Arup.com News RSS Feed

World's first microalgae façade goes 'live'

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The world's first full-scale bioreactive façade at the BIQ house in Germany is going 'live' as microalgae are fed into the system for the first time.

The tiny green algae will play a huge role in determining the future potential of this technology, which aims to provide shade and a renewable fuel source for the experimental apartment.

The BIQ house was built as part of this year's International Building Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg. With 200m² of integrated photo-bioreactors, this innovative passive-energy house generates microalgae biomass and heat as renewable energy resources. At the same time, the system integrates additional functionalities such as dynamic shading, thermal insulation and noise abatement, highlighting the full potential of this technology.

The microalgae used in the facades are cultivated in flat panel glass bioreactors measuring 2,5m x 0,7m. In total, 129 bioreactors have been installed on the south west and south east faces of the four-storey residential building. The heart of the system is the fully automated energy management centre where solar thermal heat and algae are harvested in a closed loop to be stored and then fermented to generate hot water.

Known as "SolarLeaf", this innovative façade system is the result of three years of research and development by Colt International based on a bio-reactor concept developed by SSC Ltd and design work led by the international design consultant and engineering firm, Arup. Funding support came from the German Government's "ZukunftBau" research initiative.

"We've done the research. We've got the units in place. Now as we add the microalgae we will see for the first time how the bioreactor façade operates in a real life situation. It is a test for the technology, but it also represents a huge step forward. If we can demonstrate that microalgae biofaçades can become a viable new source of sustainable energy production, we can transform the urban environment, as well as providing architects with a new source of inspiration."

—Jan Wurm, Arup's Europe Research Leader

The microalgae biofaçade goes live on 25 April 2013 when the technology will be presented in detail to the media and the team will publish comprehensive documentation on the system.

This new system is going to be distributed through Colt International.

World first bio-reactive façade debuts in Hamburg

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The bioreactor façade at the BIQ house is in position and will be showcased for the first time on 23 March at the opening of the International Building Exhibition in Hamburg.

After that, the integrated algae-based system will be put into full operational mode at an inauguration event for the media on 25 April.

The BIQ house will become the world's first pilot project to showcase a bioreactive façade at the International Building Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg on 23 March. With 200m² of integrated photo-bioreactors, this passive-energy house generates biomass and heat as renewable energy resources. At the same time, the system integrates additional functionality such as dynamic shading, thermal insulation and noise abatement, highlighting the full potential of this technology.

The microalgae used in the façades are cultivated in flat panel glass bioreactors measuring 2.5m x 0.7m. In total, 129 bioreactors have been installed on the south west and south east faces of the four-storey residential building. The heart of the system is the fully automated energy management centre where solar thermal heat and algae are harvested in a closed loop to be stored and used to generate hot water.

The innovative façade system is the result of three years of research and development by Colt International based on a bio-reactor concept developed by SSC Ltd and design work led by Arup. Funding support came from the German Government's "ZukunftBau" research initiative.

"Using bio-chemical processes in the façade of a building to create shade and energy is a really innovative concept. It might well become a sustainable solution for energy production in urban areas, so it is great to see it being tested in a real-life scenario."

—Jan Wurm, Arup's Europe Research Leader

The system will be officially presented to the media on 25 April 2013 when the biofaçade system goes into operation for the first time.

Best Modernisation of 2012 Award for Okrąglak Poznań

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Okrąglak Poznań, an office building in Poznan city centre, Poland, won the Best Modernisation of 2012 award at the CEE CIJ Awards Gala.

The Okrąglak building project consists of the refurbishment and conversion of a 7,600 m² existing department store into a modern office space. The old building dates back to the 1950s and was converted into a modern A-class office facility.

The regeneration into a modern office building not only refreshed its architecture but also converted this recognisable landmark into an iconic building.

Central & Eastern European Construction & Investment Journal is an English language magazine for the property development and real estate industry in Central and Eastern Europe.

For the refurbishment of the existing department store building and the connected office building, Arup was commissioned by the client to prepare the entire engineering design; including structural, geotechnical, mechanical, electrical and public health services engineering.

The key design intention was to provide technical solutions of redevelopment for both mixed office and commercial activities always taking into account the strong requirements of the City Heritage Authority.

The client also decided to apply for BREEAM status midway through the construction process and Arup provided the certificate assessment service, currently in progress stage.

