Launch of the Envision® v3 Rating System for Sustainable Infrastructure

The Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure announces the launch of the 3rd version of the Envision® rating system for sustainable …

Zofnass Program Workshop: Making the Business Case for Planning Sustainable Infrastructure

ZOFNASS PROGRAM at HARVARD UNIVERSITY WORKSHOP Making the Business Case for Planning Sustainable Infrastructure Date: Monday & Tuesday, March 19-20, 2018 …

ENR Webinar: Planning Sustainable Infrastructure

September 20, 2017, 2 PM ET Credits: 1 AIA LU; 0.1 IACET CEU Four years after helping launch the Envision infrastructure sustainability rating …

Zofnass Program Workshop: Business Case for Sustainable Infrastructure, April 3-4, 2017

Prof. Andreas Georgoulias at B20 Conference on RBC and AC in Infrastructure Development

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias was an invited panelist in the B20 Conference on Responsible Business Conduct and Anti-Corruption in Infrastructure Development that took …

Planning Sustainable Cities and Envision® featured in article highlighting Autodesk’s commitment to sustainability

Karen Weiss, Senior Industry Strategy Manager for Civil Infrastructure Owners at Autodesk published an article highlighting Autodesk‘s commitment to sustainability. Weiss was …

Prof. Pollalis in the formal reception of President Obama in Athens

Prof. Pollalis made part of the formal reception of President Obama in Athens, Greece, with the Prime Minister Tsipras, the Mayor …

Engineering News-Record (ENR) features article on Planning Sustainable Cities and SIAB members

‘Harvard Program Pushes Sustainable Infrastructure in Urban Planning’ by ENR ENR, premier engineering and construction news reporter, published an article …

Envision dedicated course at Harvard Extension School

There is an upcoming online course dedicated to the Envision Rating System offered through the Harvard Extension School starting January …

Seminar: Sustainable Planning: Following Doxiadis’s Legacy, by Prof. Pollalis (Nov 1, at 6pm)

The Harvard Mahindra Humanities Center and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure would like to invite you to the following seminar…

Planning Sustainable Cities Conference, November 3 & 4, 2016

The Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure is pleased to host the Planning Sustainable Cities Conference. The conference aims to present an infrastructure-based approach to city planning, an analytical framework for urban sustainability, focusing on the services and performance of infrastructure systems…

Article at Kennedy School’s Data-Smart City Solutions, “Data-Driven Insights on Urban Water Systems”

Yannis Orfanos, research associate at the Zofnass Program, wrote about “Data-Driven Insights on Urban Water Systems: The Zofnass Information Tool for the City of Chelsea, MA”. The article was hosted by the Data-Smart City Solutions of the…

Yannis Orfanos presented paper and chaired session at the Symposium for Architecture and Urban Design in London, May 16-18, 2016

Yannis Orfanos, Sang Cho, Spiro Pollalis co-authored the peer-reviewed paper “A Method for Data-Driven Insights on the Nexus of Green Infrastructure, Water System, and the Urban Environment”. The paper was presented…

Harvard China Fund Annual Symposium at Harvard Center Shanghai, May 17 & 18, 2016

This symposium is jointly organized by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard Graduate School of Design with generous sponsorship from the Harvard China Fund. The…

Lecture about the Zofnass Information Tool at the Belmont Stormwater Working Group, April 28, 2016

Yannis Orfanos and Sang Cho, researchers at the Zofnass Program, were invited by the Belmont Stormwater Working Group to present the Zofnass Information Toolon the Urban Water System of Chelsea MA (April 28, 2016). The Belmont Stormwater…

Cristina Contreras, speaker at World Bank Group. IFC’s Advisory Panel on Business and Sustainability Roundtable “Insurance and Resilience”. April 26, 2016

What are the gaps that must be addressed to increase mobilization resources around resilience? How to accelerate delivery of innovative products for the private sector companies…

