Project

Arup Facilities Activation

Support Services

Design notes

Location

Project
Heathrow Air Traffic
Control Tower
Location
London, UK
Client
BAA

Toronto, Dubai, New York

Client

Greater Toronto Airports

Authority, Dubai Airports
Company, JetBlue

26 27

TCAT

TCAT tracks, manages and coordinates

the systems within a project to guarantee
that they work as designed. It ensures that
contractors within a project fulfill their
obligations and that the end results satisfy
the requirements of end-users. The scope
is huge: from testing the mechanical and
fire systems, to overseeing the installation
of security doors. In the case of Pearson

Keeping control over any major project through its entire

life-cycle is a complicated and highly-pressurised task, with
only one chance to get things right. The financial stakes
can be high, and with hundreds of different companies and
the end users involved, it can also be a logistical nightmare
for the managers in charge. Over the course of successfully
opening three large airport terminals around the world,
Arups consultants have developed a highly novel set of
services for major projects, minimising the chance of
surprises on opening day: TCAT, ORAT and eFAST.

A tall order in a tight corner

Flying in the face of convention, Arup designed a
state-of-the-art air traffic control tower that was
constructed offsite. It was then assembled in
sections on site from the top down. The worlds
busiest international airport was a challenging
site on which to construct an 87m tower. Huge
cranes were out of the question, since they would
have meant that construction would have been
restricted to the five-hour window during which the
airport is closed each night. Arups approach made
a virtue of necessity. And made it look easy, too.
The design of an air traffic control tower is dictated
by its function including its height and the need for an
uninterrupted 360 view of the airport. At Heathrow, the
new control tower was designed not only with this function
in mind, but with a unique installation method as well.
Normally, towers are built from the ground up, as it takes a
crane considerably taller than the tower itself to construct

the top sections. At twice the height of the old control

tower, the new building would have required a 110m-tall
crane, which for safety reasons would force construction to
take place only during night-time closures.
Arup tore up the rulebook. It designed a structure that
could be prefabricated off-site, and safely erected on-site
with very little room to manoeuver and without disrupting
airport operations. Working with specialist contractors, a
jacking system was devised to lift the structure high enough
to attach the section below it, then the section below that.
This meant building the tower from the top down, starting
with the cab, which provides the main space for air traffic
controllers. It also meant turning conventional engineering
wisdom on its head.
The cab itself over eight storeys tall in building
terms was built first on a car park a mile from the
airport. The completed 850-tonne cab was then lifted
and taken to the construction site on a huge transporter.

Arup had to design the tower structure for two

load-bearing scenarios erection and final position
adding considerable complexity to the detailing.
Supported by three jacking towers during assembly, the
entire structure was jacked up, and held in position while
the next section was slid underneath and bolted in place.
The jacking system was then reset at the base of the
new section before the process was repeated again until
the cab was 87m in the air at its final position. To ensure
the stability of the tower throughout the cycle, three
tensioned guy cables, themselves controlled by hydraulic
jacks, were slowly released as the tower was erected.
The successful construction of this vital building,
in the midst of the airfield operations of the worlds
busiest international airport, was both a design
and a logistical triumph

While overseeing the launch of the International Arrivals Terminal

(Terminal 4) at New Yorks JFK Airport, Arup developed a
comprehensive process to support its testing, commissioning and
operational readiness services. Subsequently, while managing the
commissioning of Terminal 1 at Torontos Pearson Airport, Arup
noticed key similarities between the complex needs of these huge
projects. In short, lessons from JFK would improve the processes
being employed at Pearson.
The Arup team used its experience to develop and automate
Testing Commissioning Activation Turnover (TCAT) and Operational
Readiness Airport Transition (ORAT) procedures. These resulted
in a web-based tool called eFAST (electronic Facilities Activation
Support Tools). The partnership Arup formed with the Greater
Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) successfully opening Terminal 1
at Pearson Airport on time and on budget has led to an ongoing
relationship there. The Authority now acts as a consultant to Arup,
helping in its projects for Dubai Airports Company and JetBlue.

airport, 1,200 separate activities were

logged. The outcome is a building that is
finished on time and operates as it should.

ORAT
ORAT helps make sure that
clients and other project
stakeholders are fully prepar
ed
to run and manage a facility
.
Are the right number of peop
le,
with the right skills, recruite
d?
Are they trained in all the
operating systems? Are
operational procedures and
contingency plans in place?

Proving trialsare undertaken,

with 2,000 or more people
simulating the live operation
of
the building, testing everyth
ing
from directional signage to
emergency response procedure
.
Identifying any weaknesses earl
y
on, allows changes to be in plac
e
before the opening day.

e- FAST

ssed
eFAST is a web-acce
cilitates
fa
suite of tools that
en all
communications betwe
on a
ing
stakeholders work
m towards
project, driving the
completing
their common goal of
simple
the project. Using a
ows
all
interface, eFAST
TCAT
clients to oversee the
view
es,
and ORAT process
rted when
progress, and be ale
real time.
issues arise all in
s as central
The system also act
ire project.
database for the ent

all images Arup/BAA

all images Arup/GTAA

Project

Tank Street
Tensegrity Bridge
Location

Brisbane, Australia
Client

Department of Public
Works, Queensland State
Governement

Suspending
disbelief
Almost every bridge design in the world is
a modification of a classical design such
as the arch, suspension or cable-stayed
bridge. Some of these fundamental ideas
are as old as civilisation itself. When Arup
and Cox Group architects in Australia
resolved to find new alternatives, the
result was two fresh and original
approaches to bridge design: Marina
Bays Double Helix Bridge in Singapore
and Tank Street Tensegrity Bridge in
Brisbane. In strikingly different ways,
they transform that most simple and
utilitarian of structures, the bridge, into
a thing of beauty a destination in its
own right.

Random-lookin
g, but strictly
-ordered
The form of
the 128m cent
ral span is ba
strictly-orde
sed on a
red topology,
with major an
masts. The top
d minor
s of the mast
s are scatter
space to crea
ed in 3-D
te the illusion
of randomness
.

river crossings
Brisbane residents taste for striking
success
the
by
d
had already been establishe
beautiful,
nally
entio
conv
of Arups earlier, more
s what
gues
truly
can
ody
Nob
e.
Bridg
Goodwill
it is built: once
until
city
a
for
do
will
e
bridg
new
a
ing diverse
it exists, it changes a citys layout, bring
a glorious
with
e,
Bridg
dwill
Goo
areas closer. (The
, its
then
e
Sinc
.
2001
in
ed
open
,
span of 500m
of
part
ral
popularity has soared. Now an integ
n
millio
three
for
used
city life, Goodwill Bridge is
)
year.
each
sings
cros
pedestrian and cycle

Bridge of life
The Arup and Cox des
ign teams earlier
competition-winning dou
ble helix design
for the Marina Bay Brid
ge, Singapore, was
a response to a brief for
a single multipurpose bridge. The tea
m recommended
two bridges instead of
one: spending less
on a road bridge left mo
re budget for a
spectacular pedestrian
bridge. The doublehelix design is based on
the structure of
DNA. Singaporeans hav
e dubbed it bridge
of life. It is, in essence,
two coiled springs,
one sitting inside the oth
er. They intersect
only at the bridges dec
k. A network of fine
cables delicately balanc
es the forces. With
neither truss nor beam,
the double helix is
fundamentally different
from any classical
bridge design it stands
as proof that other
exciting possibilities exis
t for bridge design.

Bat House Project

Location

28 29

London, UK
Bat House Partnership

masts

spars

ents
cable elem

the
lower than
walkway is
e
ur
ct
stru
supporting

Tank St
Bridge

+ integrity
a
Tensegrity = tension
sparked by tensegrity,
k Street structure was
Tan
the
types
two
of
rk
The inspiration for
wo
net
ially a
ctural system. It is essent
nged
arra
are
y
modern art form and stru
The
s).
ble
(ca
sion masts) and string
res
mp
(co
ks
estic
:
thre
nts
of eleme
The result is a stable
ual sticks do not touch.
ivid
ind
t
tha
h
of
suc
y
y
arra
wa
a
an
in
to consist of
t appears at first glance
dimensional structure tha
levitating sticks.

Marina Bay
Bridge

Design notes

Project

Client

y cables
Each stick touches onl

structure
Tensegrity

A fusion of form and function

, the
More like an art installation at first sight
gravity, with
defy
to
ars
appe
e
Bridg
y
egrit
Tens
way. The
its floating elements above the walk
lt of a
resu
the
was
e
bridg
y
idea for a tensegrit
ed up
team
Cox
and
Arup
ion.
petit
design com
Hornibrook,
tone
ders
Baul
r
racto
cont
ing
build
with
the concept
which encouraged and supported
ng river
striki
a
for
was
brief
from the start. The
ess
busin
ral
cent
anes
Brisb
link
crossing to
and
Arts
loped
deve
y
newl
the
with
ct
distri
Bank, and
Cultural precinct on the citys South
West End.
ing
grow
ly
rapid
the regenerated and

es

Practicaliti

ary
by the clearance necess
Height is determined
for boats
the mobilitys rules on access for
Queensland
bridge had to be very
impaired meant that the
tutory
of 1:20, the flattest sta
flat, with a gradient
ld
wor
the
in
where
maximum gradient any
shade
that pedestrians need
Tropical climate means
den storms
and shelter from sud
r
facilitated by the spa
The integral canopy is
deck
the
ve
abo
y
ost horizontall
elements which sit alm
les
cab
by
only
suspended
and are individually
deck
t below the level of the
The walkway is in fac
a
mul
for
a
of
s seat
driver
beams rather as the
eels
one car is below the wh

middle image Cox Rayner

all other images except sketch Arup/Cox Rayner

Bat
wings

design
bat house
Completed

Londons bat population is under great

pressure from loss of habitat as more and
more buildings are redeveloped. Jeremy
Deller, Turner Prize-winning artist and
friend of bats teamed up with the Royal
Institute of British Architects to create the
Bat House Partnership and a competition
to design a home for bats at the London
Wetland Centre. Arups highly commended
runner-up entry offered an environment
suited to the many different species of
these winged creatures.

Specialist input
The teams bat specialist helped meet the
requirements of different breeds within
one design. As well as creating diverse
environments within the bat house, the flight
patterns of different species were studied.
Realising how crucial this was to the design,
the team made the landscape around the
structure part of its scope from inception.
Visiting hours
Although bats and people have always lived
side-by-side, they are not natural bed-mates.
The team gave careful consideration to the fine
balance between creating ideal environments
for the bats and allowing visitors to get close to
them. The compromise is a cave within the body
of a separate bat house that can hold 10 people,
with images of bats projected from within
the roofs.

Competition brief
Architects, designers, bat enthusiasts and
schoolchildren were invited to submit creative
ideas for a Bat House for London. A building
of aesthetic and environmental excellence,
built with sustainable materials, it is to provide
a home for bats and be an educational visitor
attraction for people. The Bat House Project
partners intend to build the winning design
at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trusts London
Wetland Centre.
First sketches
Fittingly, the Arup entry designed with experts
from ecological consultancy Biodiversity by
Design and Stefan White Architects was
sketched during a picnic, with the first models
built from clay and sticks. The design was
inspired by the free flight of bats and considered
from conception how the bat house would sit
within the landscape. Although it evolved, the
final bat house design didnt alter dramatically
from these earthy roots, and natural building
materials remained core to the design.

Natures building blocks

The body of the bat house would be made from
earthcrete, mixed from concrete and locally
sourced soil, compacted with peoples feet.
Although it looks complex, the attic structure
is simple made from triangular panels of the
same size and shape and could be pieced
together on-site. Cedar shingles coat the
northern faces of the attic, while those facing
south have passive solar heat and ventilation
panels to provide a variety of microclimates
and niches for different bat species.

Results

Finalising the form

In the initial sketches the form of the roof was
irregular. The team wanted to keep this organic
feel, but simplified the design to make it possible
for the Bat House to be constructed onsite by
supervised volunteers.

over 250
ion received
it
et
p
m
co
he
T
the
entries, with
international
nnerfinishing ru
Arup project
tegory.
fessionals ca
up in the pro
n for
ed the desig
Judges prais
bats and
research on
its extensive
ecies.
different sp
catering for
entries
only a few
It was one of
ecies
different sp
to show how
around
d
fly in an
of bats might
es.
the structur

Project

Tank Street
Tensegrity Bridge
Location

Brisbane, Australia
Client

Department of Public
Works, Queensland State
Governement

Suspending
disbelief
Almost every bridge design in the world is
a modification of a classical design such
as the arch, suspension or cable-stayed
bridge. Some of these fundamental ideas
are as old as civilisation itself. When Arup
and Cox Group architects in Australia
resolved to find new alternatives, the
result was two fresh and original
approaches to bridge design: Marina
Bays Double Helix Bridge in Singapore
and Tank Street Tensegrity Bridge in
Brisbane. In strikingly different ways,
they transform that most simple and
utilitarian of structures, the bridge, into
a thing of beauty a destination in its
own right.

Random-lookin
g, but strictly
-ordered
The form of
the 128m cent
ral span is ba
strictly-orde
sed on a
red topology,
with major an
masts. The top
d minor
s of the mast
s are scatter
space to crea
ed in 3-D
te the illusion
of randomness
.

river crossings
Brisbane residents taste for striking
success
the
by
d
had already been establishe
beautiful,
nally
entio
conv
of Arups earlier, more
s what
gues
truly
can
ody
Nob
e.
Bridg
Goodwill
it is built: once
until
city
a
for
do
will
e
bridg
new
a
ing diverse
it exists, it changes a citys layout, bring
a glorious
with
e,
Bridg
dwill
Goo
areas closer. (The
, its
then
e
Sinc
.
2001
in
ed
open
,
span of 500m
of
part
ral
popularity has soared. Now an integ
n
millio
three
for
used
city life, Goodwill Bridge is
)
year.
each
sings
cros
pedestrian and cycle

Bridge of life
The Arup and Cox des
ign teams earlier
competition-winning dou
ble helix design
for the Marina Bay Brid
ge, Singapore, was
a response to a brief for
a single multipurpose bridge. The tea
m recommended
two bridges instead of
one: spending less
on a road bridge left mo
re budget for a
spectacular pedestrian
bridge. The doublehelix design is based on
the structure of
DNA. Singaporeans hav
e dubbed it bridge
of life. It is, in essence,
two coiled springs,
one sitting inside the oth
er. They intersect
only at the bridges dec
k. A network of fine
cables delicately balanc
es the forces. With
neither truss nor beam,
the double helix is
fundamentally different
from any classical
bridge design it stands
as proof that other
exciting possibilities exis
t for bridge design.

Bat House Project

Location

28 29

London, UK
Bat House Partnership

masts

spars

ents
cable elem

the
lower than
walkway is
e
ur
ct
stru
supporting

Tank St
Bridge

+ integrity
a
Tensegrity = tension
sparked by tensegrity,
k Street structure was
Tan
the
types
two
of
rk
The inspiration for
wo
net
ially a
ctural system. It is essent
nged
arra
are
y
modern art form and stru
The
s).
ble
(ca
sion masts) and string
res
mp
(co
ks
estic
:
thre
nts
of eleme
The result is a stable
ual sticks do not touch.
ivid
ind
t
tha
h
of
suc
y
y
arra
wa
a
an
in
to consist of
t appears at first glance
dimensional structure tha
levitating sticks.

