Arup transforms office spaces in Birmingham and Manchester

Engineering and environment consultancy Arup has revamped two of its UK presences. After refreshing its Manchester office to become a more sustainable and flexible space, the firm has also moved into a new office in Birmingham.

UK infrastructure project leaders have endured one of the toughest periods in their modern history. While they showed surprising flexibility during the lockdown phase of a global pandemic, three years on, they face complex issues on all fronts. As Arup looks to build for a more positive 2024, however, it has announced the opening of two modern office spaces across England.

Previously based in Solihull, around 800 staff have been relocated to Arup’s new West Midlands home, which the firm also helped to build. The property on One Centenary Way is the third office building to be completed on the £1.2 billion Paradise estate in Birmingham city centre, and spans three floors, totalling 68,000 square feet of space. The building recently held its official opening and welcomed a new Formula 1 Arcade bar on the ground floor.

Head of the Birmingham office Cem Budak said, "This move is a true milestone for Arup, both in the Midlands and globally, as we welcome our staff to the office for the first time. By making this major, multimillion-pound investment in our future right here in the heart of Birmingham, we are underlining our local credentials and strengthening relationships across the entire Arup global network.”

Budak added that the new locale was “not just a local space but a regional, national and international hub”, from which Arup could hope to grow its global influence. He noted the new office is also “a space where our people can thrive and which will drive engagement with our clients and local communities."

The fit out includes a variety of workplace settings, social and wellbeing areas, creative spaces and a bike hub with changing facilities. The building also includes a dedicated café with an invitation to local social enterprises to operate it and an open-plan gallery on the ground floor which Arup will use to engage with local communities. The fit out of the space was carried out by Overbury, and designed by HOK.

Manchester

Overbury was also at the heart of another major fit out for Arup toward the end of 2023. The firm also completed a fit out of 36,000 square foot of office space at 3 Piccadilly Place in Manchester for Arup – with a major focus on re-use to meet Arup’s ESG commitments.

Arup has been based at 3 Piccadilly Place since 2014, and earlier this year committed to a further 15-year lease for the space its 500 Manchester colleagues occupy. Owned by Longmead Capital, 3 Piccadilly Place has undergone significant improvements to build on its sustainability credentials on a pathway to net zero carbon. The building already boasts a BREEAM Excellent rating, Certified 100% renewably sourced energy, and a WiredScore Platinum mark. 

Mike Wilton, leader of the Manchester office, noted, “Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts supporting a wide range of organisations across the globe with sustainable development. Practising what we preach is therefore key, so we are proud to be able to demonstrate state-of-the-art sustainability in our own office spaces.”

In line with Arup’s national estates investment strategy for net zero by 2030, the Overbury team worked closely with the Arup team to transform its workspace using the most sustainable methods possible, including reusing furniture where possible. This saw Overbury reuse 70% of existing furniture, working with circular economy partners from the local supply chain to limit the number of items being bought new or sent to landfill. Where furniture could not be reused, Overbury purchased items through its subcontractors to create cradle-to-cradle solutions.

Repurposed items also included reupholstered sofas and lounge chairs, plus re-powder coated stools and media units. Also, 1,800m2 of carpet was returned via a local take-back scheme. Using this approach saved 91 kgCO2e of carbon – the equivalent to 42 return flights from Manchester to New York City. Finally, Overbury implemented a social value plan for the project, which aligned with Arup’s ESG commitments.

Philip Westwood, director at Overbury, concluded, “We worked closely with Arup throughout this project to create a vibrant new workplace that meets the company’s broader net zero targets and aligns with their ambitious ESG strategy. By expanding into the existing premises at 3 Piccadilly Place using the most sustainable approaches to office design, including a strong focus on reuse, we’ve produced a future-proof office space for many years to come.”