Ove Arup

Ove Arup (1895-1988), British engineer, the founder of one of the world’s largest and most famous civil and structural engineering practices. Arup’s contribution to the development of post-war architecture was immense.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne (of Danish parents) on April 16, 1895, Arup studied at the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Technical College, Copenhagen, working briefly in Germany before returning to Britain in 1925, initially to a career in the construction industry. He was consultant engineer for the Highpoint I flats (1933) in London and the Penguin Pool (1939) at London Zoo, both designed by the architect Berthold Lubetkin and both pioneering exercises in the use of reinforced concrete.

In 1946 Arup founded his own engineering practice, subsequently known as Ove Arup & Partners. The firm worked on many famous modern buildings, including the Sydney Opera House, Coventry Cathedral, the Pompidou Centre, Paris, and the Lloyd’s Building in London, and achieved a formidable reputation for innovative design. The architectural practice Arup Associates was founded in 1963, with Arup as a founding director, and achieved particular success in the field of university building. Ove Arup received the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1966 and was knighted in 1971. He was also honoured in Denmark, being appointed Chevalier (1965) and then Commander (1975) of the Order of the Dannebrog. Arup died on February 5, 1988, in London.