Arup recognised for excellence in shaping the Middle East built environment

Nine Arup entries were shortlisted; the three winners are: 

Masdar City Net Zero Mosque
Sustainable Project of the Year 

Recognised as Abu Dhabi’s first net zero energy mosque, the building generates 100% of its energy needs on-site via solar panels. It also employs passive cooling and circular design techniques to reduce operational energy use by a third and water consumption by more than half. 

The individual winners honoured for their contributions are:  

Samima Saqib
Mechanical Engineer of the Year 

Samima’s delivery of high-performance HVAC systems and energy saving strategies across projects including Expo 2020 Dubai and Park Lamar mean she is recognised for her technical rigour and commitment to sustainable design. 

Alreem Alfahim
Graduate of the Year 

Alreem’s contributions to facade design, sustainability and diversity include Mercedes Benz Places and Binghtatti Hills, where she played an active role in mentoring and promoting inclusive culture across Arup. 

These awards highlight Arup’s commitment to advancing sustainable design, technical excellence and engineering capacity in the Middle East.

Paul Dunne, Arup’s Middle East Group Leader, said: “These awards are a fantastic recognition of the depth and diversity of Arup’s work across the Middle East. From pioneering net zero design to advancing digital engineering, they reflect the passion and ingenuity of our teams and the strength of our collaborations with clients and partners.  

“It’s inspiring to see our people and projects celebrated as Arup drives transformative development across the region.” 

Ahmed El Asrag was also highly commended as MEP Young Engineer of the Year for his innovative design work and leadership in sustainable building services across UAE projects, and his advocacy for energy performance through CIBSE YEN UAE.

Arup was also shortlisted in several other categories, reflecting the breadth of expertise across its teams in the UKIMEA region: 

• MEP Consultancy of the Year - Arup 
• MEP Project of the Year - Zayed International Airport Terminal A 
• Best Digital Innovation Initiative of the Year, BIM Tools - Dedicated Python Scripts that automate daily tasks 
• Mechanical Engineer of the Year - Shehzaad Chikte 
• Graduate of the Year - Siri Chandana Pallapu