ASCE Sustainable Infrastructure Standard
K.N. Gunalan Ph.D., P.E., D.GE, F.ASCE
CECAR9 Goa India September 2022
Acknowledgement
This presentation is based on the paper
ASCE Sustainable Infrastructure Standard
Michael R. Sanio1, William E. Kelly2*, Brad C. McCoy3, Cristina Contreras Casado4
1 Consultant, Reston, VA, USA
2 Retired, American Society for Engineering Education, Washington, DC, USA
3Associate Dean for Research, United States Military Academy,West Point, NY, USA
4Founder and Managing Dir. Sinfranova LLC/ Instruct., Harvard Univ., Washington, DC, USA
submitted for the CECAR9 Conference
Introduction
The four pillars of the ACECC TC 14 Road Map for Sustainable Development are:
Do the Right Project
Do the Project Right
Build Capacity
Advocate
A key to doing projects right is having and using
good engineering standards
Importance of Engineering Standards
One of the most important contributions the engineering profession can make to good governance (UN SDG16) is to provide good engineering standards
Engineering standards are a public good and can be under produced
As a key part of its sustainable development strategy, ASCE developed a sustainable infrastructure standard (ASCE 73) that is in draft form ready for public release
The next step for ASCE will be building technical capacity to use the standard and advocating for its wide use
Envision Rating System
The DRAFT standard takes its inspiration from the ISI Envision Rating System for Sustainable Infrastructure V3 widely used in the United States
DRAFT ASCE 73-XX Contents
Chapter 1 – General
Chapter 2 – Leadership
Chapter 3 – Quality of Life
Chapter 4 – Resource Allocation
Chapter 5 – Natural Resources
Chapter 6 – Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Chapter 7 – Resiliency
Chapter 8 – Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Elements of the DRAFT ASCE Standard in Development - Outline
Introduction and General
This chapter provides an overall framework and method to approach use of the Standard.
Leadership
Fostering effective leadership, commitment to sustainability, and accountability.
Components include collaboration, teamwork, creativity, and stakeholder engagement aimed toward economic, environmental, and social quantifiable/non-quantifiable benefits.
Elements of the DRAFT ASCE Standard
Natural Resources
Achieve Natural Resources Outcomes with the objective being preservation of natural resources, reducing construction impacts, and abating pollution.
Resource Allocation
Concentrates on material use, recycling, energy, and water
Components of Resource Allocation include renewable materials, construction waste management, balanced earthwork, and hazardous waste avoidance, with the outcomes focused on limiting energy, water, and raw materials while supporting recycling, reuse, and renewables.
Elements of the DRAFT ASCE Standard
Quality of Life
The human aspects of civil engineering projects are defined.
Required Components include well-being, community needs, safety, noise, wayfinding, historic and cultural resources, and public space.
Climate
Net Embodied Carbon and Greenhouse Gases are evaluated with quantifiable reduction being the desired outcome.
Elements of the DRAFT ASCE Standard
Resiliency
Vulnerability Assessments consider multiple causalities and dangers.
Risk Registers are central depositories for risks, impacts, and countermeasures.
Elements of the DRAFT ASCE Standard
Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Alternatives will be evaluated over the Project Lifecycle as opposed to considering only Initial and Construction Costs.
Lifecycle components include Initial Construction, Operations and Maintenance (including expected repairs and alterations), Inspection and Monitoring, Energy and Water, Disposable Materials and Fuels, and Labor.
Eight infrastructure categories have required minimum Lifecycle Durations.
Some Ways Standard Could be Used
Going Forward