Marina Bay
Bridge

Design notes

Project

Client

y cables
Each stick touches onl

structure
Tensegrity

A fusion of form and function

, the
More like an art installation at first sight
gravity, with
defy
to
ars
appe
e
Bridg
y
egrit
Tens
way. The
its floating elements above the walk
lt of a
resu
the
was
e
bridg
y
idea for a tensegrit
ed up
team
Cox
and
Arup
ion.
petit
design com
Hornibrook,
tone
ders
Baul
r
racto
cont
ing
build
with
the concept
which encouraged and supported
ng river
striki
a
for
was
brief
from the start. The
ess
busin
ral
cent
anes
Brisb
link
crossing to
and
Arts
loped
deve
y
newl
the
with
ct
distri
Bank, and
Cultural precinct on the citys South
West End.
ing
grow
ly
rapid
the regenerated and

es

Practicaliti

ary
by the clearance necess
Height is determined
for boats
the mobilitys rules on access for
Queensland
bridge had to be very
impaired meant that the
tutory
of 1:20, the flattest sta
flat, with a gradient
ld
wor
the
in
where
maximum gradient any
shade
that pedestrians need
Tropical climate means
den storms
and shelter from sud
r
facilitated by the spa
The integral canopy is
deck
the
ve
abo
y
ost horizontall
elements which sit alm
les
cab
by
only
suspended
and are individually
deck
t below the level of the
The walkway is in fac
a
mul
for
a
of
s seat
driver
beams rather as the
eels
one car is below the wh

middle image Cox Rayner

all other images except sketch Arup/Cox Rayner

Bat
wings

design
bat house
Completed

Londons bat population is under great

pressure from loss of habitat as more and
more buildings are redeveloped. Jeremy
Deller, Turner Prize-winning artist and
friend of bats teamed up with the Royal
Institute of British Architects to create the
Bat House Partnership and a competition
to design a home for bats at the London
Wetland Centre. Arups highly commended
runner-up entry offered an environment
suited to the many different species of
these winged creatures.

Specialist input
The teams bat specialist helped meet the
requirements of different breeds within
one design. As well as creating diverse
environments within the bat house, the flight
patterns of different species were studied.
Realising how crucial this was to the design,
the team made the landscape around the
structure part of its scope from inception.
Visiting hours
Although bats and people have always lived
side-by-side, they are not natural bed-mates.
The team gave careful consideration to the fine
balance between creating ideal environments
for the bats and allowing visitors to get close to
them. The compromise is a cave within the body
of a separate bat house that can hold 10 people,
with images of bats projected from within
the roofs.

Competition brief
Architects, designers, bat enthusiasts and
schoolchildren were invited to submit creative
ideas for a Bat House for London. A building
of aesthetic and environmental excellence,
built with sustainable materials, it is to provide
a home for bats and be an educational visitor
attraction for people. The Bat House Project
partners intend to build the winning design
at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trusts London
Wetland Centre.
First sketches
Fittingly, the Arup entry designed with experts
from ecological consultancy Biodiversity by
Design and Stefan White Architects was
sketched during a picnic, with the first models
built from clay and sticks. The design was
inspired by the free flight of bats and considered
from conception how the bat house would sit
within the landscape. Although it evolved, the
final bat house design didnt alter dramatically
from these earthy roots, and natural building
materials remained core to the design.

Natures building blocks

The body of the bat house would be made from
earthcrete, mixed from concrete and locally
sourced soil, compacted with peoples feet.
Although it looks complex, the attic structure
is simple made from triangular panels of the
same size and shape and could be pieced
together on-site. Cedar shingles coat the
northern faces of the attic, while those facing
south have passive solar heat and ventilation
panels to provide a variety of microclimates
and niches for different bat species.

Results

Finalising the form

In the initial sketches the form of the roof was
irregular. The team wanted to keep this organic
feel, but simplified the design to make it possible
for the Bat House to be constructed onsite by
supervised volunteers.

over 250
ion received
it
et
p
m
co
he
T
the
entries, with
international
nnerfinishing ru
Arup project
tegory.
fessionals ca
up in the pro
n for
ed the desig
Judges prais
bats and
research on
its extensive
ecies.
different sp
catering for
entries
only a few
It was one of
ecies
different sp
to show how
around
d
fly in an
of bats might
es.
the structur

Project

Yale University Health

Services Centre

ted
Lab is adjus
The sound
to
en
st
li
can
so clients
have
ing will be
how a build fore it has
be
acoustically ilt.
bu
even been

Location

New Haven,
Connecticut, USA
Client

Mack Scogin &

Merrill Elam Architects

A team of health professionals sit in

a small room, listening intently as an
outpatient talks to her doctor about
her struggle to stop smoking. As the
simulated doctor-patient conversation
unfolds, virtualisation technology
allows the listeners to hear how the
same exchange would be heard and
understood in various environments.
Realisation dawns on their faces.

Arup is responsible for the total

multidisciplinary design, working
with Mack Scogin & Merrill
Elam Architects. This includes
mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
design, in addition to acoustics,
audio-visual, fire, IT, and lighting.
SoundLab is the first 3-D
ambisonic listening environment in
the industry developed to simulate
the built environment.
This is the first application of
the SoundLab within the health
care environment.

Prompted by a recognition of the need

to improve acoustic performance within
hospital environments, this is the first
time the SoundLab has been used in
a healthcare context. In common with
leading healthcare facilities across the
United States, Yale Health Services
is responding to the Federal Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPAA). This governs the disclosure
of medical information including oral
communication.

Mack Scoggi

n Merrill Elam

Architects

For the Yal

e demonstr
ation, acou
technology
sticians u
to allow th
sed audio
e listener
inside the
s
to hear w
examinatio
hat it is li
n room, th
adjacent
ke
en
consultatio
moved th
n room, f
em to an
corridor
ollowed by
outside th
a stint in
e room. Wit
their subj
the
h such kn
ective exp
ow
ledge, plu
ectations f
representa
s
or the new
tives wer
building,
e able to cl
privacy r
Yale
early def
equirements
ine approp
in non-tec
client, the
riate
hnical ter
architect
ms. Arup
Mack Scog
then conver
and its
in & Mer
ted this in
rill Elam
to a bricks
A
rchitects,
-and-morta
r design.

Arup is changing the way hospitals are designed,

making use of acoustic and visual design tools to improve
s
the privacy of the patient-doctor relationship. Arup
arts
ing
perform
SoundLab first developed for the
is transferring knowledge of performance acoustics
to the well-being of patients in a busy medical centre.

The group is from the as-yet-unbuilt Yale

University Health Services Center. They
are seated in Arups New York SoundLab,
an acoustic and visual design tool that
makes it possible to hear and see what
a building or environment will be like,
before its foundations have been laid.

30 31
All the world

s a stage

Listen ding
buil

Technical info

Design notes
Fine tuning
The new Center will have over 135 outpatient
consulting rooms. By letting healthcare
professionals listen to how their unbuilt
hospital will sound, Arup engineers were able
to appropriately optimise the level of privacy
in each area, space by space. The level of
privacy needed was dependent on the volume
of speech normally used in different types
of consultation. This varied throughout the
hospital: consulting rooms had the greatest
need. Staff realised that sick people or the
elderly may have hearing difficulties, in which
case doctors would need to speak louder. The
Health Center also has a Department of Mental
Health and Counselling, with counselling rooms
where patients may become excitable. Staff
didnt want such noise to be off-putting: this
area was designed to provide a higher level of
sound isolation and privacy.

Pink is better

Clients are
shown im
ages to he
the enviro
lp them vi
nment the
sualise
y are listen
consulting
ing to in
room, in th
side the
e adjacen
noise from
t room an
the corrido
d the
r.

A dramatic past
The SoundLab is unique to Arup. It was
originally developed by master acousticians
within the firm, to help them hear how design
affected the acoustic qualities of performance
venues. The Lab produces an accurate 3-D
sound experience that models how different
spaces perform acoustically and how the
architectural form of a building can affect
the quality of sound. Its a radical approach
and is the aural equivalent of visualisation.
By putting listening at the centre of the
acoustical design process, Arup is able to
provide clients with a much higher level of
confidence in the quality of the final design.

Given the diff

iculty of retr
ofitting exis
become more
ting buildings
acoustically re
to
sponsive, the
achieved HIPA
Yale healthca
A compliance
re staff
in
their previou
technique calle
s building us
d
sound maskin
ing a
g
. This involv
harsh-soundi
ed broadcastin
ng white nois
g a
e
fr
om
speakers locat
immediately
outside consul
ed on the fl
oo
tin
r
g
ro
om
inside. Althou
s to mask the
gh effective,
conversations
the noise fluc
depending on
tuates drastic
the proximity
ally
to the speake
the surround
rs. To better
ing environm
bl
end with
en
t, Arup desi
sound-maskin
gned a more
g system for
fr
ie
ndly
th
e new Health
speakers will
Center. An ar
be hidden in
ra
y
of
th
e
ceiling and th
based on the
e sound adju
principle of
sted

pink noise
.

or water rushing is
Pink noise which sounds like air
that the audio quality is
channelled through the ceiling so
fades into background
It
uniform throughout the building.
to which areas need
rding
noise and can be zoned acco
cy.
additional acoustic priva

Project

Ve

Location:

Valladolid, Spain
Client

Urbespacios

Design team objectives

Establish an alternative model
for the growth of Valladolid

Transport

transformation

n for
a new eco-tow
port system of
ns
tra
eir remit
e
th
th
d
p
lo
deve
ners soon foun
When asked to
ain, Arups desig
s, they
Sp
ed
n
ne
er
rt
rth
po
no
in
e towns trans
Create a city that re-balances
th
50,000 people
of
ot
ro
e
its
th
ighbourhood,
order to get to
the priorities of access
expanding. In
model of the ne
th
ow
gr
the
re
of
tu
e
and circulation
ess the fu
d the structur
needed to addr
stainability, an
su
e,
the
sid
of
t
try
ar
un
he
e
the co
t straight to th
Show that urbanisation and integration into
asterplan wen
m
ng
lti
su
re
r
ei
the protection of the environment
urban area. Th
are not incompatible
.
new community
e outskirts of
e
eco-town on th
Maximise and protect the
y for V , a new
eg
at
str
pacting every
rt
im
po
s
ns
lve
a tra
edges of the town providing
rs found themse
ne
When developing
sig
de
s
built
up
easy access to the landscape
west Spain, Ar
homes is being
lladolid in north
trict of 15,900
Va
dis
w
ne
leg of
e
w
Th
.
ne
outside the city from the centre
417ha project
mpletion of a
element of the
om following co
bo
adrid
ion
M
lat
to
pu
ey
po
rn
predicted
Find an appropriate mix of
t the 200km jou
to cope with a
w route has cu
e is due to this
ne
e
Th
.
ay
ilw
V
uses that promotes the sense
eed ra
ry existence of
Spains high sp
said that the ve
of community and circulation
tes. It could be
inu
m
50
t
jus
to
ion.
Address the issue of
transport revolut
e
ll lie.
sustainability at all scales
site where V wi
h the greenfield
ug
ro
th of
th
s
ow
er
gr
e
nd
th
ea
ver m
, to approach
The Esgueva Ri
ent, Urbespacios
th Arup
cli
wi
ed
ing
en
rk
ht
wo
lig
ip,
en
gers Partnersh
It influenced the
Ro
d
ar
ch
Ri
munity,
y.
m
ecological wa
al and vibrant co
Valladolid in an
rk creating a re
wo
to
t
se
s,
ist
strateg
t.
as the transport
ing developmen
htforward hous
aig
str
a
an
th
rather
le for the biggest
e it was also responsib
,
V
of
n
tio
ep
nc
e challenge
led to the co
d to deal with th
While transport
. The design ha
lan
rp
te
urhood
as
bo
m
e
igh
ning th
a suburban ne
obstacle in desig
living in cities to
reasing
to
inc
ed
t
us
ou
le
th
op
wi
pe
r, how to do so
ve
of how to attract
eo
or
M
.
in
re
nt
65% reduction
from the city ce
five kilometres
mper the desired
ha
uld
wo
ich
on cars, wh
a dependence
s.
ion
iss
CO2 em

all images Richard Rogers & Partnership

The regeneration of
cities must
begin at the cent
re, but the issue
of growth of th
e suburbs must
also be addressed
. This project
for Valladolid of
fers a model of
suburban develop
ment that is
more sustainable.

duero
Canal del
Flood management
Because the new neighbourhood will lie
on the banks of the Esgueva River, flood
defences were a consideration for Arups
designers. They came up with an innovative
approach involving the main park that
runs down the central spine of the town,
alongside the river. Working with the
landscape architects, Arup designed the
shape of the park according to the flood
footprint of the river. In extreme conditions,
the borders of the park will contain the
floodwaters, protecting the city and the
V e neighbourhood from damage.
Best of both worlds
The team played with different uses
, densities
and concepts of community. In doin
g so it got
to the core of what the value migh
t be in living
on the edge of an urban centre. Resi
dents of
the new neighbourhood could have
the best
of both worlds: in less than five minu
tes walk
from any home they will be able to
reach the
countryside, local amenities or a bus
stop that
will take them to the city centre.
Reducing dependency
An average family in Valladolid mak
es seven
journeys per day, 40% of these by
car. The
design teams target is to reduce this
within
V e to just 25% per family, with the
remaining
trips undertaken by bus, walking or
cycling.
To achieve this they designed a com
pact town
with short distances between differ
ent centres
of activity. If people have jobs near
where they
live, with government offices, caf
s, bars,
healthcare and schools nearby, it
becomes
more attractive to walk or cycle rathe
r than
drive. By creating a more densely
populated
neighbourhood, it is also affordabl
e to operate
an express bus service from V e to
Valladolid.

Design notes
32 33

Richard Rogers

Transport hier
archy
The layout of V e
will make using
public transport
attractive option
a more
than using a car.
One-way system
segregated bus
s and
lanes will mean
that within V e it
quicker to take
is much
the bus, walk or
cycle than to dr
proposed a hiera
ive. Arup
rchy of transport
movement throug
neighbourhood.
hout the
At any intersecti
on where severa
transport meet,
l types of
priority will be giv
en first to public
then to pedestrian
transport,
s, followed by cy
clists, and then
vehicles. So, wh
private
ere there is a jun
ction between foo
and cycle paths,
tp
aths
people on foot wi
ll be given right
of way.

Public transp
ort diagram

Water treatm
ent diagram

Sustainability objectives:
Achieve 50% reduction of water
demand in homes by:
o minimising consumption
o making use of rainwater
o reusing treated wastewater for
watering and ornamental fountains

s impression
Artist

Cut CO2 emissions by 65% compared to

standard Valladolid developments
Design buildings to use less energy
Use on-site renewable energy sources
Provide quality public transport to
reduce the need for private vehicles
Adapt the urban area and infrastructure
to minimise environmental impact:
o Density: 100 units per hectare
o Land Use: less than 25% of the
total urban land areas
o Restoration of ecosystem and
promotion of biodiversity
through parks

Project

Design notes

Melbourne Rectangular
Stadium

Location
Melbourne, Australia

Client
Melbourne Olympic
Park Trust

t
c
e
Perf
h
c
t
i
p

Shell roof shape is expressed as a key parameter

and then related to the key parameter of the curve
through the roof leading edge. If the former is
altered, the whole model adjusts.
Each new geometrical arrangement is subjected to
tests the first one being spectator sightlines.
Where it passes a test, it is modelled with
different criteria, and then tested again.
Fit for purpose ?
1) Can spectators see high ballfrom back row?
rejected
No

modelled further to optimise
Yes

structural performance
Bringing costs down
2) How much steel is required?
(weight of steel = proxy for cost)
3) What is the minimum possible number of
different shapes for the triangulated cladding
panels? (standardisation reduces costs of
cladding panels)
Judging aesthetic appeal
4) Does it look good? (model creates visual
representation of geometry)
rejected
No

subjective decision informs
Yes

modelling process

If ever there was a sports-mad city, Melbourne

is it. A host of international-standard stadia
already exists, including the world-famous
MCG and Telstra Dome with its moving
roof. Its sports fans have historically lacked
only one thing: a purpose-built rectangular
pitch stadium for football and rugby. The
new Rectangular Stadium fills this gap
with considerable panache. Arup used the
same cutting-edge technology to produce
the distinctive shell roof design as it did in
creating the soap bubble structural design
of the Beijing Olympics stunning National
Aquatics Center. Both buildings are testament
to the power of true collaboration between
engineer and architect: they combine form
with function, beauty with economy. Each
is emblematic of the way Arup uses new
digital technologies to reinvent the way in
which it practises and collaborates with other
professionals.