Infrastructure 360º Awards 2016: Models of sustainability in Latin America

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), the private sector arm of the IDB Group, announced on April 15th the winners of the 2016 Infrastructure 360 Awards. This is an initiative that identifies and rewards the best sustainability practices in Latin America and the Caribbean. This year…

Infrastructure Resilience II Workshop at GSD & HBS, Apr. 4 & 5, 2016

This Zofnass Workshop will continue our exploration of the intersection of Envision®, resilience, and infrastructure finance. Day 1 at GSD (Gund Hall Room 112): Session 1: The Use of Envision® in Infrastructure Projects (Part I). Session 2: The Use of Envision® in Infrastructure Projects (Part II)…

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias is a keynote speaker at Accelerating sustainable infrastructure investments at IDB roundtable

Dr. Andreas Geourgoulias is a keynote speaker in the roundtable ‘Accelerating sustainable infrastructure investments at IDB – Presentation of results of Envision case studies’, which is jointly organized by IDB Infrastructure…

Prize on Water Policy at the MIT Water Night 2016 challenge

We are happy to announce that Yannis Orfanos, research associate and Sang Cho, research assistant, representing the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, won the 2nd prize at the MIT Water Night 2016 challenge on the Water Policy category. The prize concerns the research on urban water system and green infrastructure…

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias ​attends Annual Meeting of Senior Infrastructure Officials and Symposium for Infrastructure Governance at the OECD

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias, Research Director of the Zofnass Program, joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (www.oecd.org), in two invitation-only events in Paris, namely the: Symposium on Governance…

A data-driven approach on urban water management presented at MIT Water Club

Sang Cho, research assistant and Yannis Orfanos, research associate at the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, presented the research methodology behind the Zofnass Information Tool on the Urban Water System of Chelsea MA. The scope of the tool is to provide information about…

White House press release mentions Envision in commitments on the American Business Act on Climate Pledge

Envision is a part of the specific commitments made from 154 companies that have signed the American Business Act on Climate Pledge to demonstrate their support for action on climate change and the conclusion of a climate…

Prof. Spiro Pollalis’ meeting with Saudi Arabia government officials

Prof. Spiro Pollalis visited the major and the government of the Asir province in Saudi Arabia to present the Envision Rating System for Sustainability and the Planning Guidelines for Sustainable Cities. Prof. Pollalis also talked about sustainability to the…

Harvards Tips for Hosting a March Madness Party

If you are a big basketball fan, then you might be excited about March Madness. If this is the case, …

Cristina Contreras discusses sustainable infrastructure for emerging economies at the Economic Policy Forum in Beijing, 2-6 November 2015

There is no question that rapid changes are happening in our society and policymakers are working to adjust this reality to a desirable sustainable economic growth. The Economic Policy Forum that took place in Beijing during 2-6…

Infrastructure Resilience Symposium at HBS & GSD, Nov. 2 & 3, 2015

This symposium will focus on urban and regional resilience, as the next step of sustainable planning. It will bring together public officials, infrastructure engineers, planners, design professionals and academics to share next generation perspectives on urban resilience, focusing on…

Zofnass Lecture series: Civic Technology + Urban Planning. The State of the Landscape by Cristina Garmendia, HKS MPP ’12

Learn about the current state of the civic technology and its influence on urban planning, and future opportunities for open data and digital engagement to change the shape…

Research associate Yannis Orfanos presented the paper “An Integrated Performance Analysis Platform for Sustainable Architecture and Urban Infrastructure Systems” in eCAADe 2015 conference in Vienna

Yannis Orfanos, research associate at the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, presented at eCAADe 2015, the 33rd Annual Conference on Education and research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe…

Zofnass Program research team contributes with essay “Information Infrastructure for Urban Planning” to Harvard GSD’s journal New Geographies

Zofnass Program’s Yannis Orfanos, Eleonora Marinou, Vicky Sagia, and Prof. Spiro Pollalis contributed to New Geographies 07: Geographies of Information with the essay “Information Infrastructure for Urban Planning”. The book…

Meet Aubry, the Artificial Intelligence Marketing Breakthrough.

