With experts in concrete, metals, glass, wood, brick, timber and composites, Arup is uniquely placed to advise on the use of materials in engineering and architecture – from design to reuse or demolition.
The firm's materials specialists support projects around the world. Their advice provides designers with workable options for materials and processes. It gives the best value for clients, helping them to manage their cost, programme and risk, and it enables owners to understand and solve problems in existing assets.
Design knowledge
Arup provides experienced design advice based on deep knowledge – from tried and tested processes, such as extracting and cutting stone, to using glass structurally in adventurous new ways.
Arup's specialists explore different combinations of materials, devising test programmes and carrying out desk and field research. For the Grand Egyptian Museum, they travelled to quarries in Europe, Middle East and South America to source a stone that would fulfil the architect's vision. The result is a spectacular 500m-long translucent stone wall, illuminated by the museum beyond.
Choice of materials and forming processes are increasingly driven by the use of complex geometry to design buildings and structures. To make Zaha Hadid's design for the Chanel Pavilion easy to adapt and transport, Arup's specialists made use of light but strong fibre reinforced polymer (FRP), a material more commonly found in boats and racing cars.
Sustainable materials and processes
Selecting more sustainable materials and processes can help to reduce the carbon footprint and resource consumption of structures, as well as allowing them to be more easily recycled in the future. By developing a deeper understanding of these issues, Arup's materials experts help clients to take sustainable decisions.
At One Coleman Street in London, Arup worked closely with client and contractor to enable recycled materials to be included in the concrete used to construct the office building. Using waste rock from China, clay production saved quarrying of new aggregate. Using 30-40% fly ash, in place of Portland cement, saved about 500t of CO2.
Arup works across the globe and in every sector of the built environment, from some of the world’s largest infrastructure, energy and building projects to one-off sculptures. Its specialists can give full service or ad-hoc advice.