We are an independent firm, owned in trust by our members. We choose work where we can make a positive difference in the world.

For over 75 years, Arup has been recognised for its vision, talent and tenacity.

Dedicated to sustainable development, the firm is a collective of 18,000 designers, advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to be both humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.

Arup’s shared values, like our firm’s name, are derived from the beliefs and convictions of our founder, the engineer and philosopher Sir Ove Arup. He believed that work was only valuable when it had something higher to strive for. We continue to embody that idea – that our work is truly profitable when it shapes a better world. 

As a global sustainable development consultancy, our work is focused on producing safe, inclusive and resilient communities, infrastructure and cities. We recognise that sustainable development encompasses many different factors. So, our work also prioritises environmental regeneration, biodiversity, conservation of resources, stable economic growth and social value.

A commitment to the planet

Our people are working at the forefront of a more sustainable world, developing new approaches to the built and natural environments we all share. As a firm, we continue to make significant commitments that will lead to greater conservation of resources, biodiversity, and energy, in everything we do.

Striving for something higher

On 9 July 1970 in Winchester, Sir Ove delivered 'The Key Speech' to all his partners from the various practices. In this speech Ove set out the aims of our firm and, in his own distinctive and philosophical way, identified the principles by which they might be achieved.

The aims and principles laid out by Sir Ove represent our values. These values are our guide to how we deal with our clients and the work that we do.

Today the ‘The Key Speech’ is required reading for each person who joins Arup and is valuable to anyone who wants to understand what continues to motivate us, both as individuals and as an organisation.

Today, working alongside a wide range of partner organisations, we use our technical and strategic capabilities to support the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised people in the world. Our community engagement programme aims to produce a more sustainably developed world, focusing on food security; clean and renewable energy; water and sanitation; improved shelter; and social mobility.

Whether it is empowering organisations tackling homelessness, designing products to improve handwashing in informal settlements or employing digital tools in disaster recovery, we constantly seek to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in the communities in which we live and work and beyond.

Making an impact

Community engagement is inherently collaborative. We achieve the most impact when we define what we are trying to accomplish early on, in partnership with affected communities and local organisations. Measurement plays a key role and ensures we stay focused on the most effective interventions.

Arup’s aims influence more than just our day-to-day work – they inspire us to look for greater outcomes from everything we do.

Our community engagement programme is ‘social usefulness’ in action. Whether it is initiatives to combat homelessness, improve sanitation in disaster relief programmes, or disaster recovery after earthquakes, we are always looking for ways to improve the lives of those most in need.

Supporting displaced people

Wars, famines, and climate change effects continue to displace millions of people globally. Single events rapidly lead to cascading challenges: hunger, lack of shelter, failed infrastructure, access to clean water and education. We help those affected through our global community engagement programme, working alongside relevant local NGOs and supported by our own international development team.

Like many, we are currently focusing our efforts on fundraising to help the millions of refugees from the war in Ukraine. We’re also supporting Rohingya communities displaced from Myanmar, as well as refugees living in camps in Greece, Lebanon and Jordan at present, many of whom are displaced by the war in Syria. Our work is also supporting refugees who have fled Afghanistan, helping them resettle elsewhere in the world.

The power of partnership

Partnerships are central to effectiveness. They ensure we give the right support, at the right time, to the people who need it most. These deep and productive relationships are a chance to share knowledge with partners and help our own people grow through experience. We are always open to new, long-term strategic relationships that can improve the impact we produce.

The global challenge

The global challenge is an Arup programme that provides seed funding for collaboration with partners and communities who can work with us on shared aims. Together we co-create ideas with impact and the potential to effect systemic change, and turn them from initial concepts into scaleable solutions that can benefit vulnerable and marginalised communities world-wide.