New York–based project contractor and developer Skanska USA announced today that it has become a charter member of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI), a nonprofit organization designed to develop and maintain Envision, a sustainability rating system for civil infrastructure projects, including wetland restoration and watersheds. The Skanska press release states that it is one of the first full-service contractors and developers to do so.
Envision is the product of a collaboration between ISI, based in Washington, D.C., and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. The points-based rating system evaluates projects using 60 sustainability credits, divided into five sections: quality of life, leadership, resource allocation, natural world, and climate and risk. The certification levels include bronze, silver, gold, and platinum.
Envision provides a framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits for all types and sizes of infrastructure projects. To date, Envision has certified five projects: three in California (The Snow Creek Stream Environment Zone Restoration, The South Los Angeles Wetland Park, and The Sun Valley Watershed Project), one in Alaska (The William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery), and one in Texas (The Line J, Section 1 Pipeline).
Skanska will work with the ISI board and help speed up the adoption of Envision. The firm has also been appointed to the chairmanship of Envision’s construction work group, which organizes the Envision construction module.
The agreement is the product of more than three years of collaboration between ISI and Skanska. The firm is already working with clients for infrastructure projects in California and Florida to seek Envision certification.