Design
driven
by

sightli
nesa
n
d

dripli
nes
Sightlines and driplines
Modern stadia are all about spectator
comfort and excitement. The design of
a sports stadium is driven by the need
to provide protection from the elements
without compromising the spectator
sightline. The roof canopy not only
provides environmental protection ideally
keeping most spectators behind the
dripline but also has to perform well
acoustically. Ideally, it needs to play its
part in sustainability, by incorporating
measures such as rainwater harvesting.
In the case of the Melbourne Rectangular,
the roof shelters most of the seats from the
elements, yet the design is optimised to
consume fewer raw materials.

Simplifying
specificati
ons
Working ou
t the precise
geometry re
just part of
quired for th
what 3-D m
e roof itself
odelling in an
achieve, whe
is
overall digita
n placed in
l approach
sk
ille
modelling te
d hands. Th
can
chniques to
e team was
used the
reduce the
shapes for
number of
the claddin
bespoke gl
g system fro
ass
specificatio
m 600 to 32
n of materia
. This simp
ls and reduc
lified the
ed costs.

The Water Cube

Different look, same technology
Whereas a shell shape inspired the roof of Melbournes new pitch
stadium, it was the soap bubble that inspired Beijings National
Aquatics Center, dubbed the Water Cube. Both were made possible
using tools and design techniques related to 3-D CAD models.
Arup, PTW Architects and Chinese partner CCDI, decided to base the
Water Cubes structure on the geometry of Weaire Phelan foam the
optimal arrangement of equal volume soap bubbles which is also the
most efficient way of sub-dividing 3-D space. Initially, the team made
a physical model directly from digital data using ultra-violet lasers a
technique more often seen in manufacturing. To avoid having to make
a new physical model for each design change, CCDI created software
to generate the entire structural geometry, from the basic size and
shape parameters. The entire design process was conducted in a
3-D digital world, start to finish.

image to left Ben McMillian

all other images Cox Architects and Planners

34 35

project
Stadium
angular
ne Rect
Melbour

rametric model
Inside the 3-D pa

part
gn is
i
s
e
d
shell
eating
p
ry
e
r
e
geomet
Th
f
o
o
r
rger
of a la

Creating a beautiful roo

f
The design team Aru
p and Cox Architects
had the idea
of using geometry itself
to create a more efficie
nt roof shape.
A shell structure was the
starting point. It relies upo
n the
principal forces of structu
ral tension and compre
ssion for
support, in contrast to
the external supports and
trusses
which feature in a cantilev
er structure. Using sophist
icated 3-D
computer modelling tec
hniques, the team was
able to optimise
the repeating-shell des
ign, while also ensuring
that it is part of
a larger roof geometry.
This rises and falls in gen
tle arcs around
the pitch, capitalising on
a second, larger series
of forces
inherent in the overarchin
g shape.

Design notes

Project

Oasys GSA Footfall

Location

Various
Client

Various

Good vibrations
Software tools originally
created to
test the effects of foo
tfall vibrations
on lightweight bridge
s and staircases,
are proving invaluable
in modern
building design. Not lea
st as structures
become lighter, more
flexible and more
complicated. Arup eng
ineers found that
off-the-shelf packages
forced them to
fit their problem into
a predefined type
that didnt give them
the detailed results
they needed for comple
x structures.
Their response was to
work with the
firms internal softwa
re house, Oasys,
to develop vibration ana
lysis software
of their own the innova
tive Oasys GSA
Footfall (GSA Footfall).

ice
k off
llbroo
a
tion
W
a
the
vibr
is of
fied
i
s
t
y
l
n
m
e
a
o
ll an
d fr
on id
ootfa
inate
Lond
F
m
l
i
a
l
A
e
r
t
GS
be
n cen
ble to
ing i
ere a
w
build
t
a
g.
ots th
ildin
hotsp
ed bu
h
s
i
n
i
the f

Project
Global Environmental
Aspects Register (GEAR)
Location
Leeds, UK

Step by step
Our ability to analyse ver
tical vibration in
structures caused by peo
ple walking around
is a relatively recent dev
elopment. Paperless
offices and open-plan spa
ces have lessened
loads, while designers and
architects continue
to experiment with lightwe
ight materials.
These factors make floo
rs susceptible to
bounce, as people walk
around. Although the
amount of vibration is usu
ally minuscule just
one or two millimetres
it can be irritating for
people nearby. Perhaps
more importantly, it
can prevent sensitive equ
ipment from working
properly in laboratories
or operating theatres,
for example.
Vibration problems that
are picked up early
in the design stage are
relatively easy to deal
with by repositioning equ
ipment, changing
the floor construction, stiff
ening the structure
and rearranging columns
and beams to
reduce vibration levels.
Predicting and solving
these issues early on is
important, as once a
building is under constru
ction remedial work
is difficult and a lot more
costly. Innovation in
design and analysis is now
used to solve the
problems before they are
built in.

zes
All shapes and si

At London
s Heathrow
Airport, Arup
used GSA
Footfall to asse
ss the likely
levels of vibrat
ion in the new
Terminal 5 bu
ilding. As a
result, floor st
iffening was
kept to a minimu
m, because
informed decisi
ons were
made about footf
all-induced
vibration and
the layout of
the building in transitory
zones and the
location of
dwell areas su
ch as seating,
for example.
ral Structural

s GSA (Gene
part of Arup
structure,
GSA Footfall forms
ers to analyse any
ine
amme. It allows eng

vibration.
Analysis) progr
r footfall-induced
in any material, fo
ul for clients
ef
us
of any shape and
st
many ways, but mo
in
ed
ent
res
rep
o contour
Results can be
ta transposed int
each floor, with da
rple for the
pu
are 3-D models of
to
, fading
are shown in red
Livelyhot-spots
vibrations are
the
lines.
es into account how
tak
l
de
mo
e
Th
.
.
most stable areas
prone to movement
ich areas are most
wh
d
an
on,
rs
pe
perceived by a

ion
Industry recognit

image to right Hayes Davidson

top right images BAA Ltd

vibrational
ents a step-change for
s GSA Footfall repres
Arup
, which
tre
Cen
te
ognised by the Concre
analysis. It has been rec
analysing
for
ch
roa
as the recommended app
adopted GSA Footfall
members.
floor vibration for its

36 37

GEARing up
to avoid risk
Arup has created a bespoke
online tool for its project
managers to navigate the
increasingly complex area
of environmental risk.
Using Google Maps
technology and UK
government environmental
data, it presents a dynamic
representation of a sites
environmental hazards and
risks. For clients, it provides
an early warning of a sites
environmental issues that
could pose problems at
a later stage. For project
managers, it eliminates
the compliance-driven form
filling required at project
inception, replacing it
with an effective project
management, compliance
and training tool.

bookmark image Juperimages UK Ltd

In March 2008, work was halted on a long-awaited 15m bypass

for the English village of Earl Shilton because of the discovery on
site of a great crested newt. The newt is a protected species under
EU law. In another incident, in Doncaster, construction stalled for
three months while archaeologists investigated a Roman fort on
the site. Such scenarios send a shiver down the spines of budgetconscious developers.
If you know where to look, information about legal obligations and
environmental factors, such as local Roman settlements, or whether
a site is a likely breeding ground for a protected species, is freely
available. Freely available does not, of course, mean easily available.
Project managers have long struggled to gather all relevant knowledge
and information on a site. Until now.
Arups novel Global Environmental Aspects Register (GEAR) draws
together diverse information sources for clients, designers and
project managers. The idea was conceived by a team of environmental
and IT experts in Arups Leeds office. They wanted to improve on
what has been a lengthy, lessintuitive, form-filling exercise for
compliance purposes.
GEAR allows Arups project staff to evaluate risks rapidly and to identify
key consultation requirements. The result is a better-informed project
manager and a far more comprehensive environmental aspects
register. It halves the effort, time and cost involved in ensuring that a
project is compliant with ISO 14001 and has a clear audit trail. Though
restricted to the UK at present, the fact that over 300 investigations
were conducted in its first month shows that GEAR is already
transforming the way Arup approaches its environmental risk register

Inside GEAR
As you log on to GEAR, you see a map view of the site and
are prompted with a series of questions, designed to flush out
potential on-site hazards as diverse as past industrial activity
(potential land contamination) or invasive weeds (Japanese
knotweed can break through reinforced concrete). An abandoned
building on site might raise prompts to check for bat colonies.
Another section will remind you to check the tree preservation
order register. Environmental legislation and guidance relevant to
the project is also identified automatically. GEAR links to external
websites and databases with relevant information, as well as to
Arups own project management intranet, so the information is
captured and always available to the project team.

Project
Interactive flood simulation
and flood-risk mapping in
3-D environments
Location
Northwich and Leeds, UK
Client
Northwich Vision/
Vale Borough Council and
the Environment Agency

Northwich Vision considers that this approach to flood

modelling has great potential to enable the partners involved
in the regeneration of Northwich to identify solutions and
effectively manage the flood risk within the town.
Mike Crowther, Senior Surveyor, Northwich Vision

Project
Queens Quay Revitalisation
Location
Toronto, Canada
Client
Waterfront Toronto

38 39

Waterfront promenade

Flood
foresight
Around five million people
live in flood risk areas in
Britain. These risks will
increase with changes in
climate, including wetter
winters and more severe
storms. Arup helps people
understand the threats
using technology that
was first used in computer
games. The firm has
created a powerful tool
that simulates flooding
and displays flood risk in
a realistic, visually-striking
and interactive way.

During 2007, England and

Wales suffered their wettest
summer since weather records
first began in 1766. Nearly
50,000 households and 7,000
businesses experienced flooding.
Widespread disruption occurred
to transport links, power and
water supplies. While it will never
be possible to prevent floods
entirely, better management
of land-use and river systems
together with the design of
appropriate flood and coastal
defences can greatly reduce
both their likelihood of happening
and the severity of their impact.
One of the inherent challenges
with flood risk management is the
difficulty in making the nature of
the danger clear to people who
have not experienced flooding
first-hand. Despite large volumes
of available data, flood risk is
usually presented using 2-D
mapping, making it hard to get
complex messages across.

Arup has been working with

Northwich Vision and the
Environment Agency to assist in
the regeneration of Northwich,
a market town in North West
England that has been severely
affected by flooding in the past.
To bring the nature of the flood
hazard to life, Arups engineers
had the idea of using the latest
3-D computer modelling
techniques, perfected in virtual
worlds such as Second Life
and SIMS, to show moving
flood levels in a way that is
immediately clear to anyone.
The result is Arups 3-D
interactive flood simulation and
flood-risk mapping technique.
Using an ordinary internet
connection, people can access a
detailed 3-D model of Northwich
and interact with it, navigating
around the streets and landmarks.
Simple controls enable them
to zoom-in on features they
recognise, fly through streets and
change their perspective.

Within the model, Arup engineers

have used flooding predictions
to simulate the way a flood
would behave in different
circumstances. Users can control
the flood to see how it interacts
with the landscape and check
depth levels at any location. This
tool can also be used to simulate
and assess the performance of
various defences to reduce flood
risk: an alternative view within
the software uses colour coding
to highlight the areas at greatest
threat from floodwaters.
Enabling people to see familiar
buildings and locations affected
by flooding, rather than looking
at the same information
presented as zones on a map,
is highly effective. It encourages
a greater understanding of
the risks and impact of flood
defences. Northwich Vision,
the organisation responsible for
the regeneration of the town, is
using the model as a consultation
tool to illustrate the new flood

Most traffic engineering projects aim to increase the capacity of roads. Arups traffic team in Toronto together
with West 8 + DTAH was given a rather different challenge: to recast Torontos waterfront as public realm, where
it had previously been dominated by traffic. The proposal is part of the areas planned revitalisation, to transform
two lanes of a four-lane arterial roadway into a pedestrian and cycle-friendly zone along the waterfront. A familyfriendly promenade will link the heritage features at each end of the waterfront, making the location a leisure
destination in its own right.

defence scheme it has in mind.

Given its ease of access and
clarity, the simulation technique
could equally be used as a
public participation tool or in
determining the best way to use
land, reducing the probability of
flooding in future.
Interactive flood simulation and
3-D flood-risk mapping can be
applied to any location using an
existing or specially created 3-D
urban model. Arup is already
working with the city of Leeds
on a similar model, to identify
the risks to its centre. Given the
unprecedented extreme rainfall
the UK experienced in 2007,
other cities are sure to follow

Toronto residents revelled in the Quay to the City event in August

2006, which saw jugglers and sculptors entertain residents and
picnickers. Cyclists, joggers and pedestrians made full use of the
kilometre-long promenade, created when two lanes of Queens
Quay Boulevard on the waterfront were closed to traffic and
declared public space.

public consultation meeting. The 3-D simulations of the waterfront

redevelopment brought it alive for lay audiences. Since so many
people had experienced the Quay to the City event personally, it is
no surprise that the scheme is enjoying exceptionally high levels of
public engagement. It was also a recipient of a 2007 City of Toronto
Urban Design Award.

Unknown to its participants, the event was also a practical

experiment in traffic management. By closing two lanes of the
roadway, the City of Toronto was simultaneously giving its citizens
a taste of what a redeveloped waterfront might be like, and giving
Arup the chance to assess the effect of reduced capacity at the
waterfront on the citys transport grid.

The waterfront already boasts a marina, retail, a cultural facility and

new public boardwalks. The proposed scheme improves the current
development by tackling its major drawback: access to the historic
features of the eastern and western tips of the waterfront, which has
historically only been possible by car.

The team used advanced computer modelling analysis to predict

how traffic would behave, and formulate what traffic-calming
measures might be needed for the new scheme. The team was
then asked to conduct the environmental impact assessment
for the project.
Equipped with computer simulations and hard evidence from the
Quay of the City event, the team continues to engage the public
at a very sophisticated level. Over 300 people attended the last
main image
Waterfront Toronto

Future generations of tourists are likely to reach the waterfront by

public transport. They are the beneficiaries of a vision in which
walkers and cyclists are not so much the poor relations among road
users, but first among equals. Arups approach to this challenge is
helping to shape a better public realm for the people of Toronto

Project
Modernisation and Extension
of Plaszw II Sewage
Treatment Plant
Location
Krakw, Poland
Client
Municipal Waterworks and
Sewer Enterprise in Krakw

40 41

Cleansing
the Baltic

Jup

iter images UK Ltd

The Vistula flows 800km to the Baltic Sea,

through Krakw and Warsaw.

For decades, Polands Vistula river has carried effluent from Krakw downstream to the
Baltic Sea. The effect of the newly modernised Paszw II sewage treatment plant, managed
by Arup, will be to gradually restore water purity in the Vistula river, and consequently in the
Baltic Sea.
How does it work?

Constant

aeration of sewage keeps

the microbes at peak productivity.

The date is 10 October 2007. A procession of three buses carrying

local dignitaries, complete with police outriders, makes its way
through the historic city of Krakw in Poland. Tourists crane their
necks to find out what is causing the excitement. They might be
surprised to learn that the procession will come to a halt at the gates
of Krakws newly modernised sewage plant.