Sustainability experts share knowledge in Warsaw

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Arup's Warsaw office was invited by the companies Sanitec Koło Sp.z o.o and Kludi to deliver the "Water and Sustainable Buildings" conferences and workshop.

These series of events took place a few days ago in the cities of Warsaw and Krakow and included a diverse audience of architects, developers, engineers and contractors. After a presentation on sustainable buildings design given by Jaroslaw Witek, a BREEAM International Assessor based in Arup's Warsaw office, the participants were divided into several groups and had to discuss various sustainable options for three exemplary types of buildings.

The key point of this event was the presentation of practical methods of "sustainable buildings" water management.

Arup Poland has consolidated experience in consultancy and engineering services in assessment, certification to standards and sustainable energy solutions. Its qualified professionals have broad experience in the best known certification processes such as LEED^® and BREEAM^® and have spearheaded their implementation in Poland.

Euro 2012 spotlights Arup's football skills

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:39:00 GMT

Arup's design skills will feature alongside the football talents of Ashley Young, Franck Ribery and the rest of the players at this year's European Football Championships.

The Arup-designed Shaktar Donetsk 50,000-seater stadium - the Donbass Arena - will play host to the opening game in Group D between France and England, as well as several other matches, including the second semi-final.

Arup played a key role in the design team that produced the €320 million Donbass Arena, which became the first new FIFA compliant football stadium built in a former Soviet country when it opened in August 2009.

According to Burkhard Miehe, the Arup lead structural engineer responsible for the design of the stadium bowl,

"Donbass set the standard for all the followers in the Ukraine and Russia. We still get enquiries from other clubs in Eastern Europe referring to Shakhtar as their prime example for excellent stadium design."

The Donbass stadium is just one of many major stadia commissions for Arup, extending from the City of Manchester Stadium to the Allianz Arena, so the fans will enjoy the atmosphere no matter what the final score.

Technical Adviser of Year (IJ Awards)

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:35:00 GMT

Arup took home Global Technical Adviser of the Year and Energy Technical Adviser of the Year at the Infrastructure Journal Awards last night.

The annual Infrastructure Journal Awards are an industry-leading event rewarding excellence and innovation in infrastructure and project finance.

The Global Technical Adviser of the Year Award is given to technical advisors working on outstanding infrastructure acquisition and project finance transactions that reached financial close in the previous year.

Impressive global project delivery

The award proves that Arup is recognised as the pre-eminent technical advisor in the infrastructure market.

"We are absolutely delighted that Arup's breadth, depth and global coverage of project finance and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) across all of infrastructure have been recognised in this way. The win highlights how much clients value the ability to integrate technical and financial advisory services."

Steven Lloyd
Global Leader for Transaction Advice

The award acknowledges 26 projects advised on by Arup that reached financial close in 2011 totalling US$20 billion in enterprise value. These included:

New Royal Adelaide Hospital
Gold Coast Rapid Transport scheme in Australia
Highways in Germany, Jamaica, Zimbabwe and Spain
Ferries in Turkey
Ports in Brazil, Turkey and Spain.

Download the full list of projects (PDF, 30KB)

Arup also advised ABP on its US$3 billion debt refinancing in the United Kingdom and worked on many of the year's significant airport transactions including those in Spain, Turkey, the UK and Russia.

Over the last two years and in a challenging market, Arup has advised on over US$40 billion closed infrastructure transactions across the globe.

Unrivalled in the energy market

The energy award acknowledges Arup's work advising on over US$8bn of transactions during 2011, including projects to help GDF, Enel, Eni and E.ON dispose of assets.

Other projects included the innovative Madrid gas network transactions and Fluxys acquisition; Sorek, the world's most advanced desalination plant , Bristol Water, CHP in Russia and advising the Blue Transmission consortium in their successful bid for transmission connections to offshore wind.

One of the projects that Arup acted as vendor advisor for, the Istanbul Ferry Operator Privatisation, won Infrastructure Acquisition Deal of the Year.

Arup was also shortlisted in the Technical Adviser of the Year categories for transport and social infrastructure.

2011 results: solid performance in tough market

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:50:00 GMT

Arup's annual results show the firm produced a solid performance in challenging trading conditions last year.

Top line global income rose by 8.7% to £966.4m (mainly due to the consolidation of Arup's South African business), while net cashflow was positive at £40.9m and operating profits were £24.6m.

