Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Zofnass Program for Infrastructure Sustainability
The mission of the Zofnass Program is to support research and education that will result in the development, distribution, and adoption of sustainability standards for large scale development and infrastructure.
The goal of the Zofnass Program is to better enable the design industry to promote and utilize sustainable options for the design and delivery of infrastructure projects. We believe that this approach is critical to the design industry’s ability to provide leadership in meeting the challenges of both urban development and environmental stewardship.
The sole purpose of the Zofnass Program is to promote the development, distribution and adoption of sustainable development methods and tools that define and quantify “sustainability” in the context of infrastructure and large scale developments. The objective is to develop a set of recommended guidelines for developing sustainable large scale projects. This will be accomplished by working in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Health at the School of Public Health, Harvard’s Office of Sustainability, the Harvard University Center for the Environment, faculty at the GSD and other divisions of Harvard University that house sustainability expertise, and design industry leaders.
Paul and Joan Zofnass of the The Environmental Financial Consulting Group (EFCG) are the donors for this program.
Zofnass Program Core Group:
Professor Spiro N. Pollalis supervises the program and works on associated research projects and studio instruction. Contact. Bio.
Professor Daniel Schodek supervises and works on the research projects. Contact. Bio.
Brian Kenet is part of the research team and serves as industry liaison. Contact. Bio.
Dr. Andreas Georgoulias works on the research projects and leads a team of students. Contact. Bio.
Dr. Richard W. Jennings, FAIA, works on the research projects and leads a team of students. Contact. Bio.
Aimee Taberner provides an executive function that includes overall program management and administration. Contact.
Student Researchers:
Jill Allen
Shelby Doyle
Elizabeth Farley
Jon Kher Kar
Irina Mladenova
Leeta Mohanty
Holly Wasilowski
Research Approach:
The primary goal of the Zofnass Program is to identify the issues and complete an “alpha” version of the recommended guidelines for sustainable large scale projects. To achieve this goal, the Zofnass Program will study quantitative methods that can be used for measuring sustainability, as well as the integration of sustainability into the design of infrastructure and large scale projects from the earliest stages of their development. The Zofnass Program’s applied research focuses on the management of information, the diffusion of innovation, and the economics of sustainability.
The first level of research will provide a systematic review of sustainable design and development metrics and methods, including Life Cycle Analysis at the Project Scale and Material Flow Analysis at the Urban Scale and, in particular, the impact of LEED, and the role that such standards could play in speeding the diffusion of innovation in the area of infrastructure sustainability. The goal of the first level of study is to identify possible applications of quantitative sustainability metrics and of LEED-style rating systems to infrastructure and large scale projects. By studying LEED and other such systems, their development and implementation processes, their respective strengths and weaknesses, it will also help in forming strategies for subsequent years of research, ensuring the Zofnass Program’s significant and lasting impact on the industry.
The second level of research will focus on current sustainability practices and methods applied in the infrastructure and large scale projects, by documenting actual projects using the case study method. The goal of the second level of research is to document the state of practice in the infrastructure industry as it relates to the application of sustainability standards and methods, and also to mobilize and galvanize the interest and collaboration of the industry to further the expansion and promotion of the Zofnass Program and its efforts to speed the diffusion of innovations in sustainable design.
The third level of research will integrate findings from the two previous levels of research in a coherent way, and produce an “alpha” version of the sustainability set of standards applicable to various types of infrastructure and large scale project. Due to the variety and diversity in infrastructure and large scale projects, this level of research will focus on a specific type of infrastructure projects, i.e., transportation, water, wastewater, etc. with an objective to cover other types of projects in subsequent research efforts. The type of the project will be determined by the results of the first and second levels of research and in consultations with the advisory committee. The goal of the third level of research is to produce a point-type rating system for infrastructure and large scale projects and also study its complete implementation in the delivery process, from design and financing, all the way to construction and operation.
All research levels aim towards the conceptualization and implementation of a holistic sustainability model for infrastructure and large scale projects that will enable the incorporation of economically viable solutions to the design of such projects, facilitate their financing and public acceptance, and elevate the leadership position of the designer when facing the extreme demands of urbanization and infrastructure renewal in the coming years. The objective of the Zofnass Program is to conduct original field research in the sustainable infrastructure field and disseminate the results widely within the industry and academia; the resulting knowledge is intended to assist designers in reestablishing their leadership role in sustainable design and provide environmental stewardship to the future development of urban environments. However, the approach is based on applied research with emphasis on business and management issues and the diffusion of innovation, and the current funding does not include development of basic research in sustainability.
The specific research projects for the program are listed below. It is expected to have only interim in-progress results at the completion of the first calendar year and continue with the research in the second year. The continuation of the program beyond the second calendar year will depend on securing funding from the industry.
Upcoming Events:
The Zofnass Program is organizing a conference on Infrastructure and Sustainability to be held in Spring 2010. Additional information on this event will follow.