Envision v4 Development Update: Advancing the Next Evolution of Sustainable Infrastructure
10-July-2026
The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), together with the Envision Review Board (ERB), continues to advance development of Envision version 4 (v4) — the next evolution of the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework, with publication anticipated in 2028.
Envision v4 is being developed as a thoughtful refinement of the current Envision v3 framework rather than a fundamental rewrite. The objective is to preserve the strengths that have made Envision a trusted tool across infrastructure sectors while ensuring it remains relevant, practical, and responsive to changing industry needs.
As infrastructure owners, practitioners, and communities continue to navigate evolving expectations around resilience, decarbonization, resource stewardship, and long-term value, Envision v4 aims to provide a streamlined, flexible, and globally adaptable framework for assessing and verifying sustainable infrastructure projects.
The development process is guided by several core objectives:
Building on Community Input
Development of Envision v4 began with a broad effort to understand how users experience and apply the current framework.
Throughout the initial data collection and feedback phase, ISI gathered input from across the Envision community through surveys, stakeholder conversations, listening sessions, and targeted engagement activities. Feedback was collected from infrastructure owners, practitioners, Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SPs), and Envision verifiers, trainers, and users representing multiple regions and sectors.
Those efforts helped identify opportunities to improve usability, strengthen consistency across credits, clarify requirements, and better reflect emerging priorities shaping infrastructure decision-making.
This foundation of community input continues to inform the development process and reinforces a central goal of Envision v4: maintaining continuity with the framework users know while improving clarity, value, and applicability for the future.
Current Development Efforts
Envision v4 development is now in an active review and refinement phase led by the ERB. Board members represent a range of perspectives across infrastructure sectors and geographies and are working closely with ISI staff and subject matter experts to guide framework updates.
To support this work, dedicated working groups have been established to evaluate each Envision credit in detail. These groups bring together expertise from industry, academia, and technical disciplines to review credit intent, requirements, applicability, and alignment with current practice.
Working groups are examining topics across the full breadth of the framework, including:
The work extends beyond high-level concepts and into the detailed language and implementation of individual credits to ensure updates are practical, measurable, and meaningful for users.
Development remains highly collaborative and iterative. The ERB convenes monthly, while working groups meet monthly, bimonthly, or as needed depending on topic complexity and progress.
At this stage, ISI and the ERB do not anticipate a significant change to the overall number of Envision credits. Instead, efforts remain focused on improving quality, clarity, and usability while preserving continuity for users familiar with Envision v3.
Looking Ahead
As development progresses, ISI anticipates expanding opportunities for broader community engagement.
A formal public comment period is planned for 2027 and will provide stakeholders an opportunity to review draft content and help shape the final framework before publication in 2028.
The development of Envision v4 reflects ISI’s ongoing commitment to ensuring Envision remains a credible, practical, and forward-looking framework that supports infrastructure teams in delivering sustainable, resilient, and equitable outcomes.
Additional updates and opportunities to engage in the process will be shared as development continues.