Individuals have already started to adopt “artificial intelligence.” A recent study from Strategy Analytics showed the number of intelligence devices …

Envision™ Tool Moves Project Sustainability Beyond Buildings

Recent article published by ENR (Engineering News-Record) elaborately discusses the impact of Envision™ Tool in sustainability of infrastructure beyond buildings, and how it is being…

ISI Announces New Envision® Review Board

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced on April 30, 2015, the formation of the Envision Review Board (ERB) to oversee the ongoing development of ISI’s Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system, initially launched in 2012. The ERB will hold its first meeting during April 30 – May 1, 2015, in Washington…

Bilingual publication on Infrastructure 360º Awards launched in Busan, Korea and in exhibition at Gund Hall

Our latest publication titled Sustainable Infrastructure in Latin America: Infrastructure 360º Awards represents the first year of the Infrastructure 360º Awards initiative in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank. This multi-authored bilingual edition…

IDB Announces Winners of 2015 Infrastructure 360º Awards

Projects in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico have won the 2015 Infrastructure 360º Awards, which showcase leadership in climate and environment, social impact, governance and innovation. Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Luis Alberto Moreno delivered the awards to three companies as part of the second…

ISI announces fist Envision® award in Canada: Grand Bend AreaWastewater Treatment Facility, Ontario

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure announced Envision (TM) Platinum Award for Grand Bend Area Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ontario. It is the first ISI Envision-verified project in Canada. This project was also presented at the Zofnass Program…

Zofnass Program Symposium on Water Infrastructure, February 26-27, 2015

The symposium, titled ‘Water Infrastructure – Next Generation Planning – Perspectives on Urban Water Management’, took place at the Harvard Graduate School of Design on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 February…

Dr Andreas Georgoulias published an article in UNDP’s CEDRO introducing Envision in Lebanon

After the invitation from UNDP’s CEDRO center in Lebanon, Dr. Andreas Georgoulias published an article introducing Envision and its potential for sustainable energy in Lebanon and the MENA region…

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias talks in the financial newspaper ‘Naftemporiki’ about the Greek economy for 2015

Dr. Andreas Georgoulias wrote an article on the Greek economy for 2015 for the Greek daily financial newspaper Naytemporiki. The article was published on Monday, January 12th, 2015…

ISI Announces First Government Agency to Credential 100 Envision Sustainability Professionals

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in California has become the first government agency in the nation to credential 100 of its personnel as Envision™ Sustainability Professionals…

Prof. S. Pollalis and Ms. Vicky Sagia contribute their expertise on urban sustainability to the City of Athens

Prof. S. Pollalis, Zofnass Program Director and Ms. Vicky Sagia contributed pro-bono their expertise on urban sustainability to the City of Athens, which was selected to be part of the 100 Resilient Cities initiative by the Rockefeller Foundation on December 3…

Zofnass Program Symposium on Energy Infrastructure, October 27-28, 2014

This symposium was a collaborative platform that brought forward thinking minds of public officials, infrastructure engineers, planners and design professionals and academia to share “next generation” perspectives on sustainable Energy Infrastructure…

Tarrant Regional Water District Receives ISI Envision™ Silver Award

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced that the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) of North Central Texas has earned the Envision™ sustainable infrastructure rating system’s Silver award for their Line J, Section 1 Pipeline project. The pipeline was designed by Freese and…

A Malaysian ministerial delegation and members of the Construction Industry Advisory Board of Malaysia visited the Zofnass Program to explore best practices in Sustainable Infrastructure Planning and the Envision™ Rating System, as the emerging Industry Standard in the USA

On 12 September 2014, the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure hosted the Honorable Datuk Fadillah bin Hj. Yusof, Minister of Works, Malaysia, heading a ministerial delegation, and Dr. Judin Abdul Karim, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia…

