Skanska's $700M Expo 2 light rail earns Envision Platinum mark from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure

Dive Brief:

The $700 million Los Angeles Metro Expo Line Phase 2 (Expo 2) light rail extension is the first transit project to earn the Envision Platinum certification from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, Skanska USA announced monday.
Characterized as akin to LEED, but for civil infrastructure, the Envision certification program ranks projects according to 60 criteria, or credits, across five categories: climate and risk, quality of life, leadership, resource allocation and natural world.
This is Skanska's first Envision-certified project as well as the most expensive project ever to earn the mark. The Expo 2 will connect downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific waterfront.

Dive Insight:

The Envision certification program provides a multifaceted framework for evaluating the various aspects of an infrastructure project, including how it affects the community and the environment, as well as its potential economic benefits. The program also provides resources for all phases of projects, from planning to maintenance. The Expo 2 project earned certification through such measures as using local labor and regional materials and connecting the line to other modes of transit. This contributed to improved quality of life around the Expo 2 and showed leadership in sustainability planning, the company said.

According to the ISI, it also has awarded Envision Platinum certification to the Integrated Pipeline Project in Tarrant County, TX, the Green Build development at the San Diego International Airport, the West Park Equalization Facility in Nashville, TN, and the Kansas City (MO) Streetcar Project.

The Envision standard is just the latest sustainability-related certification in a growing cohort that AEC firms are increasingly calling upon to amplify, and clarify, their sustainability objectives. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification program is the most widespread, but that hasn’t stopped other programs from gaining ground. Building health and wellness has also become an increasingly important consideration, and the International WELL Building institute has responded with its WELL Building Standard and certification program. The IWBI focuses on building-occupant health in the areas of air and water quality, light, fitness and physical and mental comfort.

A newcomer to the U.S. is BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology), a green building standard that originated in the U.K. and launched a technical manual for the U.S. market this summer. BREEAM touts its program as a lower-cost alternative to LEED. Perhaps the most stringent standard is that of the International Living Future Institute's Living Building Challenge, which demands that buildings produce more energy than they consume.