Will It Work? Examining Alignment of Four Infrastructure Solutions with the Draft ASCE 73 Standard Requirements for Sustainable Infrastructure

Abstract

This study examines ASCE’s draft sustainable infrastructure standard—ASCE/COS 73 Standard Requirements for Sustainable Infrastructure—to assess its alignment with current construction and design practices. A team of students and faculty from the United States Military Academy applied the draft document to four current and planned infrastructure projects. The scope of the study included an analysis of a university dormitory, a mass-timber residential skyrise, a ferry port expansion, and a multi-purpose mass-transport project. The objective was to assess alignment of the draft standard with current construction and design practices, not to assess or rate the projects themselves. The research team generated questions and gathered information from project owners and key leaders through surveys, interviews, and shared files. Both quantifiable and non-quantifiable measures were used to assess alignment with the sustainable infrastructure outcomes presented in the draft standard. The results indicate the draft standard challenges infrastructure development toward needed sustainability practices, while still being achievable within the current state of design and practice in the construction industry. Additionally, the study identifies recommendations for future studies using ASCE/COS 73.