. to earn Envision Platinum.
The project extends light rail transit service 7.8 miles further south into King County and is part of a larger transit expansion in the Seattle metropolitan area, recognized as one of the most ambitious in the nation at present. FWLE demonstrated through its submission how the project responds to the specific needs of both host and adjacent communities to support sustainability, equity, and resilience.
Quotes
“This award is a testament to Sound Transit’s long and deep commitment to sustainability and to the high levels of collaboration achieved with our project partners during challenging times,” said Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Goran Sparrman. “We are proud of this achievement and look forward to many more sustainability milestones as we build public transit that connects our region to the places we live and work.”
“As a global leader in infrastructure, Parsons is transforming the rail and transit sector by providing innovative, tailored solutions that modernize transportation systems and deliver long-lasting, sustainable benefits to our clients,” said Mark Fialkowski, president, Infrastructure North America for Parsons. “Our contribution to the Federal Way Extension project represents Parsons’ combined engineering expertise and enterprise-wide commitment to sustainability. We are honored to be part of the team that achieved this award by creating a lasting, valuable public asset for the region and community.”
“Kiewit is proud to be the design-build contractor for Sound Transit’s Federal Way Link Extension, a project that showcases innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Strong partnerships, particularly with the community, are essential to our success,” said Kiewit Corporation Executive Vice President Doug Glaser. “We would not be able to accomplish what we did without the remarkable people we had on the team, including the 400 local union tradespeople and the 200 subcontractors and suppliers who came together with our construction and engineering staff to achieve a common goal.”
“We are honored to present the Envision Platinum award to the Federal Way Link Extension project, recognizing its outstanding commitment to sustainability, equity, and resilience,” said Kristi Wamstad, ISI’s Verification Director. “This achievement underscores the project team’s dedication to creating a transit system that prioritizes environmental stewardship and social equity while meeting the needs of the community.”
The project in brief
FWLE expands regional light rail south from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SeaTac) to Des Moines, Kent and Federal Way in King County, Washington. The route follows Interstate Freeway 5, from Angle Lake Station in the city of SeaTac, terminating at a new station — Federal Way Downtown (FWDS). Studies along the project corridor established the need for reliable, efficient peak and off-peak transit service to connect with the region’s growth centers. The corridor also has a high concentration of transit-dependent populations who need efficient and reliable regional transit connectivity, which FWLE directly addresses.
The line will include at-grade, retained fill, retained cut, and elevated structure guideway types. Construction of interim stations will be necessary, for continuity of service, at Kent/Des Moines, just south of the existing Angle Lake Station, and at South 272nd Street located to the north of FWDS. In addition, a maintenance facility will be constructed adjacent to FWDS to be used for vehicle inspection and interior cleaning. Parking, bus stops, and bike lockers and racks will be provided at the stations and other locations, further contributing to the project’s role in expanding mobility and improving connections to the regional multimodal transportation system. FWLE is forecast to be completed in 2026 and to raise ridership to approximately 29,000 – 34,000 daily riders.