Development, the project sets new standards in the region.

Its benefit will be felt widely: the Vistula flows through both Krakw
and the Polish capital, Warsaw, on its 800km journey to the Baltic
Sea, whose coastline touches nine countries in Scandinavia and
northern Europe. Clean rivers will boost tourism and river life and
enhance the lives of all who live along the waterside.

Krakw is now the only major city in Poland that fully treats its
sewage. The modernisation of Paszw II is the largest infrastructure
project in Poland and the most advanced of its type in the region.
The success of the Paszw project sets Poland on its way to fulfilling
its environmental obligations as a member of the European Union.
Whats more, substantial EU penalties for environmental pollution
have been avoided. The plant employs a newly-patented biological
treatment process that is unique in Europe. Funded by an EU
grant and a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and

The original treatment plant used an obsolete mechanical treatment

process, which discharged high levels of nitrogen and potassium
into the Vistula. After modernisation, the plants existing mechanical
treatment capacity has expanded from 132,000 to 656,000m per
day. A new biological treatment facility, which uses a newly-patented
cavitation method to process sewage sludge, has now been built.
New sedimentation tanks have been constructed and pumping
facilities have been upgraded. The modernisation means that the
plant is equipped to perform its task for the next four decades.

The huge project has also enabled Municipal Waterworks Krakow

executives to forge close and productive relationships with their
counterparts elsewhere. At an early stage, Arup organised visits
for key executives to Yorkshire Waters newly-completed sewage
treatment plant and sludge incineration facilities in the UK, to see
successful international best practice at first hand. The result has been
an increased pool of knowledge for industry specialists at a national
level. This has contributed to a sophisticated, state-of-the-art solution
in Krakw, which befits Polands recent elevation to a fully-fledged EU
member state.
Arups project team has witnessed the effect of the sewage plant on
the environment, and the project manager describes it vividly: The
view from the left hand side of the Paszw II Plant is of a river that is, in
effect, an open sewer; brownish-black and foul smelling. From the other
side of the plant, you can look downriver and see the clear water and
birds on the river. Its a different world.

Raw sewage is subjected to two stages

of treatment at Paszw. First, the rags,
grit and primary sludge are mechanically
separated from the wastewater. Secondly,
wastewater is treated biologically:
micro-organisms digest the sewage, to
break down toxins, nitrogen and
phosphorus into clean water, carbon dioxide and other harmless
substances. While the clean water may not be pure enough to
add to whisky, it is good enough for fish. The residue following
the biological treatment is sewage sludge, which historically has
been used in agriculture, although it increasingly ends up in
landfill. Paszw used to feature unpleasant smelling sludge
lagoons. Now the sludge will be incinerated on site, leaving only
an ash residue that can be re-used as low-grade aggregate in
projects such as roads. In nature, one organisms waste is
anothers resource. Advanced technology allows modern
technology to mimic this on a large scale, transforming human
waste into something useful for all.

Project
Microclimate Research
on Sustainable Planning,
Redevelopment of Upper
Ngau Tau Kok Public Housing
Estate Phases 2 & 3
Location
Hong Kong (HK)
Client
HK Housing Authority, the
Government of HK Special
Administrative Region

Named after the incense and scented wood products

that were once traded there, Hong Kong translates
literally as fragrant harbour.

Project
Urban Climate Map, Air
Ventilation Assesment Project
Location
Hong Kong
Client
Public and private sectors

42 43

Helping a
city to breathe
For skyscraper lovers, Hong Kong is the place to go. Its skyline boasts 7,681
of them. Such density of high-rise development creates profound ventilation
challenges in a tropical climate. A shift of thinking in building design is recasting
Hong Kongs coastal winds as a precious natural asset, to be exploited and
protected for the benefit of all.
Land shortages in Hong Kong have driven high-density
development. For those who can afford it, luxury high-rise
apartment blocks on the seafront are favoured. But nearly
50% of Hong Kongs residents cannot afford a private
residence. For them, Hong Kongs Housing Authority
provides public housing. The challenge for public and
private sector alike is to maximise space, and the solution
for both is the same to build skywards. The high-rise
buildings themselves exacerbate the citys problems
of humidity and heat in a tropical climate. Indeed, the
clustered waterfront skyscrapers act as a windbreak
depriving buildings further inland of cooling breezes.
Arup is addressing these issues. It is actively participating
in the evolution of Hong Kongs new public housing
design, and has worked on over 30 of its public projects.
To improve the environment for all, the answer lies
in a microclimate approach, where external space is
designed to take advantage of natural ventilation, avoiding
intense solar radiation. Typical public housing comprises
clusters of between five and 15 blocks. Arup introduced
computational modelling techniques to design with more
flexibility both buildings and estates.

Designers can now optimise the design or configuration

of buildings, pulling blocks wider apart or pushing them
together on screen at an early stage. This site-specific
approach allows them to orient the buildings and position
the faade to minimise solar radiation and maximise the
wind benefits.
Historically, Hong Kongs public housing design tended
to favour the space-efficient cruciform shape. The
major drawback is that it can be harder to address the
environmental characteristics of individual sites with
this standard built form, resulting in a lower level of
sustainability. Hong Kongs planners are actively seeking
alternative design approaches; Arup is assisting.
With more than a fifth of Hong Kongs public housing
residents over 60 years old, designers must also prioritise
social considerations such as better access. Buildings
need to promote health and social interaction. One way
of doing this is the microclimate approach: providing
well-ventilated, shaded and landscaped space such
as open space shaded with tree or canopy and
sky gardens, drawing people outside.

However, the microclimate approach is still relatively rare

among local architects and planners. Arup is changing
this. Each year the firm talks to the International Housing
Congress and puts on local seminars to help promote
understanding of current techniques and approaches.
Arup is involved with around six public estates at any
time. Each project is an opportunity to develop and refine
further a site-specific approach to public housing. The
first public housing estate of this type, designed with
microclimate approach by Arup, is the Redevelopment
of Upper Ngau Kok Estate Phases 2 & 3. Taking account
of local site characteristics, the estate is designed to
maximise the potential for natural ventilation, use of natural
light and energy saving to dwellings, and to improve
the quality of both indoor and public open spaces.
The provision of a wind corridor and cross-ventilated
re-entrants, for example, gives the buildings greater
permeability. The Estate will be occupied in late 2008.
It marks a significant step in developing a different kind
of approach to design in Hong Kong

Meanwhile, Hong Kongs

air quality is deteriorating.
The effects of pollution
from the heavily
industrialised Pearl
River Delta region on the
Chinese mainland, plus
the islands own power
station, can be keenly felt.

Enhancing the citys ventilation

has never been more important.
The Hong Kong Government
recognised this with its recent
Air Ventilation Assessment (AVA)
building guidelines, which apply
to public buildings and which
may in time affect private sector
development.
Through its work on the majority
of Hong Kongs public projects
that require an AVA study, Arup
has developed a way of mapping
air ventilation in urban areas, in
order to optimise urban design.

For three years now, Arup has

worked closely with the Chinese
University of Hong Kong on this
project. The technology is similar
to computational fluid dynamics.
It allows Arups consultants to
identify wind corridors in cities,
and helps to achieve optimum
wind ventilation in building
design with measures such as
enhancing buildings permeability
by introducing cross-ventilated
corridors at points of entry and
exit. It also shows how building
orientation can be modified
to improve ventilation at
pedestrian level.

The conventional turbulence

model cannot adequately
represent turbulence on a
city-wide scale. The more
sophisticated Large Eddy
Simulation, is too timeconsuming for practical
applications in the built
environment. Arup is developing
an innovative hybrid method,
namely a Detached Eddy
Simulation. This is the best
of both worlds: more accurate
external wind environment
predictions, combined with
practical viability

Project
San Francisco
Federal Building
Location
San Francisco, California, USA
Client
General Services
Administration

Project
Study on Parking Demand for
Public Housing Developments
Location
Hong Kong
Client
Hong Kong, Housing Authority

44 45

Light and airy

If you need proof that a holistic
approach to design can provide
comfortable, energy-efficient
working conditions, look no
further than the new Federal
Office Building in San Francisco.
Oriented to capitalise on coastal
winds for natural ventilation, the
concrete building is shielded
from direct sunlight by a skin
made of rotating perforated metal
panels. The slender 18-story
tower sets new precedents for
performance-based design in
the USAs public sector.

Freeing up space
Urbanisation pressures are intense in Hong Kong. The limited supply of land for
public housing means people can expect to wait an average of three years for
an apartment. In recent years, to the concern of Hong Kongs Housing Authority,
accommodation demand has been accompanied by an increasing number of
empty car-parking spaces. Since multi-storey car parks cost almost as much
to build and operate as apartment blocks, persistently unused car parks are a
sign that public money could be better directed to meet housing needs. Arup
took a rigorous, needs-driven approach to studying parking demand, quantifying
it by development type. The study paves the way for a more flexible, nuanced
approach to Hong-Kong-wide parking standards, which can liberate unused
space for accommodation.
In many cities around the world, finding an
empty parking space is a major cause for
celebration. In a city such as Hong Kong, where
the pressures of urbanisation are so high, large
numbers of unused parking bays in public housing
developments often show that public resources
are being underutilised. Put simply, money could
be better spent on increasing the amount of
housing, rather than on under-used car parking
spaces. With public housing parking provision set
at a strategic level by Hong Kongs Planning and
Standard Guidelines, the Hong Kong Housing
Authority asked Arup to study parking demand.
Arup was asked to identify alternative approaches
to parking standards in the territory, ultimately
increasing the space available for housing.
Arup took an innovative bottom up approach to
the study, basing it on a large-scale household
survey that firmly placed it in the real world of
subsidised housing. It complements the territorywide approach to parking demand for private
and public development, which Arup developed

separately in a previous study. Public housing

residents from every single public housing estate
in Hong Kong participated, creating a truly
comprehensive picture of parking demand. The
survey exposed significant variations in parking
demand across districts, demographics, and
income levels. Occupancy levels, for example,
ranged from 10% in rural areas of the territory
to close to 70% in urban areas. Plainly, a
one-size-fits-all approach to parking provision
would not do.
Compared to the territory average, the lowerincome profile of public housing residents was
reflected in their preference for motorcycles.
This led to Arup recommending a change to
the ratio of parking provision for motorcycles,
against other vehicle types. Similarly, a greater
number of elderly, non-driving residents in smaller
housing units accounted for the lower car use
in developments with smaller apartments. As a
result, these developments are exempt from the
requirement to provide parking

The sites natural resources informed the

building design: the team examined local
temperatures, wind direction and sunshine
data just as closely as the citys planning
records and the urban context. At 275ft
high, the Federal Office Building is over
twice the height of its height-restricted
neighbours along Market Street, ensuring
permanent access for the building to the
prevailing northwesterly cool winds during
the summer.

Factors affecting parking choices

Many factors affect the take up of parking spaces.
Proximity is important: over 70% of people found that
their car parking provision was accessible. This graph
plots peoples willingness to walk to parking provision
as captured by the survey. The average maximum time
people will spend walking is nine minutes, beyond which
they may defect to on-street parking and stop using
their own provision.
50%
41%

40%
32%

30%
20%

18%

10%
5%
0%

<5

4%
5-9

10-14

In the heavily codified United States

building industry, natural ventilation is barely
acknowledged as a design option. However,
the United States Federal Governments
Design Excellence programme has always
viewed its own buildings as opportunities to
try new approaches. It was open to Arups
proposed performance-based initiative, in
which the building design was subjected to
a series of earthquake simulations. Such an
approach exposed how little additional safety
benefit would be provided by a secondary
seismic system as demanded by the
codes. It demonstrated that the better option
was a main structural system, augmented
with slightly more reinforcing steel.

15-19

>20

Instead of steel construction, Arup

recommended concrete for its inherent
strength and thermal mass. This
characteristic is crucial to the natural
ventilation concept, as it allows most of
the buildings occupants to sit within 20ft
of windows. The building is slender just
66ft wide. The central portion is given over
to areas requiring sound privacy, such as
supervisor offices and conference spaces,
as well as elevators and essential comfort
facilities. Security concerns necessitate
that the first five floors are sealed and
conventionally heated and cooled, making
them the ideal locations for computer
servers and rooms with high heat load.

Exposed concrete ceilings, columns and

walls absorb heat like a sponge during the
day, releasing it at night. Faade elements
release warm air from within by day and
allow cool night air into the building at night,
which cools the concrete surfaces.
Naturally lit and ventilated spaces can feel
different to people used to air conditioning.
The absence of the low-level background
hum, for example, means that voices carry
further. Thus, light fixtures are outfitted
with speakers that transmit white noise
to compensate. People control their own
windows and internal shades to avoid glare,
and ambient lighting automatically dims
in response to available daylight from the
glass faade.
The building, designed with architects
Morphosis and The Smith Group,
represents a new approach to integrated
design. The team awaits the formal
Government-sponsored post-occupancy
evaluation, in 2009, with barely concealed
excitement. Comparisons between the
comfort of people on the air-conditioned
fifth floor and those on the naturally
ventilated sixth, immediately above, will be
of particular interest.
The San Francisco Federal Office Building
shows how a holistic, site-specific
approach can produce a perfect fit
between a building and its location. Yet
the design methodology, which starts
with a sites natural resources, can be
used anywhere. In the hands of skilled
designers, a more flexible alternative to the
prescriptive, codified approach to building
design may prove increasingly important for
a changing future

Max Walk Time (min)

bookmark image Tim Griffith

main image Nic Lehoux

Project
WWF Headquarters Building
Location
Zeist, Netherlands
Client
World Wide Fund for Nature
in the Netherlands

46 47

Living space
Can a building itself further the charitable aims of its occupants? The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in the
Netherlands has achieved just this. WWF addresses global threats to people and nature, such as climate change
and the unsustainable consumption of natural resources. Its newest national headquarters embodies its work,
achieving carbon neutral operation and providing an educational and promotional tool for encouraging
interest in low-energy sources and One Planet Living.

The new Dutch office of

the WWF is one of the most
sustainable office buildings in
Europe. WWF chose a woodland
site and opted for refurbishment
over new-build, with sustainable
materials. All this is entirely
consistent with the charitys
broader goals of promoting
conservation and protecting the
natural world. The distinctive
building draws visitors in its own
right, and has stimulated interest
in and coverage of low-energy
technologies.
When WWF decided that it
needed a new Dutch office,
having outgrown its former
building in Zeist, it chose to
view its relocation as a positive
opportunity. It wanted to show
that a building could be built with
minimal damage to nature during
its construction and operation. It
wanted an exemplar of low
all images Arup/Michael Van Oosten

energy and renewable

technologies, and ideally a
building that would prompt
others to explore and adopt
such technologies. However,
as a charity WWF had a strict
budget within which to achieve
its objectives.
Having identified a disused
laboratory building near its
original headquarters as a
suitable refurbishment project,
WWF asked Arup to work out
which technologies would work
best with the existing structure,
to deliver near carbon-neutral
operation with limited funds.
Such an aspiration is notoriously
hard to realise with an existing
building, since the structure itself
was built with other objectives in
mind. After the initial design had
been completed, WWF won a
further grant for the building,
enabling Arup to lower the

carbon footprint still further.

