Arup has pioneered many of the key ideas and strategies in sustainable building design. The firm's approach addresses energy and resource conservation as well as the social value and environmental consequences of urban development.
Over 70% of the average city's greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to derive from buildings. Reducing these will require radical transformation in the ways that the built environment is planned, designed, built and operated.
A pioneer in green buildings
The firm has a long track record of completed green buildings, including the BedZED development in the UK, the Druk White Lotus School in Ladakh, India and the California Academy of Sciences in the USA. Such projects have developed Arup's understanding of sustainable strategies for different climate zones and diverse economies.
Excellent, effective design has never been about 'one size fits all'. A member of green buildings councils in all regions in which the firm is active, Arup is working closely with governments and legislators on policies, metrics and objectives that are influencing the construction industry worldwide.
Sustainable design strategy in action
Arup provides creative and viable strategies that enable clients to imagine how to move towards fully sustainable buildings. At the beginning of every project, Arup aims to provide clients with a strategy for design within the natural capacity of the planet. This process helps clients to understand how their buildings might be:
- Carbon neutral.
- Self-sufficient, by collecting and reusing water.
- Built using sustainable materials.
- Able to cope with climate change.
- A positive contribution to the community and built environment.
- Sustainable in operation.
The strategy then forms the basis of workshops with the client and project team that aim to agree project goals and plan the steps needed to achieve them. The result is more sustainable results, often at little extra cost.
Arup teams in all regions are experienced in helping clients gain the required regional green building accreditations for new and existing buildings. Examples of the highest LEED®, BREEAM and Green Star rated buildings on which Arup has worked include the ARD building for Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, USA and DPI Queenscliff in Victoria, Australia.
Community impact
Achieving real change in the environmental impact of cities is not just about making each separate building function better. It is about how the city can become more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable as a whole.
Sustainability is at the core of all Arup's design services and is intrinsic to the firm's approach to every building project.