Charlotte Fernández
UKIMEA Press Office,Leeds
Arup’s latest exhibition 'Concrete Inspirations' celebrates the innovative use of reinforced concrete in architecture, art and engineering.
The exhibition focuses on two of Arup’s most interesting projects from the founding years of the firm in the late 1940s: Busáras, Dublin’s main bus station, and the monumental Brynmawr Rubber Factory in Wales, both of which were seen as ground-breaking designs for their time. The exhibition also explores the ingenuity of those responsible for the soon to open Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, Taiwan, designed by Toyo Ito and Associates, Architects, and engineered by a multi-disciplinary, multi-national Arup team.
Alongside showcasing notable Arup projects, Concrete Inspirations presents the work of artists Bernd and Hilla Becher, Thomas Demand, Luisa Lambri, Simon Phipps and Rachel Whiteread who have all been inspired in different ways by the material and provide fresh perspectives on its potential.
The exhibition includes sketches from the Arup archives, on display for the first time, as well as photographs, films and architectural models within the surrounds of an extraordinary concrete structure designed by Interrobang Architecture and Engineering.