Charged with building services
engineering design for the
project, Arup analysed the tradeoffs between capital cost,
operational cost, fuel and
resource use, carbon footprint
and even opportunities for resale
of surplus electricity to the
national grid. From the outset,
Arup worked with the existing
structure, rather than against it,
aiming to re-use materials
wherever possible. The priority
was to minimise operational
costs by using low energy and
renewable technologies.
The approach taken to the
buildings climate control was a
first in refurbishment and a study
in inspired improvisation: the
existing structural mass was
utilised as a means of lowering
the buildings energy needs. The
Arup team suggested that mats

of plastic pipes be plastered to

the underside of the structural
slabs, in order to harness the
existing thermal mass to create
a post-fixed cooling system.
The heating and cooling is
provided by a ground energy
system, heat pumps and free
cooling modules, achieving
superior energy efficiency.
A hybrid ventilation system,
which incorporates pressurecontrolled natural vents in the
faade, enables occupants to
control ventilation. This reduces
fan energy and space take in
the building. A combined heat
and power plant, run on biofuel,
further reduces the buildings
carbon footprint. Solar waterheating saves yet more
energy, while water use itself
is minimised, and, where
possible, recycled

The close relationship between

the charitys aims for the building
and its wider charitable aims in
preserving the biodiversity of the
environment, including all species
of flora and fauna, raised some
contemporary sustainability
issues. WWF realised the
potential contradiction between
using biofuel to reduce the
buildings carbon footprint and
the wider question of the biofuel
industrys soaring demand for
land for crops, with consequent
loss of animal habitat. Arups
expertise in sustainable design
meant that WWF could draw
on the global firms collective
experience. Arup helped WWF to

analyse the issues clearly, and

sanction the use of biofuels as
but one of a number of solutions
to reducing reliance on fossil
fuels in the building operation.
Today, at WWFs new
headquarters, the energy
performance of the building is
not merely documented, but
publicised, with an educational
display planned for the buildings
reception. Displaying the
buildings energy performance
itself means that, for staff and
visitors alike, the core philosophy
of the WWF, and its commitment
to preserving wildlife and its
habitat, is neither out of sight nor
out of mind

Project
Nokia China Campus
Location
Beijing, China
Client
Nokia (China) Ltd

48 49
The external skins are mainly installed on the east,
west and north elevations with partial coverage on
the south elevation from level 2 onwards. The outer
skin of the double-skin faade uses spider fixing.
Fritted glass (ceramic painted glass) allows a degree
of transparency while at the same time providing
shading to reduce heat gain. The smooth faade
prevents attachment of dust a serious problem
in Beijing.

mainland China. Having responsibility for so many areas of

the design process meant that Arup could move the project
with great speed a distinct benefit to Nokia. This resulted in
a quick turnaround project: it took just 26 months from initial
design to occupation.
The sustainability design strategy for the campus responds
to the climatic conditions of the area, making use of natural
light and ventilation, and using recycled materials wherever
possible. Through the use of conservation devices, doublelayer glass walls and many other design techniques, water use
in the building is reduced by 37% and energy consumption
by 20% as compared with business-as-usual commercial
buildings in the West.

The double curtain wall system consists of an

internal double-glazed unit, a single-glazed external
skin and a controllable ventilated cavity.

Skylights and a large communal atrium provide natural light

and ventilation throughout the building as well as a lively
canteen for staff. The headquarters has underground parking,
a reserved parking area for environmentally friendly cars,
and a secure bicycle parking area to encourage motor-free
commuting.

Leading the way

When Nokia started planning its new
headquarters and research facilities in
Beijing, it insisted that Arup was involved
from inception. The resulting creation
has attracted attention all around the
world. It is the first newly constructed
commercial building in China to be awarded
a Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System Gold certificate by the United
States Green Building Council. From day
one, Arup put together a global team of its
experts, enabling a quick build-time and the
total integration of all the buildings systems.
The approach to what is one of Chinas
greenest office buildings will be utilised by
Nokia in all of its new buildings globally.
main image Arup Accent Vision production

The Nokia Green Building, as the telecommunications

companys new 70,000m2 headquarters in Beijing is
known, is a striking example of sustainable design
principles and energy efficiency in China. Not only does
it consolidate Nokia Chinas operations providing
office space for 2,000 employees and a research and
development (R&D) centre it serves as a model for
Nokias future approach to its building stock around the
world. Its award of a LEED certificate reinforces this
approach and presents others in China with a model for
how modern office developments can contribute to a
countrys progress on sustainability issues.
The importance of Arups involvement cannot be
underestimated as it provided total design for the project
with Arup Associates creating the initial concept. This
encompassed everything relating to the design and build,
aside from interior design, project management and the

actual construction of the building. Sitting around a table

with Nokia from the very beginning of the project created
many advantages. Because the building is aimed at
end-users, Arup could define the clients requirements
early and feed them into the design brief. This made
the process much quicker than a more conventional
approach, which would typically involve consultants from
multiple organisations variously informing a design brief.
With its broad skill-set, Arup was uniquely placed to
deliver all the design and technical support to the building.
Using the firms global knowledge networks, Arup created
an international team for the project, led from Beijing.
Masterplanners and architects in the London office
worked with architects, structural engineers, electrical and
mechanical engineers, acousticians, sustainability experts,
fire engineers, traffic planners, lighting engineers and
other specialists, located in Hong Kong and throughout

The glass faades of the six-storey building have a

temperature-controlled cavity between the panes. This works
with the suns natural heat, and the buildings air-conditioning
system, to prevent the impact of outdoor temperatures
being felt inside. The team used advanced building physics
to analyse the way materials would perform on the site, in
order to determine the most appropriate solutions and reduce
wastage. So, while the east, west and north faades all require
an inner and outer skin, the orientation of the southern wall
meant that only a partial outer-skin was required to achieve the
same level of performance.
The building design gives equal consideration to the well
being of staff. Over 97% of the building provides an outside
view. And with a gym, nursery, community centre and social
spaces, employees are at the heart of this new headquarters.
Because of the weight of the equipment used, the R&D space
had to be located in the basement of the campus. Instead of
the typically sterile R&D environment, Arup designed a sunken
garden at the perimeter of the R&D space that is served by
natural sunlight, greatly improving the staff environment.
That the building has been awarded a Gold LEED rating is a
welcome validation for the approach taken by Nokia and Arup
with the design of this new campus. It sets a standard for
environmentally sustainable construction in China and should
encourage wider adoption of new sustainable green building
and development practices all around the world

Thanks to skylights which are the main

feature of the building envelope energy
efficiency is achieved even with a large portion
of the faade being glazed to allow external
views and daylight to penetrate. The skylights
occupy 12% of the total rooftop and are
particularly efficient. For the portion of the
roof that is opaque, aluminium cladding with
polyphony insulation board is used to reduce
the heat transmitted.

The internal curtain wall provides thermal insulation,

protection and ventilation. The internal skin consists
of double glazed low-e tempered glass and a
powder coated anodized aluminium transom and
mullion. The curtain wall is set on the building
gridlines. Thermal insulation material is used for
thermal protection enclosed by powder-coated
aluminium cladding panel.

Project
Applied Research and
Development Building
Location
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Client
Northern Arizona University

Project
Citigroup Data Centre
Location
Frankfurt, Germany
Client
Citi Data Centre

Against all odds

It is estimated that the
facility will:
Save 11,000 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions
Cut energy use at the site by
75% enough to power 3,000
family homes for a year
Reduce water use by
12m gallons
Achieve the first ever Gold
LEED rating under the US
Green Building Councils
LEED standards for a
data centre

Is an environmentallyfriendly data centre a

contradiction in terms?
After all, data centres
account for 2% of
the worlds carbon
emissions twice that
of the entire UK. In
green terms, they have
been shrugged off as
something of a
lost cause. Work with
Citi, the global financial
services company, is
changing the status quo.
Citi made sustainability
an integral part of the
brief for its latest data
centre in Frankfurt.
The building is
anticipated to achieve
a LEED gold rating a
world first for this sector.

From the start, this project had twin objectives:

achieving the reliability and resilience that is
essential for business continuity in any data
centre, while creating a rigorously sustainable,
low carbon-emissions, built environment.
Working across international boundaries, Arup
Associates brought together Arups data centre
experts and local collaborators in Frankfurt.
The designs exceeded demanding reliability
criteria, and reduced carbon emissions by 70%,
through a rigorous process, where all aspects of
the building were considered. This included the
buildings cladding system, which incorporates
timber shading for the offices, enabling them to
be naturally ventilated and day-lit. The end result
is both an award-winning design and the
greenest data centre ever built.
Architecturally, the landscaping as well as the
structure itself is integral to the design. A living
roof covers the roof surface, minimising thermal
gain during summer and introducing biodiversity
to the site. It also captures water, which

irrigates a 12m-high green wall, planted

with indigenous species and providing nesting
habitats for a variety of birds, as well as
absorbing CO2 emissions.
The design team aimed for a realistic, scalable
and replicable approach, avoiding token
measures. The entire decision-making process
was subject to ISO 14001 and the LEED
framework. Pending final approvals, the data
centre may even achieve an exceptional LEED
Platinum rating. By engaging with the most
demanding and energy-hungry building type in
this radical way, the project team has taken the
sustainability agenda to the heart of the financial
services and technology industries. It is here that
a genuinely significant difference can be made in
reducing global carbon emissions

50 51

A flagship for Flagstaff

Project facts
62,000ft2 mixed-use building
One-third of the building is built
of recycled content materials
89% less regulated energy
consumption than a typical
building
Over 50% of buildings
electricity provided by
solar power
160 kW of electricity
produced by PV panels
92% of construction waste
was diverted from landfill
90% reduction in potable
water use

Visitors to the mountain town of Flagstaff remark on its pristine air, historic charm and proximity to the Grand
Canyon. They might be surprised to learn that Flagstaffs Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus also occupies
a place at the vanguard of sustainability. Its new Applied Research and Development Building won LEED Platinum
status this year, with 60 out of 69 available points one of the highest scores ever achieved. This sophisticated
building accommodates high-specification research laboratories, a networking hub and learning space while
reducing regulated energy consumption by a staggering 89%.
When the NAUs vice president of capital
assets was directed by the NAU president to
visit one of Arups UK projects at Nottingham
University, it was the start of something.
He returned with the conviction that such
sustainable design could transform the
NAUs own campus, setting new standards
in sustainability. The design team responsible
Hopkins Architects, BWS Architects and
Arup was invited to submit a competitive
tender for the NAUs new Applied Research
and Development building. The building
would need to combine high specification
laboratories with public and learning space.
The challenges were considerable. Unlike
many private universities in the United States,
NAU is publicly funded and must attract and
support both researchers and students to
thrive, so the budget was limited. The design
team avoided the study unit approach often
seen in research institutions: the buildings
openness and transparency fills the building
with light and affords stunning views of the
surrounding mountains. The working

environment is both inspired and inspiring.

Communication, openness and the
exchange of ideas are encouraged by the
very design of the space. Like its dramatic
location and mountain backdrop, the building
itself is beautiful, with an overarching glass
gallery along the south-facing faade, which
seems to bring the outdoors inside.
At 7,000ft above sea level, Flagstaff enjoys
temperate summers and cold winters. The
building was oriented due south to capture
the winter suns heat. At the front of the
building, a three-storeyed glass gallery
floods the building with light and provides
a thermal buffer for the offices behind. The
buildings structural frame provides thermal
massing to retain heat in winter and cool it
in summer; these passive systems reduce
energy use. Over half of the buildings energy
now comes from photovoltaic arrays in a
neighbouring field, which partially power two
other buildings on the campus. By offsetting
the already low energy consumption, which
is just 11% of an equivalent structure, the
building is expected

to be operationally carbon neutral. Water is

precious in Arizona. This building links to the
new grey water main of the main campus.
It allows for the re-use of non-potable water
and incorporates measures such as low-flow
fixtures. The results are impressive: 90% total
potable water reduction in a desert climate.
To reduce the energy needs of the
laboratories, Arup specified variable
controls on their equipment, and an active
evaporative cooling system with shortened
ductwork, which reduces overall pressure
drops. Occupying a third-floor penthouse
the laboratories are also sealed off from
the lower floors, making them as secure
and as energy efficient as it is possible for
laboratories to be.
Arup and the design team brought to
Flagstaff knowledge and techniques
developed on projects in very different
physical and intellectual environments and
locations. This award-winning building is
proof that creativity and the willingness to
innovate can be harnessed to great effect
almost anywhere

Project
Qingdao EcoBlock
Location
Qingdao, China
Client
University of
California Berkeley

52 53

Green
living

Wetland Street section diagram

For the next 20 years, up to 10m people a year will move from Chinas countryside to urban areas. This unprecedented migration is placing
huge demands on the nations cities, resources and environment and is contributing in no small way to global climate change. Students
at University of California Berkeley, led by Professor Harrison Fraker, conceived a new model for sustainable community development.
It has the potential to reduce the environmental impacts of large-scale residential development by 40%. They called upon Arup to provide
technical collaboration on their EcoBlock project, which develops a realistic option in terms of meeting growth demands while limiting
the environmental impact.

Chinas traditional approach to housing the massive

influx of people to its urban areas is to build SuperBlocks.
These often gated communities are on a mammoth
scale typically over one kilometre square. They tend to
create social segregation, encourage car use and place
enormous demand on centralised infrastructure such as
electric power lines, sewage treatment plants, sewers and
sanitary water supply. Eleven million housing units per year
are built in China, the equivalent of up to 15 SuperBlocks
every day. While no doubt efficient at accommodating
large numbers of people, SuperBlocks create a demand
for new infrastructure that is difficult to meet, leading to
significant environmental problems.
The Arup and UC Berkeley collaboration dubbed
the EcoBlock is designed to replace SuperBlock
developments. The EcoBlock will be largely self-sufficient
in terms of energy and water use, which has the potential
to massively reduce the pressures on centralised
infrastructure. It can meet all of its energy needs from
on-site renewable energy sources and can reuse 100%
of its wastewater and rainwater in order to meet 85% of
the blocks demand for water. As a result, the net carbon
emissions associated with the EcoBlocks energy use
will be zero.

The EcoBlock works by harnessing resources that are

traditionally wasted and transforming them into valuable
assets. The suns rays, wind, sewage sludge, food waste
and garden waste are converted into energy to power
residents homes. Rainwater and wastewater are cleaned
and used for drinking, showering and cooking. Crucially,
the EcoBlock is designed to be mass replicated. This
has the potential to result in huge reductions in carbon
emissions, water pollution and waste generation and
reduced demand for centralised infrastructure.
Arup used its expertise in sustainable design around the
world to build on the UC Berkeley students concepts
and evolve them into technically feasible system designs.
Importantly, Arup demonstrated that these objectives can
be achieved using proven technologies that are readily
available from Chinese manufacturers and suppliers.
Energy demand will be met by three on-site renewable
energy sources: photovoltaic panels; wind turbines
integrated into the buildings; and an anaerobic digester
that will transform the EcoBlocks organic waste into
biogas for heating and electricity generation. Bio-swales
and constructed wetlands collect and clean wastewater
while also providing green spaces for residents, and
generating additional garden waste for biogas energy
generation. The EcoBlock is unique in integrating all
these separate systems into one project, suitable for
large-scale use.

The EcoBlock will be constructed using methods and

materials that reduce demand on natural resources, such
as cement with high fly-ash content a waste product
from burning coal. When taken to the next stage, seismic
performance of the design will be considered. The layout
of the EcoBlock counters the social segregation created by
large-scale SuperBlocks, while acknowledging the desire
for a clear identity within the Chinese culture. Main streets
through the neighbourhood are left open to the public,
while a series of smaller communities are set around semiprivate courtyards and gardens in the middle of the blocks.
Research has shown that the scales proposed are ideal for
a neighbourhood feel, promoting a sense of community.
After a series of meetings with the local government, a site
for construction of the first EcoBlock has been selected in
the coastal town of Qingdao in Eastern China, known for
its beer and sailing. Significantly, it has been identified for
demonstration project status by the Chinese government.
The potential importance of the EcoBlock has been
recognized internationally. Funding for the detailed design
stage of the project is being provided by the Paul Allen
and Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore
Foundation, the Energy Foundation and the City of
Qingdao Government

EcoBlock objectives

Low-carbon solutions

The key objectives of the project were to design a

new model for sustainable urban neighbourhoods.
They are:
Easily replicable and scalable
Economically viable
Based upon proven technologies
that are readily available in China
Self-sufficient with regard to water, waste
and energy resources
Recycling 100% wastewater on site
Significantly reducing potable water demand
(as close to 100% reduction as possible)
Generating 100% on-site renewable energy
Designed to encourage journeys by foot,
bicycle and transit
Designed to provide 40% to 60% of the site
area as green space

Whole system
P.V.

