Sargent & Lundy Takes New Measures to Impact Infrastructure Project Sustainability

Envision framework now a part of firm’s efforts in innovation and global change


March 22, 2021 – Sargent & Lundy is enacting a new initiative toward the future of sustainability in infrastructure projects with its membership in the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and commitment to ISI’s Envision framework – a rating system for evaluating sustainability and resilience criteria of infrastructure projects.

The firm joins the ranks of thousands of leading industry organizations, government agencies, and individual practitioners committed to Envision. The rating system is similar to LEED green building certification in structure but focused on infrastructure projects rather than individual buildings.

The independent, third-party project verification by Envision applies to all types and sizes of physical infrastructure including airports, bridges, dams, landfills, levees, parks, power generating stations, pipelines, railways, streetcars, stormwater management systems, wastewater treatment plants, and other components that make up civil works.

Envision will now be used throughout the design cycle and construction of Sargent & Lundy’s infrastructure projects and will require engagement not only from Sargent & Lundy but also a project’s owner, community stakeholders, sub-consultants, and contractors. After a project team conducts an initial project self-assessment, an ISI-assigned verifier confirms it meets Envision’s sustainability criteria. Projects that complete the verification process and achieve sufficient points earn an Envision award.

Envision verification and awards are valuable to organizations like Sargent & Lundy because they:

  • Demonstrate the sustainable achievements of the project are recognized and considered noteworthy by an independent internationally recognized system.
  • Provide an objective measure of sustainable performance and draw attention to the good work being undertaken.
  • Motivate project teams to collaborate to achieve better sustainability outcomes.
  • Help instill community confidence that the project addresses specific needs and concerns.
  • Can be used as a learning tool and a process for organizational accountability.
  • Bring public recognition of the commitment to sustainable infrastructure.

“Sargent & Lundy recognizes the urgent and critical need for sustainable infrastructure, and we’re changing the way we work to make it a reality,” said Sargent & Lundy Senior Vice President and Director Paul Eiden. “Instilling Envision rating criteria into our projects engages our project teams to think and perform in innovative ways and ultimately impact long-term sustainability for our clients and communities.”

As of February 2021, ISI members have had 106 projects worth over $106 billion verified through Envision with another 102 registered projects in the works worth over $25 billion dollars. Projects in the energy industry include combustion-combined cycle, cogeneration, solar, and wind generation assets. View the list of projects granted Envision awards here.

In addition to infrastructure project verification, Sargent & Lundy will leverage ISI’s continuing development and credentialing system, known as Envision Sustainability Professionals (ENV SP), designed for individual engineers, architects, and other design professionals. An ENV SP is required on each project team when pursuing Envision verification and must meet continuing education requirements from ISI.

Sargent & Lundy’s affiliation with the Envision framework directly aligns with the firm’s core values of Accountability, Innovation, and Meaningful Impact. It represents the firm’s commitment to excellence in project sustainability – and creating global change along with hundreds of like-minded organizations building a more sustainable world.

 

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