Arup tapped for $11 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Philippines

Design and engineering firm Arup has been brought to aid the Filipino government with planning of $11 billion worth of infrastructure projects under the country’s ambitious ‘build, build, build’ agenda, which now totals more than $180 billion in projects over the next decade.

Among the flagship projects announced under the Philippines’ unprecedented $180 billion infrastructure push, including proposals for six airports, nine railways and four separate seaports, are plans for a comprehensive road transport upgrade, with a complex network of highways, tunnels and bridges set for construction.

Backed by a $100 million loan from the Asian Development Bank to expedite the government’s bold endeavours, the Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has now announced the UK-headquartered multinational design and engineering services firm Arup as the selected advisory on $11 billion worth of transport projects, one of three expected consulting packages to be awarded by the department.

"We are delighted to celebrate this appointment, and we look forward to bringing our local and global expertise in designing the much-needed infrastructure projects to help improve the connectivity and livelihood of Filipinos and the Philippines to support its economic development,” Arup's Director of Infrastructure Mark Wallace said on the announcement. 

Selected under the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) procurement standards, Arup will be responsible for conducting feasibility studies and preparing detailed engineering designs for a number of technically challenging projects, including long-span inter-island bridges (such as the $1 billion priority plan to connect the Visayas) and transport tunnels to penetrate sections of the country’s mountainous terrain.

“Major infrastructure projects involving the construction of tunnels through mountainous areas and long-span bridges across islands are unprecedented in the Philippines,” DPWH’s Secretary Mark Villar said on the announcement, “A world-class firm like Arup will help our government generate large-scale, state-of-the-art infrastructure projects, optimise public investment, and realise our infrastructure vision.”

The ADP’s director of transport and communications for Southeast Asia, Hiroaki Yamaguchi, added, “DPWH’s selection of Arup, which has decades of experience in mega transport projects, shows that the Philippine government is becoming increasingly savvy in managing large-scale infrastructure projects… We expect Arup to share its cutting-edge technology, innovation, and know-how with the government.”

Active for over 30 years in the Philippines, that innovation and expertise has been applied across a diverse range of local projects, from conducting a review of emergency shelter responses in the country to providing structural engineering services on the 60-floor Saint Francis Shangri la Place in Manila – the country’s tallest residential block – establishing the firm’s reputation as a local industry leader in building design, seismic engineering and infrastructure delivery.

One of 35 globally, Arup’s Manila office is supported by numerous outlets across the Asia Pacific, a region in which it has contributed to the development of several notable and iconic structures, such as its involvement in the original design of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and, more recently, performing structural engineering duties on China’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ – the Beijing National Stadium designed as the centerpiece of 2008 Summer Olympics.