Regional
grid

40% electricity
50% electricity
10% electricity

Generator

Wind

Small community grid

Hot and cold
water tank
Solar water heating

Food
waste

Anaerobic digester

25%

Green waste

Potable water 50%

Municipal supply 15%

25%

Sequenced
25%
batch reactor
Black water

Primary settling
Aeration
Particle separators
Reverse osmosis
Disinfection

Non-potable
irrigation

Sludge

25%

Constructed
wetland

Non-potable water
electricity
Grey water

12%
UV

Project
Bay Meadows Phase II
Location
San Mateo, California, USA
Client
Bay Meadows Land Company

54 55

Giving back
to the city
Sometimes a developments positive effect
on a community is much greater than the
sum of its parts. Bay Meadows, on which
Arup is civil engineer and sustainability
consultant, is one such development. This
carefully planned neighbourhood admirably
champions the City of San Mateos need
to accommodate its projected population
and employment growth, while improving
the citys street grid. It adds connections
to transit and gives city residents over 15
acres of parkland and greenways twice
that required under law. Arups stormwater
management scheme provides a creative
and sophisticated solution to water capture,
storage and recycling in Bay Meadows itself
and also solves nuisance flooding
in neighbouring areas.

San Mateo, like many Californian communities, is

working to assist the accommodation of Californias
projected 30% increase in population by 2030. The
83-acre Bay Meadows racetrack site is a significant step
towards broadening the employment base and housing
supply, critical to supporting this population growth.
Designed to respect and integrate with the Citys strong
neighbourhood tradition, Bay Meadows will enhance
community life for all San Mateo residents, not just
those who will be fortunate enough to live there.
Like much of the Bay area, Bay Meadows comprises
low-lying land. Residents of nearby Saratoga Drive and
the McCelland neighbourhood have suffered chronic
flooding and waterlogged roads for decades. Thanks to
comprehensive stormwater measures, these events are
likely to be consigned to history. Arups water and flood
management strategy is central to the success of the
entire scheme, with many new features doubling up to
alleviate flood risk and manage stormwater. An attractive
pond, for example, also keeps and cleans stormwater,
as well as providing 600,000 gallons of year-round water
storage, which is vital to the citys ability to fight fires.
It also avoids the need to construct a separate water
storage facility.

A masterstroke in the Bay Meadows plan is the provision

of floodable recreation fields, designed to accept and
shed detained water, during and shortly after major
storms, without compromising the playing surfaces.
Indeed, sports enthusiasts could be forgiven for thinking
that the development was created solely with them in
mind: a floodwater retention facility is sized to be cleverly
disguised as a baseball or soccer pitch.
With so much underground parking required to maximise
the efficient use of space, Arup devised a sophisticated
stormwater treatment scheme, complete with kerbside
bioswales and rain gardens. These allow street runoff
to be filtered and to soak away or run into an
underground drainage system. The system has many
virtues: it is easy to maintain, safe for the public, and
even contributes to mosquito control.
The positive effects of the Bay Meadows development
are not confined to water, however. Seen from the air, the
negative impact on the city of 83 acres of enclosed horse
racetrack is laid bare. It forces car traffic to travel around
its perimeter, taxing the citys road network and acting
as a barrier to pedestrians, cyclists and bus transit alike.
With its urban-scale street grid, the development will unify

Kerbside water treatment

Runoff from the street passes through the planters and
is filtered by the soil and vegetation before either soaking
away into the ground, or, where precluded by underground
parking, being collected by an underground drainage
system. Public safety, mosquito control and ease of
maintenance all drove the design to attain a superb blend
of priorities within one public amenity. Bioswales and
raingardens also play their part in a comprehensive suit of
best management practices.

the southern neighbourhoods of San Mateo. It slots into

the existing city fabric, extends the existing street network,
and eases congestion by providing two new railway
crossings. The relocated Hillsdale Caltrain Station will bring
Bay Meadows residents to within a 15-minute walk of a
transport hub, while offering San Mateos residents greater
opportunity to abandon their cars and embrace a more
sustainable lifestyle.
Residents leisure options will also expand considerably.
Bay Meadows provides 15 acres of parkland spread over
three city parks nearly double that required by the city
code. And San Mateo needs parks. Of these, two 1.5-acre
neighbourhood parks will become local gathering places,

with facilities such as childrens play areas. But the jewel in

the crown of the development is a 12-acre community park
with the potential for a variety of uses. These range from
passive formal spaces, native drought resistant plantings
around a new pond, to much-needed sports fields.
The development is conceived to bring better use of a
large track of land interrupting the City of San Mateos
fabric, achieved with the long-term obligations to the next
generation of residents, and realised with sustainable
outcomes at the fore. Bay Meadows Phase II will deliver a
diverse housing mix, office space to accommodate new
businesses, local shops, pedestrian and bicycle access,
ample public space, and enhanced infrastructure. All this

is within an easy walk of a major transit service to San

Francisco to the north and Silicon Valley to the south.
Guided by the confidence of the developers, Wilson
Meany Sullivan, created within the collaborative spirit
of the planners, Cooper, Robertson & Partners, and
shepherded through the entitlements process by the
City of San Mateo, Bay Meadows Phase II will stand
the test of hindsight in the years to come as a well
planned, 21st century community

Project
Dubai Waterfront
Location
Dubai
Client
Nakheel

56 57
New city on the coast of southern Dubai called Waterfront
Solar troughs

Another crucial element of the citys energy strategy is the creation

of urban microclimates, favourable for walking. Designing buildings
that are closer together creates shade and blocks hot desert winds.
This scheme along with creating a series of urban centres with
offices, retail outlets, schools, healthcare and community centres
would encourage more people to walk which would further reduce
car dependency.
Approaching the development in this holistic way will make the citys
targets achievable even though the proposal itself is far from
straightforward, as one third of the site has already been planned.

Guiding the
waterfront
Nakheel, the largest developer in Dubai, has begun constructing its
most ambitious project yet a new city on the coast of southern Dubai
called Waterfront. They aim to transform 120km of desert between
Jebel Ali Port and the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border into a low-carbon
city for 1.5m people. Nakheel has proposed ambitious sustainability
targets based on international best practice. The challenge for the
Arup team is to help implement these objectives into urban form on
an unprecedented scale and in an extreme desert climate.

Over the next 14 years, Dubai Waterfront will grow to house over
1.5m people. A series of targets have been set by the developer that,
if achieved, will result in the creation of the largest low-carbon city yet
developed. Nakheel turned to Arup to prepare an energy strategy for
the Waterfront, to meet its ambitious goals.

The proposed strategy required Arup and Nakheel to rethink the existing
plans for the remaining two thirds of the site. It also requires a change in
the way real estate developers work.
Nakheel will need to take on the construction of power stations and public
transport infrastructure, which will then be operated by private-sector
bidders. Nakheel is forward-thinking. Arup will continue to work closely
with the Waterfront project team over the coming months to implement
the strategy recommendations, while taking into account the construction
programme and commercial constraints. The result is likely to be a fitting
example to the rest of the world, and may result in the creation of a city
whose urban form will meet the challenges of the next 100 years

Secondary streets

Primary streets

Dubai has an extreme environment, where summer temperatures of

50C are common. Air conditioning represents up to 60% of the energy
demand of buildings. Almost all transport is by private car. The Arup
team knew from the outset that a low-carbon city designed for these
conditions would need a dramatically different approach.
The energy strategy covered all aspects of a citys operation buildings,
transport and infrastructure. Arup proposed sourcing as much energy
as possible from renewable means; substantially reducing energy
consumption; delivering efficient energy to Waterfront through a series of
on-site power stations; and sourcing as much energy as possible from
renewable means such as the sun and wind, via solar troughs and
wind turbines. As it developed, the Arup team realised that each aspect
of the project was interdependent. To achieve the desired results the
project needed a comprehensive set of urban design guidelines to sit
alongside the energy strategy, for all the Waterfront contractors to follow.

Education facilities

Community uses
Kindergarten

Religious Facilities

Local Mosque
Juma

Primary School

Other Religious Facilities

Intermediate School

Mixed use and compact district

bookmark and top right images

Nakheel PJSC

For example, Arups energy strategy suggests that in order to reduce

reliance on cars, every home should be within 300m of public transport.
This seems a simple enough objective. However, for much of the year
it is simply too hot to walk outside, so the original plans for separate
apartment blocks set within their own grounds would actively
discourage use of public transport. Arups urban design guidelines that
accompany the energy strategy suggest linking dense mixed-use areas
to public transport via climate-controlled environments, such as covered
walkways and tunnels. In this way, people would be encouraged to
change their behaviour and decrease their dependence on cars.
This particular strategy also provides Nakheel with valuable real
estate opportunities, as any businesses situated within these
climate-controlled passages would experience high levels of footfall.

Secondary School

Security & Emergency Facilities

Police Station
Civil Defence Centre

300 metre radius

catchment area

Social & Cultural Facilities

Community Centre
Library
Child Care Centre
Post Office
Local Shop

300 metre radius

catchment area

Project
Sippy Downs
Carbon Accounting
Location
Queensland, Australia
Client
Investa Property Group

Project
Stockland Head Office
Location
Sydney, Australia
Client
Stockland

Carbon audit

all images Bayley Willey Holt

would be offset by the renewed

green habitat.
Given the size and scope of
the project, Investa turned to
Arup for the unusual task of
investigating the projects
carbon balance. The process
involved comparing the amount
of carbon taken out of the
atmosphere sequestered by
the revived Sippy Creek green
corridor, against the carbon
emissions created by the
development itself.
To determine the CO2 output
of the project, Arup collected

detailed information about the

project, including equipment
used during construction, the
type of work undertaken and
the site working hours. They
also calculated emissions from
the disturbance of soil in the
Bellflower development, which
were found to be surprisingly
high. Using carbon-modelling
software, the Arup team
then estimated the carbon
sequestration from the revived
Sippy Creek.
The results showed that the
rehabilitation of the Creek
more than offset the carbon

Horizontal fire
curtains

58 59

Smoke screen

Change is afoot in Australias construction industry, with more and more companies recognising the impact their
activities have on the environment. Arup is working with progressive property developer Investa Property Group
to undertake the first carbon audit for a residential development. The hope is that this type of benchmarking will
become an industry standard.
As part of the development of
Bellflower Sippy Downs, Investa
funded an AUS$3m rehabilitation
project to reinstate the path of
the dilapidated Sippy Creek. The
project involved the rejuvenation
of 21ha of former grazing
land within the site, plus the
introduction 300,000 individual
plants from 130 different native
species to the banks of the
creek. The developer recognised
the opportunity to match its
commercial realities with a
desire to enhance the local
ecosystem by demonstrating
that any carbon created through
their construction activities

Fire curtain/
shutter

emissions associated with

Investas construction of roads
and services not including
embodied energy for the site.
Furthermore, by estimating the
average emissions attributable
to the construction of homes
on the estate at 12 tonnes
per plot, Arup conservatively
estimated that within 30 years
the entire carbon output of the
project would be sequestered.
With the new trees likely to
remove carbon dioxide for at
least a further 70 years after this,
the landscaping program was
deemed a great success

Australian property developer Stockland had lofty ambitions for its new headquarters: to increase interaction between its different business
units, create a more open working environment and reflect the firms strong green credentials. Their choice to refurbish eight storeys within
an existing 32-floor high-rise tower made this more of a challenge. However, project engineers Arup used pioneering fire engineering to
demonstrate that existing buildings can be rejuvenated, while achieving environmental excellence.
The design solution proposed by the
projects architects, BVN, was to connect
the floors with an open atrium and central
staircase. Arup environmental consultants
developed the design to increase fresh
airflow by 200% and enhance natural light
throughout the tenancy. However, both the
architectural vision and the environmental
objectives required the atrium to be as
open as possible an aim that contravened
the Building Code of Australia (BCA)
fire codes.
The spread of fire and smoke is a major
concern for open atria and interconnected
floors, so BCA codes specify that only
two storeys may be linked together. The
design team realised that to achieve their
vision, rather than following the prescriptive
BCA code they would have to take the
alternative performance-based approach

to fire safety. This allowed them to be

more creative with their design, but placed
the onus on the engineers to achieve a
fire-safety solution that satisfied the
New South Wales Fire Brigade.
The most commonly used solution of
installing smoke exhaust to draw smoke
away from floors in the case of a fire was
not an option, as the necessary exhaust
shafts could not be installed through the
floors above, which were leased to other
tenants. Another possibility was the use
of vertical fire curtains that would drop in
the event of a fire, to separate each floor
from the atrium. While this was technically
feasible, the huge area of curtains needed
would have made it very costly and time
consuming to maintain and test.

Arup identified a solution that had never

been used in Australia before: a horizontal
fire curtain. This flexible fire-resistant fabric
is carried horizontally on thin wires, similar
to a swimming pool cover. It closes voids
and stops the spread of fire and smoke.
Arup realised that careful placement of just
two horizontal curtains at floors 25 and 27
along with small vertical curtains to seal
off the stairs on the same levels would
split the office into three compartments in
the event of fire; two of three storeys and
one of two storeys.
Before advocating the use of such a new
technology, the Arup team made use of its
internal skills network the firm has over
150 fire engineers worldwide to review
the performance of fire curtains. This gave
them the confidence to recommend the
solution. After extensive work to reassure

Stockland and the fire and building

authorities that the innovative solution
was sound, the team got the go ahead
for the first-ever use of horizontal fire
curtains in Australia.
Stockland has experienced significant
increases in the productivity of its staff,
as well as benefits to its business through
enhanced communication, due to the new
layout. The architectural vision has been
met, and an ageing office building has been
rejuvenated into a vibrant new space. None
of this could have been achieved without
the fire engineering design that enabled the
open atrium design to be embraced. This
award-winning project showcases what
can be done with existing building stock,
both in creating an exciting new work
environment, and in achieving excellence
in environmental performance

Project
The Pinnacle Advanced
Structural Fire Analysis
Location
London, UK
Client
Arab Investments Ltd

60 61

Tower of

strength
Vertical deflection of the structure
following exposure to a design fire.

Any high-rise building needs active fire safety

systems for early warning and evacuation,
including good stairwells and sprinklers.
These systems focus on occupant life safety
rather than structural performance in a severe
fire. In what is an intellectually challenging
and abstract engineering discipline, Arups
structural fire engineers deal with the
worst case scenario. They identify how a
structure would perform once fire has taken
hold, examining its overall stability and the
integrity of its structural elements. For a
signature building such as The Pinnacle, in an
international financial centre such as London,
this is a key consideration of the buildings
risk profile.

