National Building Museum to Present 2022 Honor Award to ARUP

WASHINGTON, D.C. —The National Building Museum announced it will present its 2022 Honor Award to global built environment consulting firm Arup. The Museum recognizes Arup as the 35^th recipient of this award for its seven decades of collaboration and creativity dedicated to shaping a better world through the built environment.

“We are thrilled to present Arup with the 35^th annual Honor Award and look forward to celebrating the organization’s contributions and future growth. Arup has long been at the forefront of the most ambitious and challenging design and engineering projects. With an intense focus on sustainability and innovation, the firm’s commitment to solving the most pressing problems impacting communities across the globe is exemplary and deserving of such an honor,” said Anthony Greenberg, Museum Board Chair and Executive Vice President, JBG SMITH.

Arup will receive the Honor Award during the Museum’s Gala on June 16. That evening, the Museum will also unveil its new Institutional Pillars, which provide a vision for impact and focus for its work. These four Pillars: Equity, Environment, Innovation and Wonder, now guide the organization. “Arup’s work in Creating Sustainable Futures is at the heart of their purpose,” said Aileen Fuchs, President and Executive Director of the National Building Museum. “This work directly aligns with all four of our Pillars, and this ethos, to make the world sustainable, drives both our institutions. Both Arup and the Museum are working to make a lasting and positive impact on the built world through our respective work.”

In conjunction with the award, Arup’s mLab will be on display at the Museum from June 17 through August 15, featuring content focused on global climate action. A mobile environment combining audio, light, and virtual reality using 3D ambisonic sound, the installation will demonstrate how decisions for a project’s different design iterations can be made using a virtual, first-hand experience. The mLab uses advanced VR and 3D audio technology to recreate any aspect of the built environment, from the interior of concert halls or train stations to the exterior urban environment and streamlines spatial coordination for collaborators throughout the design phases. It joins the Museum’s Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition which also utilizes immersive technology storytelling.

Leading up to the Gala on June 1, the Museum and Arup will co-host a virtual program to begin a year-long series that recognizes and highlights the firm’s work addressing sustainability and social justice in the built environment as part of the Museum’s Climate ABC series. The virtual program will feature Fiona Cousins, Arup’s Americas Region Chair and be moderated by Robert Kay, Arup’s Climate Services and Sustainability Leader. It will cover the power of digital technology, nature-based solutions, and community empowerment to move sustainable development from concept to action.

“It is an honor to receive this award from the National Building Museum, a champion of innovation and sustainability in the built environment,” said Fiona Cousins, Americas Region Chair at Arup. “As we reflect with pride on our work over the last 75 years, we also look forward to leveraging our skills, project work, and influence to meet the current challenges of climate change, social inequity and biodiversity, as we partner across the industry to create a more resilient world.”

Amazon is the Presenting+ sponsor for the June 16^th Gala which will offer an evening of entertainment, networking and inspiration, returning to the Museum after a virtual celebration last year. “The National Building Museum is doing critical work to educate and engage people about the built environment and challenge us all to advocate for a sustainable future,” said Brian Huseman, Amazon’s Vice President of Public Policy. “We are honored to support the 2022 Gala and the Museum’s efforts to inspire curiosity about the world we design and build.” The evening includes a cocktail party, seated dinner, award presentation and late-night after party. Sponsorships are available by emailing Gala@nbm.org.

mLab at the National Building Museum can be experienced June 17–August 15, Thursday– Monday, 11 am – 4 pm. https://www.arup.com/projects/m-lab