News & Events - Institution of Engineers Singapore

Interview
Arup’s rail engineering capability
is allowing us to assist Singapore in
meeting its vision of developing a worldclass
transportation system, particularly
the Downtown MRT Line project where
we have provided a range of services from
alignment and routing studies to detailed
engineering design.
Q: How is Arup approaching the issue
of sustainability?
A: In the early 1970s, Sir Ove Arup, our
founder, was one of the first people to
talk of ‘sustainability’. So, sustainability
is not new to Arup.
Our design teams are working
together to investigate ways to reduce
energy demands. Through careful
design of the facades for projects like
the National Library, One George Street
and 20 Anson, solar thermal loads on
the building are minimised by reducing
the cooling needed from airconditioning
systems. Carefully positioned sunshades
project natural daylight into the spaces
within the building, thus saving electricity
to run artificial lights.
However, the greatest energy
savings would come from avoiding
airconditioning altogether. This is cleverly
achieved by permitting the passage of
natural breezes for the integrated civic,
cultural, retail and entertainment hub
(CCRC) and by providing assisted
ventilation and heat-reflecting canopies
for Clarke Quay’s streetscape.
As the Singapore and other Asian
property markets become more mature
and sophisticated, increasingly the life of
commercial buildings is being extended
Arup Singapore Pte Ltd
Arup opened its Singapore office in
1968. Over the years, the firm has
made significant contributions to
landmark projects such as OCBC
Centre, UOB Plaza, Temasek Towers,
Expo MRT station, Singapore Expo,
and the National Library Building.
The company’s other projects in
Singapore include the Singapore Flyer,
Fusionopolis, ION Orchard, Marina
Bay Sands Integrated Resort, The Helix
bridge, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
Sports Hub, School of the Arts, and
the renovation of Victoria Theatre and
Victoria Concert Hall.
Arup
Founded by Sir Ove Arup in 1946,
by retrofitting and refurbishment. The
Green Building agenda, along with
a tighter financial environment will
increase this trend.
Arup has studied the factors that
influence client decisions, and have
recently worked with the BCA to prepare
a guide book targetted at owners’ existing
buildings as part of their Green Building
Guide Platinum Series.
with an initial focus on structural
engineering, Arup has become a
global design, engineering, and
business consultancy, with a staff of
over 10,000 spread over 92 offices in
37 countries.
The firm first came into prominence
with the structural design for the
Sydney Opera House in Australia,
followed by its work on the Centre
Pompidou in Paris, France. Arup has
since grown into a multidisciplinary
organisation. Most recently, the firm’s
contributions to the 2008 Olympics
facilities in Beijing, China, particularly
the National Aquatics Center (Water
Cube) and the Beijing National
Stadium (Bird’s Nest), have served to
reaffirm its reputation.
On the right of the picture, The Helix is set against the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Image by Darren Soh.
THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER Jun 2010 · 31