Arups structural engineers came up with

the structural concept first of all. Then the
fire engineers worked from first principles to
predict how the fire would affect that structure
how heat would cause the structural
arrangement to change shape, weaken and
therefore influence its overall stability. The
heating of the elements imposes forces and
strains in the structure, due to its changing
in shape with increasing temperatures.
These would not normally be considered
and designed for under ambient temperature
conditions, nor under traditional Building
Code based fire protection strategies. Such
analysis becomes more challenging as the
complexity of a structures configuration and
geometry increases. The 62-storey Pinnacle,
with its complex form and geometry, has
pushed the boundaries of structural fire
analysis as well as those of design.
Historically, engineers have turned to
published tables in Building Codes to
calculate resistance to fire. This is true of
all countries around the world. The tables
state fire resistance of a building of a certain
height in terms of minutes. The underlying
methodology is to measure how long a
component part such as a beam lasts before
it fails when subjected to steadily increasing
heat in a furnace. The findings are scaled

up to provide a fire resistance value for a

building, and therein lies the problem. It is
impossible to scale up accurately when
dealing with a complex structure such as
that forming the Pinnacle.
Recent strides in understanding how fire
spreads and how materials and structures
behave when heated inform Arups approach,
allowing its structural fire engineers to
quantify the real performance of the buildings
structure in a severe fire. The severe fire
represents a reasonable worst-case scenario,
and is agreed in advance with the approving
authorities. The analysis quantifies in which
fire resistance is over-specified, allowing the
structural design to be made more efficient
and less costly in places.
Such techniques also allow the structural
fire engineers to pinpoint under-specification
the designs most vulnerable aspects so
that Arups structural engineers can then
strengthen the main structural design. For
the Pinnacle, the initial analysis revealed high
strains in the concrete slab over certain floor
beams, which in turn prompted additional
reinforcement measures to be included in
the design.

The Pinnacle, with its

innovative glazing system
has operable windows in a
complex faade, in order to
minimise energy-hungry air
conditioning unheard of in
a building of this type, and
making the effect of the
wind harder to predict.

The Pinnacle will be one of Londons tallest skyscrapers. The buildings complex shape and geometry meant that
Arups structural fire engineers needed to create new models for advanced structural fire analysis to predict how
the building would behave in a severe situation.

Heat water to its boiling point and it will

vaporise into steam. Heat a building and
its behaviour is less predictable. When the
62-storey office building known as the The
Pinnacle is built in the densely-developed
City of London, it will be one of Londons
tallest skyscrapers. Its scale and unusual
architecture pose complex questions about
how the building will behave in the case of
fire. The challenge for Arups fire engineers
was to answer them.

bookmark image 1 cityscope digital ltd/KPF

main image Arup/Eamonn OMahony/KPF

An expert for every scenario

It is Arups ability to quantify measures such

as load-bearing capacity in the event of a
fire that is so special. Advanced structural
fire analysis gives meaningful outputs, which
engineers can use to optimise a buildings
design. In essence, it allows the targeting
of higher resistance materials and design
techniques for key load-bearing elements
of the building in the event of fire.
Clients want certainty as to what would
happen in certain scenarios so they can
spend their safety budget wisely. Arups
experts provide just this

The challenges of designing

an exceptionally tall building
are not confined to
structural fire analysis.
The higher the building,
the heavier the load it must
carry. Arups geotechnical
engineers specified some
of the deepest pilings in
London to support the
Pinnacle. At 50m deep
and 2.4m in diameter,
they go right through the
London clay all the way
to the underlying strata
of Thanet sand.
The effect of wind on a tall
building is acute, and Arups
wind experts were an
integral part of the team.

Under the City of Londons

acoustics requirements,
the building must be quieter
than streets it stands on,
and not contribute to higher
noise levels in the city.
The Pinnacles operable
windows can let in street
noise too perhaps more
than its occupants might like
so Arups acousticians had
to consider noise levels from
both perspectives and come
up with technical solutions
that satisfied both
occupants and legal
requirements.
Arups wider team included
security experts, a disabled
access consultant to ensure
the building is compliant
with legal requirements and
even an expert on TV
interference. Its height
means that any effect on
the TV signals received by
neighbouring buildings
must be checked and
anticipated too.

Project
High Speed 1
Location
London via Stratford,
Ebbsfleet and Ashford
International stations to the
Channel Tunnel entrance, UK
Client
London &
Continental Railways

The big picture

Infrastructure is the essential framework on which the social and economic success
of a country is built. As the Victorians recognised, a railway signifies far more than the
sum of its physical parts. It is a means to create wealth, improve lives and give a nation
the promise of universal mobility. High Speed 1, as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is now
known, has proved to be a powerful catalyst for the regeneration of swathes of the
UKs south east. It has given the UK its first high-speed link with continental Europe.
As a project, it represents a highpoint in the UKs strategic infrastructure planning.

main image QA photos/LCR

Arups largest project

Arup has been involved with High Speed 1 for over 20 years. Some 1,600 Arup people have contributed a
collective 1,300 man years designing and project managing. The 109km-long railway project involved 50 kms
of large diameter tunnelling under 2,600 properties and 150 bridges. It facilitated Europes largest environmental
programme, including the planting of 1.2m trees, archaeological investigations, revealing a Roman town with
seven temples and a 400,000 year old giant elephant skeleton along the way.

When the idea of a high-speed international rail

link was first mooted in the late 1970s, railways had
long since fallen from grace. The focus of the UK
government at that time was roads and highways,
and the private car was king. With little apparent
consideration for future needs, the UKs first-ever
international railway was initially envisaged as a
minimum specification railway, tunnelled under
south London and terminating under Kings Cross
station. Threatening 5,000 homes with noise and
intrusion, it was a proposal based on transport
considerations alone.
A small group of Arup engineers, planners and
economists were dismayed at the missed
opportunity for the UK. On their own initiative, they
devised an alternative route through Stratford and
Ebbsfleet/Gravesend economically deprived areas
that would benefit from regeneration. Their plans
considered not just international travel, but also
regional commuter and freight trains. This small

62 63

group convinced Arups board to become the client

for a while. Arup funded the development and
promotion of the speculative proposal for an
alternative route, risking significant disapproval from
the status quo. Against the odds, the alternative
route found favour, was championed by successive
senior politicians, and the rest, as they say, is history.

investment in regeneration. However, the further

long-term positive effects can only be guessed at.
The challenge in a densely populated country such
as the UK, with its pockets of deprivation, is to
provide infrastructure that can create a focal point
for businesses, helping to attract workers and
investment that such an area needs for regeneration.

When High Speed 1 was opened by The Queen on

6 November 2007 on time and within budget it
heralded a new era in rail travel for the UK. And as
a major piece of enabling infrastructure, it proved
key to London winning its bid to host the 2012
Olympics. Furthermore, it will facilitate the
regeneration of deprived areas in the countrys
south east.

The four main objectives of High Speed 1 were to

provide an international railway; deliver a high-speed
commuter line; introduce modern railway technology
to the UK; and assist in the regeneration of Ashford,
Ebbsfleet Valley, Stratford and Kings Cross. Mission
accomplished. Freight will be further enhanced by
the displacement of passenger trains from the
existing classic railways, thereby relieving pressures
on the UKs increasingly congested roads, and
realising the potential of the Thameslink core
station at St Pancras International.

Putting a value on High Speed 1 is an almost

impossible task. While the total project cost was
5.8bn, conservative estimates confirm that the
project has directly leveraged around 10bn in

Project
Engineering a 21st
Century Railway
Location
Southern England, UK
Client
Network Rail LNET, Network
Rail SET, Edmund Nuttall Ltd

London

64 65
Embankment in cross section

Brussels

One building, three centuries

of British design
Considered one of the worlds
most beautiful stations, the
Victorian-built St Pancras station
has been refurbished and
extended to become the UKs
new international rail terminus.
It accommodates Eurostar and
cross-London Thameslink services
as well as the Midland Mainline
domestic services. It includes
facilities for the high-speed
domestic train services that
will also use High Speed
1 from December 2009.

Paris

The monumental construction challenges of the

railway are well known: 50km of tunnels and a new
bridge over the River Medway one of 150 new bridges.
But the greatest challenge for Arup, as part of the Rail
Link Engineering consortium, was in creating the myriad
interfaces with the existing railway.
Each of the UKs classic railway lines has its own history,
having been developed initially under private ownership
according to regional need. Until the mid-20th century
there was no national ownership or leadership. The
legacy of such fragmented beginnings is a significant
regional variation between networks: the tracks may be
the same size, but other aspects of the railway such as
signalling systems and power, are very different. Each
interface has to be resolved locally. The experiences
of High Speed 1 have had a positive effect in helping
to accelerate the standardisation of technology and
processes that Network Rail is now pushing through.
Looking to the future, the Trans-European Network
which will connect the major cities of Europe is being
designed and constructed for interoperability, or uniform
standards. High Speed 1 conforms to these standards.
To call High Speed 1 simply a rail project is to understate
its significance to the UK, both today and in the future.
It will challenge governments with tantalising new
possibilities. Its designers have incorporated functionality
which, though unused at the moment, makes a future
link possible between St Pancras International and the
UKs two main arteries the East Coast and West Coast
Mainline railway. Such a joined-up railway system would
be a glittering prize indeed for a government with the
courage and resources to enact such a vision.
Like their Victorian master engineer forerunners, the
designers of High Speed 1 have created both a solution
to todays pressing needs, and an opportunity for wealth
creation that may significantly benefit future generations

Back on track
Uncomfortable train journeys for commuters and costly speed restrictions for
train operators on the UKs railways are most pronounced in a hot dry summer.
Over decades, trackside vegetation has worsened the movement of the clay
under hundreds of miles of railway lines in the UKs south east. The answer
lies in vegetation engineering an innovative and strategic approach to track
management, at which Arup is at the forefront.

Those who travel by train

across southern England are
likely to have experienced the
bumpy ride that results from
the stressed rails that result
from shrinking and swelling
clay embankments.
Much of the UKs Victorian-era
railway and embankment
infrastructure is built on plastic
clay, which is particularly
vulnerable to swelling and
shrinkage. The embankment
system is complex to analyse: the
Victorians would often re-use soil
excavated from one area to build
up an embankment further along
the line, without ensuring that it
top

right image Plowman Craven Associates

was properly compacted.

Over decades, gradual
movements in the clay have
affected the infrastructure,
causing uncomfortable journeys
for travellers and expensive
speed restrictions for train
operators. Only recently, the
extent to which such movement
is closely related to vegetation
has become apparent.
Oak, ash and willow trees are the
main culprits, because of their
long root systems for extracting
water from the soil. Being
deciduous, their demand for
water is seasonal, which worsens
their effect on clay.

The shrinkage and swelling of

clay tends not to be uniform,
and so is difficult to predict
over a lengthy track. Wetter
winters and hotter summers
have exacerbated the problem,
which has been building up over
decades. The effects of climate
change are likely to worsen it
further in the future.
Historically, track owners
have been geared to clearing
vegetation that may compromise
safety - such as trees that could
topple onto the line, or simply
drop their leaves onto the line
- rather than managing

vegetation as part of their

asset-management strategy.
Arup has devised best-practice
guidance and a vegetationmanagement strategy for
track owners. It provides for
embankments to be
re-engineered and landscaped
over time. The aim is for offending
trees to be removed and replaced
with other indigenous plants.
This will encourage biodiversity
in the trackside habitat corridors,
without compromising the
engineering performance of the
tracks. The transformation will
happen at a pace that will not
shock the system.

In tandem with its work on

geophysical and vegetation
engineering for the industry,
Arup is monitoring water pressure
in two specific locations, Pound
Green and Magnolia Road, in
London. The two projects allow
Arup to study the effect in-depth
of nearby trees, and to obtain
high-resolution data without the
need to work on a live railway.
The findings provide micro
scale data on the behaviour
of different soil types and tree
combinations. This will
enhance the management
of clay embankments that are
subject to seasonal movements
in the UKs railways

Project
Information and
Communications Technology
(ICT) for Ebbsfleet Valley
Location
Ebbsfleet Valley, Thames
Gateway, UK
Client
Land Securities

Project
Building Information Modelling
at the Sydney Opera House
Location
Sydney, Australia
Client
Sydney Opera House

High-speed
innovation

Laser scanning was used to measure the complex Opera

Theatre ceiling so that it could be accurately modelled in 3-D.

Users

Carrier
Satellite/
TV
supplier

Tenants

Ebbsfleet Valley is major development at the heart of the Thames Gateway initiative,
the largest urban regeneration scheme in north-west Europe. The initiative is creating
opportunities for a large number of exemplar projects many involving Arup. Ebbsfleet
Valleys groundbreaking communications programme, for example, will provide 10,000
new homes with high-speed optical fibre broadband technology, helping the UK to
compete with leading next-generation networks around the world.
In the UK, the vast majority of homes are still
connected to telecommunications networks by
copper cables. While relatively quick home broadband
speeds can be achieved, this type of communications
infrastructure is constrained by distance. It is generally
not up to the task of delivering the kinds of high-speed
network services that are standard across much of the
Far East and mainland Europe. Land Securities, a UKbased property developer, was looking to change this.
They wanted IT excellence to distinguish the Ebbsfleet
Valley and saw significant value in the new community
having a high-quality broadband infrastructure.
Land Securities decided to take the bold step of
pioneering cutting-edge optical fibre technology at
Ebbsfleet Valley, and Arup advised it on how this could
be delivered, both technically and commercially. As well
as delivering high-speed data and entertainment services
to residents and businesses, Land Securities realised
that high-speed fibre to the premises (FTTP) technology
could also support estate management services.

These might include up-to-the-second transport and

traffic information, intelligent signage for parking spaces,
and CCTV security systems.
The technology could also play a role in encouraging
people to behave in a more sustainable way. For
example, residents might be encouraged to use buses
instead of cars, with the delivery of real-time public
transport information on mobile phones and into peoples
homes. Land Securities also wanted to eliminate
some of the less desirable side effects of traditional
communications networks, such as junction boxes in
the streets and satellite dishes on houses.
The high-speed optical fibre network being deployed
at Ebbsfleet Valley is significantly lower in cost than
traditional copper telecommunications infrastructure.
Arups approach for developing a partner-based solution
was a key element in making FTTP a reality. The four
elements critical to the project estate management,
residents, community, commerce were all embraced
by the Arup team

66 67

Technology
Partner(s)
for FTTP
Multi-utility
SPV=EVU
(EDF Energy +
Veolia Water UK)
Development
stakeholders
Developer/
Investor

Estate
management

Structure diagram
The Ebbsfleet Valley FTTP network is led by British
Telecoms Openreach division with product and
procurement support from BT Wholesale. Sky
is providing BT Openreach with the Fibre IRS
(integrated reception of satellite and terrestrial)
technology, which allows customers to receive
satellite and freeview signals at remote locations,
in this case via a BT exchange. The infrastructure
for the network has been installed by Ebbsfleet
Valley Utilities a joint venture between EDF energy
and Veolia Water UK. Arup provided the project
with programme management, information and
communications technology consultancy; and civil
engineering expertise.

The names Utzn and

Arup are inextricably
linked with the Sydney
Opera House. Together,
they created what is
without doubt the worlds
most iconic performing
arts centre. Thirty five
years since the opening
of this elegant and daring
building, the architectural
and engineering firms
behind it are once again
applying the very latest
technology to help
address the challenges
this unique venue will
face in the 21st century.
This time the virtual tool,
Building Information
Modelling (BIM), is
providing a new platform
for assessing renovation
proposals, while creating
a database that will serve
the Sydney Opera House
well into the future.

An icon
revisited
The Sydney Opera House symbolises Australias achievements
and ambitions. It is a deserving recipient of UNESCO World Heritage
status. But it refuses to rest on its glistening laurels. One of the most
heavily used performing arts centres in the world, it hosts over 2500
performances and events each year. To deliver this audacious schedule,
it relies upon systems and equipment that are as complex as the
intricate enveloping structure. The soaring shells cover no fewer than
seven performance spaces, served by 46 rooms that house building
services, 17 lifts and more than 1,500 additional rooms. In order to keep
the 35-year-old venue running smoothly, facility management spans
everything from day-to-day operation and maintenance of the building
through to major renovations.
Ove Arups transformative Sydney Opera House commission began
in the 1950s, working as design engineer alongside visionary Danish
architect Jorn Utzn. Arup made Utzns fabulously daring design
buildable, with ground-breaking use of computers to model the roof
and analyse its structure. Back then, 3-D analysis that would take just
minutes on todays desktop computers took 12-14 hours on computers
that filled entire rooms.

