The past
The mid 1980s were landmark years for Arup. In addition to completing the firm’s first US projects – the Menil Collection Museum in Houston, Texas, the Intelsat Headquarters in Washington DC, and the PA Technology Center in Princeton, New Jersey – Arup also established its first North American office, opening in San Francisco in 1985.
Initially staffed by engineers from Arup in London, the office provided multidisciplinary building engineering services, working with local architects, including Anshen + Allen on the Clovis Community Hospital and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University.
The following year a second office was opened in Los Angeles. Early projects there included educational facilities, performing arts centers, libraries and hospitals.
With a growing local reputation for integrated engineering design, Arup’s staff numbers and clientele grew. Three years later the firm expanded its presence eastwards, opening in New York in 1988.
This new venture proved to be a challenge as the economy was in recession in the early 1990s. However, when the economic downturn passed, Arup entered a growth phase which enabled offices to open in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Seattle, New Jersey, Washington DC and Toronto in the first decade of the new century.
Significant projects completed in the past 10 years include the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Seattle Central Library, JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport and the redevelopment of New York’s Lincoln Center, the United States Airforce Memorial in Washington DC, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and more.
The present
A quarter of a century later, Arup in the Americas has a diverse staff of about 1,000 people in 10 offices offering planning, engineering, design and consulting services. Even in the current challenging economy the demand for our services remains strong and the firm continues to grow.
One area where Arup's skills are in particular demand is in planning, designing and overseeing the construction of large infrastructure projects including the California High Speed Rail project, Transbay Terminal in San Francisco, Fulton Street Transit Center and Second Avenue Subway in New York and the Spadina Subway Extension in Toronto.
Internationally, Arup’s US offices are working on challenging projects including the Songdo City development in South Korea and the Torre Reforma highrise in Mexico City.
The future
So, where to from here? We believe that the way forward is onward and upward. As the world starts to grapple with the consequences of climate change and resource scarcity, industry and governments will need to find more efficient, less wasteful ways of getting things done. Arup understands that those who embrace this philosophy will thrive.
In the coming decades we aim to grow organically, adding staff, offices and skills while broadening our service offerings. By focusing on clients and staying true to our mission of shaping a better world, we are confident that Arup will continue to play a key role in improving the built environment across the Americas.