Mission & Purpose
Culture & Values
Quality of work
Ove Arup was always clear: money is not our main aim, it’s quality that comes first. There are many ways to define ‘quality’ but whatever we do, we aim to produce the most thoughtful, creative and sustainable solutions – for our clients and the communities we work in.
Total architecture
Our spirit is collaborative. Working life at Arup is never about titles, we listen in order to create and learn. ‘Total architecture’ simply means bringing everyone together, to benefit from their experience and insights. It also means we constantly evolve, adopting new disciplines, new people, and new ideas.
Humane organisation
Ove Arup’s goal was that we should always remain a humane and friendly organisation, however large we became. You’ll find people at all levels of seniority are willing to help, discuss or share their experience. A humane organisation is also one focused on working hard to improve the lives of people our work touches.
Straight and honourable dealings
Innovative and inspiring work is always built on trust. That’s why we expect the highest moral standards from our people – work of quality cannot be achieved any other way. A shared commitment to our values is how we produce great work for our clients, with enduring value for the communities around us.
Social usefulness
Having a greater purpose than financial gain was how Ove always believed Arup’s work could remain inspiring. Today, social usefulness means many things for us, from pushing designs to be as sustainable and inclusive as possible, to our people’s commitment to community engagement.
Reasonable prosperity
Money might not have been Ove Arup’s main priority for the firm, but he recognised the value of rewarding talent and remaining a great employer. Today we offer competitive salaries and benefits, wherever in the world you work for us. And as a membership organisation, we share our profits with our people twice annually.