49 articles / Shaping a better world involves helping people and communities to live and work together more effectively through physical connections such as transport and infrastructure or through virtual links made possible by the latest communications technologies.
Putting data centres at the heart of Smart Cities...
Infrastructure is a critical element to the development and competitiveness of nations across the globe. Yet there is often a gulf between those who plan their infrastructure on the basis of a strategic vision and those who look only at the narrower...
Since the global financial crisis in 2007, the UK’s political discourse has been greatly concerned about rebalancing the economy and moving away from a London-centric worldview with an economy overly weighted on financial services. Yet the...
Too often transport planners are focussed on...
3D printing can make us better designers and...
The advent of automated vehicles offers us a...
If infrastructure is to be truly sustainable, we...
Airports around the world are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels and temperatures, plus changes in precipitation, are all putting airport infrastructure and operations at risk. Airports need to address this urgently, and...
‘What is the role of an engineer?’ I...
Sam Goldwyn once said, “Never make...
The UK’s brave ambitions to complete its 80% reduction in total carbon dioxide emissions over the next 38 years will have major implications for the UK’s infrastructure networks. One of the main ways to reduce carbon emissions will be...
Breaking down the silo mentality ensures that projects embody and represent the full expertise of all those engaged in its design and delivery. The Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment (IDBE) Masters Programme at the University...
Having never watched professional cycling before...
Why has the engineer fallen from grace? That was...
As a Paralympian, having the best possible facilities in the Paralympic Village is critical for my preparation and competition performance. I fully expect London will deliver the facilities I need. During the crucial times leading up to a...
Do you digest data more effectively if it’s...
In the competitive world of global aviation,...
I’m based in Singapore currently and was in Hong Kong previously, and over the last 15 years I’ve seen first-hand how cities in this region are building successful urban metro systems. They’ve used their mass transit systems to...
The planning of new places or renewal of areas...
With the frequency of 'once in a century' weather...
When travelling on the Dubai Metro recently, I...
How can we, as engineers and designers, help hit the target of reducing greenhouse gas emission levels by 80% from 1990 levels by 2050? In its Infrastructure Trajectory, the Institution of Civil Engineers concludes that whole-life carbon assessment...
Apparently, one out of five people choose to live...
The launch of the US$25 Raspberry Pi – a credit-card sized computer built by a charity on open source principles – makes programming on pretty capable hardware widely accessible. Add to this the huge amount of data, such as maps,...
When it comes to predicting the rate of electric...
The financial storms battering the global economy...
The World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in Switzerland is over for another year. The annual event took place against the sobering backdrop of the Euro-crisis and the continuing after-shocks from the global financial crisis. However, the mood...
In creating the Social Firefly – an artwork...
‘Design’. It’s a word that's...
I believe that everyone is born with creative...
As the end of 2011 rolls around, I’ve been...
If the UK’s building sector supply chain is to achieve energy efficiency targets it will need to overcome an accepted culture of fragmentation and recognise the value in working together. You don’t have to look far to see the benefits...
Today (29 November 2011), the UK Chancellor made his Autumn Statement against a backdrop of tough economic forecasts for the country. The Office for Budget Responsibility is forecasting growth of just 0.7% in 2012, which comes on the back of a...
Chairing a recent debate at the Barbican in...
I am arguing against the motion in an Arup-organised debate that “This house believes that London will never have world class integrated transport infrastructure”. Why? Because I believe that London already has world-class integrated...
The formal announcement that the global...
Why can’t grey infrastructure such as...
Good design is cool, right? Definitely. But good...
A colleague of mine favours the expression that...
Communication is a key factor in the success or failure of any project. Keeping everyone on board and informed is vital, but the volume of digital communication we send, receive and post on the web is increasing exponentially. While this constant...
Like many young, second-generation Singapore...
With the disastrous £11bn NHS computer...
The UK government has published its...
‘Arup is different’. This is a phrase that I use frequently within the firm and with our clients. The idea of Arup being different goes right back to the founding principles of the firm and echoes throughout Sir Ove Arup’s Key...
UK entrepreneur Lord Sugar prompted an outcry when he fired an engineer from his TV show The Apprentice, saying, "I've never yet come across an engineer that can turn his hands to business". There are countless examples of engineers being...
Winston Churchill understood the impact of design...
Queues, queues, queues. Whether shopping or...
Today’s internet is intrinsically human focussed. For decades it has been used as a vehicle for allowing humans to share and consume information. But a shift has been occurring over the past decade. You may be reading this "directly" on the...
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