Architect Spotlight: Arup

September 13, 2016

Arup is a multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering firm headquartered in London. Ove Arup, a Danish British engineer whose influences include, Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus movement, founded the company. Arup has participated in projects in over 160 countries and operates in 92 offices around the world. Among those projects is the Sydney Opera House, which is credited with launching Arup into premier engineering consultancy status.

Among Arup’s significant projects are two drastically different GKD Metal Fabric projects. In one project located in Singapore, Arup collaborated with W Architects to create the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall. A vast contrast from the gorgeous public arts building is an impressive gigantic steel robot, engineered by Arup and located in Inden, Germany.  Each project solves unique challenges with stainless steel metal fabric, while achieving very different results.

A symbolic statue straddling the divide between an industrial era, and a media-based era, the Indemann as it is known, illuminates the landscape with a modern tower like a lighthouse. The 118-foot robot is the work of both Maurer United Architects (MUA) and Arup – like many of Arup’s projects; a collaboration. Arup engineered the stainless steel construction and MUA designed the creature from a story tale rendering. Arup chose a weather and temperature resistant Illumesh from GKD Metal Fabrics. Then, bringing the tower to life are 40,000 LED lights meant to evoke an engaging experience both externally and internally.

The renovation of the historic theater is part of a four-year revitalization effort to modernize Singapore’s 13,800 square foot cultural center. W Architects and Arup collaborated on the project to improve acoustics and stage visibility, while integrating historic features with modern interior design. They specified the woven stainless steel material from GKD Metal Fabrics, Omega 1520, for its reflective, transparent and high-end aesthetics and acoustic functionality. With it they created a pleasing, golden metal backdrop along the theaters interior framing the historic red fabric seats. Running the length of the ceiling is 1,100 square feet of GKD stainless steel metal fabric. Finally, bringing it all together, Arup specified a decorative GKD Metal Fabric, Baltic, to frame the theaters spiral staircase.

Arup takes an unconventional approach to design leading the firm’s diverse individuals to solve architectural challenges in innovative ways. With GKD’s many gorgeous and equally functional applications applied by Arup, it is easy to conclude that the firm’s inclusive culture of bringing all disciplines into the design process leads to extraordinary outcomes.