Since the opening of the Opera House in 1973, Arup has had an
ongoing involvement with the building, recently reuniting with Utzns
architectural practice, and Sydney architect JPW, for design work on
a program of refurbishments and upgrades. At the outset, the design
team recommended the creation of a detailed 3-D model of the facility
in order to trial design ideas virtually.
For a facility as large and complex as the Sydney Opera House this was
a major undertaking. The Arup team had the advantage of being able
to revisit the vast number of original plans developed in the firms early
days. The process combined Arups rich heritage with state-of-the-art
virtual modelling skills. Conventional site inspections and surveys were
undertaken, alongside modern laser scans. Conflict-detection software
was used to reconcile any discrepancies. Work on the detailed 3-D
model is still ongoing, incorporating new areas as funding for upgrade
projects becomes available.

bookmark image 1 and main image Sydney Opera House

bookmark image 2 Paul Simcock

The judges described the project as an exemplar

that clearly demonstrates the application of an
integrated digital solution as a world class facilities
management tool.

68 69
Sydney Opera House - present day

Sketch of construction methodology

Building Information Modelling concept

Sydney Opera House in construction

The 3-D model invited extension into BIM where

computer images can be linked to analysis tools
to support the design of the on-going and proposed
refurbishments and renovations. Arup took the lead
and explored the creation of links between the new
3-D model and a range of software packages to
perform structural, acoustic, and fire engineering
analyses. Once again Arup was pushing the
boundaries of technology to address the design
challenges of the Sydney Opera House.
Arup used experience gained in creating similar links
for the Beijing National Aquatics Center, dubbed the
Water Cube, constructed for this years Olympics.
These links allowed information contained in the 3-D
model to be shared with the specialised analysis
models. This minimised the duplication of data
creation and so speeded up the iterative analyses,
with the end result that optimum design solutions
could be found more quickly. Applied in reverse,
the process allowed the results of the specialised
analyses to be accepted directly into the 3-D model,
updating it with the latest design results.
With the development of the 3-D model of the
Sydney Opera House now well underway, users
have begun to notice other aspects of BIM that

could be incorporated over time to support

operations at the House. One such opportunity
might be visualising the sequencing of works in
areas featuring complex arrangements of plant and
structure, and so assisting works contractors with
their own programming. It could also be used to
capture and incorporate as built information about
the work undertaken as each contract is completed.
Another opportunity would be to develop the
3-D model as a two-way graphical interface for
monitoring and managing aspects of the building
services, and the fixtures and fittings. To help
demonstrate this opportunity, Arup has created a
trial programming links from the 3-D model to some
existing facilities management schedules. For the
user, the links would function in either direction for
example, from the room selected in the model to
the information about the room, or vice versa.
Developing such links, and other ways of making
the model more intelligent, were the subject of
a recent government-assisted research project.
The Facilities Management Association of Australia
subsequently recognised the Sydney Opera
Houses work with BIM by featuring it in
publications as an exemplar for the industry.

Late in 2007, the work was also recognised by the

Association of Consulting Engineers of Australia
(ACEA), one of Australias most prestigious
engineering award ceremonies. In their annual
Awards for Excellence, ACEA awarded Arup and
the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for
Construction Innovation its Project of the Year
Award, with Sydney Opera House as their client.
The judges described the project as an exemplar
that clearly demonstrates the application of an
integrated digital solution as a world class facilities
management tool.
BIM represents the worlds best practice in the
design, construction, and operation of building
projects; Arups design engineers are pushing the
software to a new level. Perhaps their greatest
reward, however, is in reconnecting with the Sydney
Opera House once again bringing new technology
to this iconic venue and in doing so, helping to
secure its future as one of the worlds most exciting
performing arts venues

image above Sydney Opera House

image top middle Arup/Max Dupain
all images with Sydney Opera House are courtesy of Utzon Architects/Johnson Pilton Walker (Architects in collaboration),
Arup, CRC for Construction Innovation, Hard & Forester (Surveyors). Visualisations by Wayne Dickerson, Associate JPW

Project
Sedibeng (Sharpeville)
Regeneration
Location
South Africa
Client
Sedibeng City Authority

70 71

Remembering the past,

celebrating the future
Sharpeville is a potent symbol of the human rights movement for the new South
Africa. The infamous massacre of 1960 in which police fired into an assembled
crowd of protestors, killing 69 and wounding 178 marked a turning point for the
country. Today, as the democratic movement continues to evolve, Sharpeville
is once again in focus this time as a centre for regeneration. Sedibeng District
Authority plans to create a fitting legacy for the site and has commissioned Arup
to undertake a number of studies for the project, including the creation of a
cultural precinct around the Sharpeville Memorial.

Sharpeville is hugely important

to the development of South
Africa. The massacre acted as
catalyst for a lengthy period of
active and armed resistance to
oppressive rule, and also marked
the start of the countrys long
isolation from the international
community. With the largely
peaceful transition to democracy
resulting in general democratic
elections in 1994, South Africa
continues to revere Sharpeville
as a symbol of the struggle. The
anniversary of the massacre has
been commemorated as an
official public holiday Human
Rights Day since 1994. The
significance of Sharpeville was
further highlighted when it was
selected by Nelson Mandela
for the signing of the new
Constitution of South Africa,
on 10 December 1996.
Today, Sharpeville remains an
economically deprived but unified
community. People live in a
mixture of shacks and social

housing, often built haphazardly

as money filtered into the district.
The police station, where the
massacre took place, still stands,
heavy with symbolism. Traces of
the event can be seen in the
urban landscape: a memorial,
museum and precinct, where
churches from nine different
religions sit together in a circle.
Here, strong social, political
and cultural elements exist
side-by-side.
The challenge for Arup was to
create a plan that celebrates and
commemorates the human rights
movement, paying homage to
past events while looking to the
future. The new scheme should
act as a catalyst for regeneration,
attracting private investment
and job opportunities to the
neighbourhood.
The Arup team began by
arranging a series of workshops
with representatives of the
Sharpeville survivors group,
the local library and the youth

forum together with other

residents. These workshops
explored how to achieve
such multiple objectives while
remaining relevant to the
local culture. Frank and open
discussions revealed the many
sensitivities important to the local
community. It soon became clear
that respecting heritage was
utterly vital, alongside economic
opportunities.
A closer exploration of heritage
revealed how powerful locations
themselves can be in terms of
both symbol and meaning within
local storytelling. The community
was keen to see storytelling
embodied in the new proposals,
allowing people to share their
messages with dignity. The Arup
team developed concepts for a
holistic urban regeneration
process within the community,
in a continuing dialogue
with residents

The Arup proposal

restructures Sharpevilles
residential area, linking it with
the Sharpeville memorial and
church precinct to create a
Heritage Hub.A pedestrianised
street the Heritage
Promenade has active retail
and workshop frontages linking
the community hall with the
memorial. Low- and mediumincome housing flanks the
promenade as part of the
general streetscape upgrade.
The existing museum, memorial
and library quarter are
rejuvenated and expanded to
integrate the Sharpeville Police
Station into the memorial area.
In addition to refurbishing the
existing museum and
community centre, an iconic
Human Rights Museum will be
built. It will house a research
centre, archive, and temporary
exhibition centre all built
around a new Human Rights

Square. Cafs and shops

will be incorporated, along
with facilities for visitors,
including the current arts
and crafts market.
The Heritage Hub will be
visually and physically
connected to a Sports
Community Hub. The towns
Community Hall will be
redeveloped to create a multipurpose venue for uses
including theatre, cinema and
banqueting. These innovative
schemes were developed with
reference to best-practice
heritage sites in Africa and
internationally, including
Johannesburgs Constitutional
Court, Port Elizabeths Red
Location Museum and
Jerusalems Yad Vashem
Holocaust museum.
Decision-making for
regeneration schemes in South
Africa is consensual and

collaborative: Arups proposal

has been approved by the
Sedibeng District Council and
has been developed in
consultation with affected
communities, during the annual
public participation process for
local development plans. Arup
led this process, providing its
unique blend of masterplanning,
architecture and urban
regeneration skills. National
Funding will assist Sedibeng
District Council in taking the
project forward, together
with government and privatesector investors.
Arup has successfully
responded to the challenges
of this culturally significant site
through adoption of the correct
scale of intervention, going
beyond traditional museum
concepts to create a symbolic
site, imbued with meaning and
integrated into a living
community.

In the words of Arup client Lisa

Seftel, City Director for the
Sedibeng Municipal Authority:

Sharpeville is
associated with the
struggle for human
rights and freedom in
South Africa. It is thus
fitting, as we move
towards the 50th
anniversary of the
1960 Sharpeville
Massacre, that there
are projects which
appropriately
remember this
struggle; and create a
legacy for past and
future generations.

Project
New York State Pavilion
Arts in Motion
Location
Queens, New York, USA
Client
Emerging Green Builders
of New York, New York
Parks Department

Renewable power
generation mechanics

New York State Pavilion Arts in Motion

72 73

Energy generating
micro-wind faade

Talent of
tomorrow
The Emerging Green Builders 2007 Natural Talent Design Competition gave free
reign to Arups new graduates to design on a park-wide scale. When they reviewed
their winning entry, the team was surprised to find that in just a short period of
time, Arups holistic approach to design was ingrained in their way of working.
It made their entry stand out from the rest.

The space-age towers and

circular canopy of the New York
State Pavilion stand abandoned
in the middle of New Yorks
Corona Park, a remnant of
the 1964 Worlds Fair. The
theme of the Fair was Mans
Achievement on a Shrinking
Globe in an Expanding
Universe, making the structures
fitting symbols for the borough
of Queens, which is home to
people from over 100 different
nationalities.
The 2007 Natural Talent Design
Competition was sponsored
by Emerging Green Builders,
part of the US Green Building
Council. It set young engineers
and architects in the New York
region the challenge of bringing
this derelict site up-to-date by
transforming the Pavilion into
a performing arts centre.

The design had to aim for high

sustainability standards and
consider the entire park, as
well as the vibrant community
of Queens.
The design team partnered
structural and acoustic
engineers from Arup with
architects at Atelier Ten and
Cook + Fox. The sites existing
structures are so iconic that the
team decided not to disturb
them. Instead they sheltered
the performing arts centre
beneath a Tent of Tomorrow.
This is a 350 x 225 foot elliptical
structure designed by Philip
Johnson. It has sixteen 100-foot
high columns that at one time
supported a coloured canopy
of plexiglass panels. They
wanted to preserve the iconic
architecture of the site while
designing a new space to excite
the community and re-energise

this area of the park.

The team made the early
decision that each piece of
the site should be interlinked,
and that each design decision
should influence several areas
of the project. This holistic
approach can be seen in
every element of the design.
The park gets surprisingly little
foot traffic as a result of the
flat and uninviting landscape.
In order to create a more
welcoming atmosphere to
entice more people into the
park, the team designed a
series of rolling hills around the
performing arts centre. The new
landscape also allows rainwater
to be collected for irrigation
and flushing toilets, while
screening the traffic noise of
the adjacent parkway.

The team used the same

contours to add a skateboard
park, legitimising the current
practice of performing stunts
within the parks empty
fountains. By placing it
close to the arts centre,
they hope it will lure young
people into participating in
community events.
Using the existing columns
as a framework, a huge
windscreen transforms the
Tent of Tomorrow into a smallscale power plant. The screen
is made up of thousands of
lightweight micro-turbines that
provide enough electricity to
operate the entire complex.
Any surplus energy would be
sold to the citys electrical grid.
The team had the innovative
idea of using some of the
electricity generated to activate
light-emitting diodes. In this
way, the windscreen would
become a self-powered lightsculpture. While many works of
art were lost from the Pavilion,
including contributions from
Andy Warhol, the sculpture
brings a sense of public art
back to the site and creates
a bright focal point for the
local community.
Inside the arts centre, the
green roof provides a blanket
of sound isolation, shielding
audiences below from aircraft
noise a flight path runs
directly overhead. The existing
basement is converted into a
labyrinth air treatment centre.
This uses geothermal heat

pumps to maintain a constant

temperature inside the centre.
Outside air is passed through
the concrete walls of the
labyrinth before entering the
conditioning system rubble
from the site demolition fills
metal cages to form the
walls of the labyrinth,
further helping the centres
sustainability credentials.
Completing the new performing
arts centre is an organic caf,
perched in one of the New York
State Pavilions existing towers.
It will be a spectacular spot to
enjoy the sweeping views of
the surrounding park, city
skyline and the new public
space below.

Labyrinth thermal storage

The judges said that Arups

winning team brought a level of
holistic design to their entry that
other teams failed to deliver.
While this was not something
they had deliberately intended,
it seems Arups approach to
design is inherent in their work
after only a few years with the
firm. Though no formal plans
for the future of the Pavilion
currently exist, members of the
Arup team have been asked to
meet with Parks Department
officials to present and discuss
their design

Acoustics and theatre design

all images except bookmarks 1, 2 and top left

Arup/Cook + Fox Architects and Atelier 10

Project
drawing water challenge
Ideas competition
Location
Global

74

The dew-catcher, WatAir is now at prototype stage, and its

designers are in discussions with manufacturers.

Creative flow
What links a dew-collecting pyramid, an idea for
re-deploying unwanted bicycles to speed-up water
pumping at bore holes, and a concept for an openwater
system for South Asias urban areas, to provide clean
domestic water, storm run-off treatment and recreation
space? The answer is the drawing water challenge a
global ideas competition masterminded by Arup and
supported by WaterAid, the international charity.

Idea for harnessing pedal power to pump water

more easily from wells and bore-holes.

One billion people do not have access to safe

water, while two-fifths of the planets population
lack adequate sanitation. Arup and WaterAid
decided to organise a global ideas competition
to encourage original thinking and innovative
solutions. Anyone in the world could participate.
The challenge was to create a new concept,
technology, product or innovation that could
help solve the lack of clean water or sanitation
suffered by so many in developing countries.
With over 100 entries from 19 different
countries, the sheer diversity and creativity of
responses was inspiring. The competition
unearthed some highly original concepts, which
may prove significant in improving access to
water for people in the developing world.
Ultimately, first prize was won by two Israeli
architects, Joseph Cory and Eyal Malka.
They conceived WatAir an inverted pyramid
array of lightweight dew-collecting panels,
collecting more than 45 litres of water each
day from the air. They have since developed
a prototype and are in discussion with
manufacturers. Maxime Hourani from Lebanon
took second prize for her immensely practical
idea of harnessing pedal power to help pump
water more easily from wells and bore holes.
Christoph Wust and Eva Nemcova of Germany
won third prize, for their openwater system

A means of purifying water while transporting

it is ideal for remote communities.

concept for urban areas in South Asia, which

incorporates an effective rainwater runoff
treatment, the supply of clean water for
domestic use and recreation space.
Other ideas have surfaced as successes
in their own right. One is a water carrier that
purifies water as it is pushed along. With its
potential to provide remote communities with
a device that both transports and purifies water,
the Reverse Osmosis Sanitation System
attracted praise and 50,000 of funding from
investors when it appeared on Dragons Den,
the flagship BBC entrepreneurial programme.
Arup has always championed creativity
and innovative thinking among its own
people. Its inaugural public competition
encourages and rewards original thinking
in those outside the firm too, helping to
find solutions to one of the biggest
problems facing mankind