In the field of green infrastructure design, based on an integrated assessment of environmental, economic and social objectives, the Envision™ framework is the first rating system for designing and building sustainable infrastructure created by ISI (Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure) in collaboration with Harvard University.
By applying the protocol it is possible to obtain certification stating the sustainability of infrastructure works by an independent Third Party Body.
By means of the protocol it is possible to obtain certification attesting to the sustainability of the infrastructure artefact by an independent third party organisation.
The system adopted by Italferr makes it possible to integrate sustainability into a new engineering concept that interprets each project as an opportunity to enhance the territory of reference and to communicate to the community the benefits induced by the realisation of the works. In fact, it makes it possible to provide stakeholders with a clear and exhaustive picture of the design choices made, taking into account the needs expressed by the communities involved, the peculiarities of the environment in which the work is inserted, and the sustainable mobility objectives pursued by the specific project.
The framework is a tool already adopted internationally (particularly in the United States and other countries). In Italy, Italferr, in collaboration with RFI, has developed the guideline for the application of the Envision framework to railway infrastructure, validated by ISI in relation to version 2 of the framework.