Los Angeles County’s Sun Valley Watershed Multi-Benefit Project receives ISI’s highest sustainable infrastructure award – Envision™ Platinum

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced that the Sun Valley Watershed Multi-Benefit Project in Los Angeles County, Calif., has earned the Envision™ infrastructure rating system’s Platinum award – the highest level attainable in the Envision system. The L. A. County Board of Supervisors accepted…

Next Generation Infrastructure for Sustainable Environments research team visits MASS DEP, Chelsea City officials, and MWRA

On Monday June 23, 2014, Richa Shukla and Judith Rodríguez from the Next Generation Infrastructure for Sustainable Environments research team met with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Agency in their Boston office to learn about their…

Envision™ features in GreenBiz

LEED for roads: Greener infrastructure gains momentum. Snaking 1.7 miles through the mountains of west Denver, the Eisenhower Tunnel, at 11,158 feet above sea level, represents the highest point of the U.S. Interstate Highway system. But nearly 60 years since President Eisenhower initiated the greatest public…

Envision™ part of recommendations in ‘Making the Grade’ report: A national six-point plan to regain america’s infrastructure leadership

‘Making The Grade’ recently launched a report to the public at the National Press Club, Washington DC. ‘Making The Grade’ represents the consensus of many who attended the meeting ‘Executing a Sustainable Infrastructure Vision’…

12th Latin American Leadership Forum in Infrastructure at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Following the great success of the Infrastructure 360º Awards in 2014, the call for applications 2015 was initiated in the 12th Latin American Leadership Forum in Infrastructure at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, on June 10-12, 2014. This unique opportunity presented to many incoming applicants…

Envision™ rating system workshop at IDB’s headquarters

The Infrastructure and Environment Sector (INE) and Division of transportation (TSP) together with the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) in collaboration with the knowledge and Learning Sector (KNL), hosted a workshop focused on the fundamentals of Envision™ methodology due to the increasing…

Zofnass Program participates in the 5th Global Infrastructure Basel Summit in Switzerland

Prof. Andreas Georgoulias, research director of the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, presented at the 5th Global Infrastructure Basel Summit in Basel, Switzerland, on May 28th, 2014. Georgoulias spoke about the importance of sustainability metrics and the potential positive synergies…

Zofnass Workshop, May 19-20, 2014

Zofnass Program hosted another exciting SIAB workshop at Harvard GSD on May 19-20 2014. Bill Bertera, President & CEO of Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) Paul Zofnass & Joan Zofnass along with members of the Zofnass Sustainable Infrastructure Advisory Board engaged in a productive feedback…

Infrastructure 360º Awards Ceremony at Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

The Infrastructure 360º Awards initiative started more than one year ago with the call for applications announced at the 11th Latin American Leadership Forum in infrastructure in Mexico City. Twelve out of the sixty total applicants were selected for a detailed assessment based on Envision rating system…

Envisioning the future: Rating system helps infrastructure projects meet long-term sustainability goals

Envision is the result of a joint collaboration between the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The ISI is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that was founded by the American Council of…

IDB holds a round table discussion on Sustainable Infrastructure

The Latin American and Caribbean region is experiencing a period of rapid urbanization, applying pressure to the region’s infrastructure – the buildings, roads and services necessary for modern society to operate smoothly. To help address these challenges, the Inter-American Development Bank has approved …

Zofnass Program research associates participate in the 7th Global Leadership in Infrastructure Forum in NYC

Cristina Contreras (ENV-SP) and Hatzav Yoffe (MLA 2013, ENV-SP), research associates at the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, presented recent work from the 2014 Infrastructure 360 Awards at the 7th Global Leadership in Infrastructure Forum in New York…