"These results reflect our strengths as a global player. They are also in line with our forecasts for what we knew would be a challenging year. We are particularly pleased to have maintained global income levels, which underlines the fact that our clients continue to see the value we bring. Our resilience is founded on our established strategy of diversifying across businesses and economies.
"Looking ahead, economic volatility is set to persist in some markets, so the Board will maintain our focus on core strategy and the bottom line so we can return value to our staff and maintain our financial strength."

- Philip Dilley, Arup Group Chairman

The results are for the 12 months to 31 March 2011.

Download the Financial Statements 2011 (PDF, 500KB)

Energy research post for John Miles

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:37:00 GMT

Arup Director, John Miles, takes up new Research Chair of Transitional Energy Strategies at Cambridge University being co-sponsored by Arup and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Arup, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the University of Cambridge have joined forces to create new energy research post, reflecting growing interest in how society can build toward a lower carbon future while supporting sustainable economic growth.

Arup Director, John Miles, will leave his current post to take up the inaugural role as Arup/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Professor in Transitional Energy Strategies at Cambridge University from January 2012.

Professor Miles aims to use the post to explore the development of affordable, low carbon energy technologies and business models.

"It is a great honour to take up this position at Cambridge University. I hope our research will help to inspire some of the creative thinking that will be needed to open up real business opportunities for those engaged in leading the transition from our current carbon-intensive economy to a healthier, cleaner, lower carbon future."

- John Miles

Professor Dame Ann Dowling, Head of the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge, welcomed the announcement, saying, "Professor Miles' research will put a sharp focus on the practicalities of making the transition from conventional power to a lower carbon future. His new chair is a perfect fit with the Engineering Department's strategic theme, 'Energy, Transport and Urban Infrastructure', and the wider drive for energy solutions across the whole University."

Robert Barrett, Head of Research Programmes at the Royal Academy of Engineering, added, "We are delighted to co-sponsor this research chair with Arup. The Royal Academy of Engineering is committed to promoting the highest quality research into the key issues we face as a society and this post will do much to aid our understanding of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead."

Recent developments in both Brussels and Durban have underlined the global challenges involved in restoring the global economy to health and reducing the threat of global climate change. Affordable, low-carbon energy technologies will play a critical role in developing long-term solutions, which is why Arup and the Royal Academy of Engineering have been so keen to support the new Research Chair at the University of Cambridge.

Sainsbury Laboratory wins at WAF

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Sainsbury Laboratory at Cambridge University has won the World's Best Learning Building award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival.

The Sainsbury Laboratory brings together world-leading scientists in a working environment of the highest quality in the University's Botanic Garden. This 11,000m² plant science research centre also houses specimens brought back on the Beagle by Charles Darwin.

"This project connects building and landscape in a poetic and meaningful way. It is beautifully considered in terms of its human scale, and for activities for research and learning. The choice of materials display a profound tactile sense."

- WAF jury commendation.

The client brief called for a world class architecture for world class science. Showcase laboratories benefit from unusually high levels of daylight through extensive roof and façade glazing. Careful integration of the services with the structural form maintains the sense of openness throughout.

Achieving a target of 10% renewables on site was significant. Arup's detailed energy analyses and liaison with the local council meant these requirements were met early in the planning process. The laboratory has a bespoke BREEAM 'Excellent' EPC B rating.

Polish Aviation Museum wins award

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

The Cemex Building Awards has named the Polish Aviation Museum the best Institutional building 2011.

Completed towards the end of 2010, the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow (Poland) has a design that is inspired by aeronautical themes. Situated on the site of an old airfield (the Rakowice-Czyzny airport), from above the building resembles an aircraft propeller.

Arup's clients on this project were Pysall Ruge Architekten with Bartlomiej Kisielewski who needed Arup's expertise to achieve their vision of an outstanding modern building. Working together with the architects, the Arup team led by Andrzej Sitko Director, and Sebastian Szafarczyk, Structural Engineer, helped shape the building to reflect the architectural structure, which was inspired by origami art.

Arup's advanced structural design (including the long span steel structures) using architectural concrete, enabled the 4,500m² building to be built to accurately reflect the architects' vision. Arup's work also included the analysis and development of the competition concept and design, preparing building permit documentation and supervising aspects of the construction.

The building houses exhibition spaces, a cinema and conference room in two of its wings - and a library, cafeteria and museum offices in the third wing.

The CEMEX Building Awards recognises current small, medium and large construction projects that stand out for their innovative building solutions, concepts, techniques and aesthetic beauty.