What It Does: Arup specialises in services such as building information modelling, design, town planning, economic planning, architecture, facilities management, and engineering. Arup also provides consulting services such as sustainable development advisory, geotechnics, acoustic consulting, etc.
Mission: Collaborating with partners and clients using imagination, rigour, and technology to create a better world.
Size and Presence: Arup employs more than 300 specialists in Singapore. The company just has a single office in the country.
Best Known For: Arup is best known for being the brain and muscle behind some of the most iconic and notable projects in Asia, including the Singapore Flyer, The Helix, and Singapore Sports Hub. At the 2022 edition of the Singapore Structural Awards, Arup bagged the sustainability award. Also, in 2022, Arup bagged two wins at Singapore's Land Transport Excellence Awards.
The Good Bits: Arup is a great place to work and offers generous benefits to its employees. The company has a very conducive working atmosphere for interns and new graduates. Arup has a great culture.
The Not-So-Good Bits: The pay for low-level and mid-level employees is not competitive enough.
Arup came into existence in the mid-20th century. Sir Ove Arup founded a company he named Ove N. Arup Consulting Engineers. Before then, he was already renowned as an authority in reinforced concrete. In 1963, he established Arup Associates with Philip Dowson, a renowned architect. In less than three decades, the company was already widely recognised for its significant contributions to the built environment. Arup built its structure on employee ownership. The company expanded its operations to Singapore in 1968.
In 2013, the company had grown to a global presence of around 90 offices across 60 offices. All of Arup's offices were connected via internet-enabled collaborative working suites, which enabled these offices to join hands on a single project. The company’s project portfolio in Singapore includes Singapore Flyer (2008), Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts (2010), The Helix (2010), Singapore Sports Hub (2010), and Capitol Development (2015).
Life at Arup can be summed up in one word - pleasant. The company's culture was built on specific core values: Quality of Work, Humane Organisation, Total Architecture, and Straight & Human Dealings. The first value entails the company’s prioritisation of excellence in service. The "Humane Organisation" value shows the employee-centricity of Arup. The company is owned and powered by employees. Every worker is treated with respect and valued for their contributions. The company ensures that every employee benefits from its welfare program and that no one is sidelined.
Arup is open to all competent employees regardless of gender, marital status, age, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, nationality, etc. The final value entails its integrity in dealing with its clients and stakeholders. The workspace is collaborative, making it easy for interns and fresh graduates to adapt to life at the firm.
Whether you’re a career changer, a new graduate, or an enthusiastic intern, there’s a home for you at Arup. The company has its university, which it has been running for over two decades. Arup University offers training modules and courses to its employees. It also hosts visiting academia and keynote speakers. The company runs a global learning and development programme with the aim of upskilling its workforce. However, most of the company’s employee training occurs in the form of practical working experiences, mentoring or coaching, interacting and working with more experienced colleagues, and working on real projects. This will accelerate the trainees’ professional development and make them high-value employees in the near future.
Arup hires new employees by screening their virtual applications, assessments, and interviews. Then it rounds it up with a job offer.
An entry-level employee working at Arup earns around an average of SGD 45,000 yearly.
Through its global community engagement programme, Arup has been combating homelessness and improving sanitation in its host communities. Arup has been supporting local NGOs in Singapore.