Prof. Spiro Pollalis lectures in Jeddah for GSD Executive Education

Prof. Spiro Pollalis presented on February, 26 to a group of Saudi real estate professionals in Jeddah a GSD Executive Education course, organized by Rena Fonseca and Prof. Bing Wang. Prof. Pollalis linked privatizations, real estate development and sustainability, and presented the Envision rating…

Zofnass research team for Next Generation Infrastructure visits Riverkeeper in Ossining, NY

Paul Gallay, President Riverkeeper, Tracy Brown, Water Quality Advocate & Sara Lupson, met with Zofnass team members (Yannis Orfanos, Judith Rodriguez & Richa Shukla) at their office in Ossining, NY. They provided a comprehensive overview of Riverkeeper’s Infrastructure campaigns…

Envision™ update by Jennifer Rivers (ENV SP, LEED AP O+M), Technical Director, Envision™ Rating System at Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

The 3 projects that have completed Verification and earned project awards are: the William Jack Hernandez Sport Fish Hatchery in Anchorage, AK earned Gold (HDR), the Snow Creek Stream Environment Zone Restoration in Placer County, CA, earned Platinum (CDM Smith), the South Los Angeles…

Prof. Spiro Pollalis gives the main keynote address at the Jubail 2nd City Planning Forum 2014

Jubail 2nd City Planning Forum 2014 is currently taking place in Jubail Industrial City in KSA, organized by the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY). Prof. Spiro Pollalis gave the main keynote address that was followed with the opening ceremony of the exhibition at the…

Prof. Spiro Pollalis participated with Harvard Faculty at the Contemporary South Asian City Conference in Karachi, Pakistan

The current explosive growth of South Asian cities was the impetus for the Contemporary South Asian City Conference on January 9-12, 2014 in Karachi, Pakistan, where Rahul Mehrotra (chair and professor of urban planning and design)…

South L.A. Wetland Park receives Envision™ Platinum Award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) announced today that the South Los Angeles Wetland Park in Los Angeles, California, has earned the Envision™ Platinum award—the highest level attainable in the ISI Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system. The South Los Angeles Wetlands Park is the first…

Zofnass Workshop, January 23-24, 2014

The two-day workshop with SIAB members, that took place in Harvard Business School on January 23-24, 2014, covered the following two main topics: 1. Zofnass Economic Process Tool. This is a demonstration tool that quantifies three credits out of the Envision™ rating system from three different categories: Quality of Life, Natural World…

Zofnass Program awarded Surdna Foundation grant for research on Sustainable Environments

The Surdna Foundation has awarded the Zofnass Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, directed by Prof. Spiro Pollalis, a grant of $300,000 for 2 years. The purpose of this project is to perform applied research for the Urban Water Management infrastructure…

Zofnass research presentation to the 5th Harvard/Poli-USP Collaborative Environmental Engineering Field Course

Research Associates Hatzav Yoffe and Richa Shukla presented recent work of the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure in the fifth Harvard/Poli-USP collaborative environmental engineering field course. The two weeks course Urban Adaptation to Climate Change: Resilient Cities is an ongoing…

Sustainable infrastructure: the Zofnass (En)vision

The largest indoor sport fish hatchery in North America is the first ever recipient of the Envision™ Gold award for sustainable infrastructure. The award ceremony on July 24 that honored the William Jack Hernandez Fish Hatchery of Anchorage Alaska was the culmination of 6 years of collaboration by the Zofnass Program…

Zofnass Program participates at the NYC DEP Envision Training

Anthony Kane from Zofnass Program presented our work on Envision to New York DEP offices on Aug 8; the agency is very excited and is going to use Envision on all their new projects. It is also looking for more constructive ways to collaborate with the Zofnass Program. This initiative is thanks…

Infrastructure 360° Awards at the 11th Latin American Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Mexico city

Hatzav Yoffe (MLAII ’13, RA Zofnass), Anthony Kane (MDesS ’09, RA Zofnass) and Cristina Contreras (RA Zofnass), from the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure were invited to participate as panelists on the 11th Latin American Infrastructure Leadership Forum that…