News releases 2015

Atkins: creating smarter infrastructure - a year in review - 21 December 2015

Atkins: creating smarter infrastructure - a year in review - 21 December 2015

As the population of the world's cities soars towards four billion, the need for new, transformative, approaches to infrastructure development is intensifying.

Uwe Krueger, Atkins' CEO, said: 'As urbanisation increases, infrastructure spending across the globe is predicted to grow significantly in the medium-term. Technology is having a significant impact on our world and while shifting client expectations, it is creating new opportunities.

'Looking ahead to 2016, cities must prepare for the new innovations and technologies that will fundamentally change how people live, move and interact with their surroundings. We look forward to playing our role in making people around the world more connected and the cities they live in more efficient.'

A review of our key projects over the last year which show how we're transforming our world and enriching lives:

Middle East
Viceroy Dubai Jumeirah Village, UAE
We've designed an award winning mix of serviced apartments and a five-star hotel in a 60-storey tower with stunning sky gardens in Dubai. It's all about providing a home for people, whether it is long or short term. Working together as a multidisciplinary team from the outset, our unusual configuration of the building maximises living space.

Riyadh Metro, Saudi Arabia
We're working with technology to reduce congestion and pollution on the Riyadh Metro, the largest transportation project in the world. As part of the FAST consortium, we're working on three of the six lines which will operate 69 driverless trains. Once complete, the Metro will offer sustainable, attractive and fast public transport for the first time.

Dubai Opera, UAE
We're helping to form the cultural heart of Dubai and creating an architectural landmark at the same time. We've designed a stunning, multi-functional theatre which will attract performers and audiences from far afield. Hosting opera, theatre, concert, exhibitions and conferences, the centre will provide entertainment and events for years to come.

Asia Pacific
Vincom Landmark 81, Vietnam
We're transforming the Vietnam skyline with a new iconic landmark for Ho Chi Minh, set to be the tallest building in Vietnam at 460m. We've worked closely with the client to respond to changing market conditions - increasing the residential units and decreasing the office and hotel space.

Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Crossing Facility (BCF), China and Hong Kong
 We're shortening travelling time for people and freight. A major construction contract for a new cross-boundary, direct transport link through tunnels between Hong Kong's northeast New Territories and Shenzhen East on Mainland China.

Event Horizon Structures, Hong Kong
We've played a key role in launching a visionary art project that transforms Hong Kong's skyline and cityscape. 31 eye-catching sculptures, designed by leading British sculptor Antony Gormley, have been erected both at street and building top level across the central and western districts of the city.

Seaton Plaza, China
We've developed a landmark destination for business and leisure in Chengdu, China in the form of a 39 storey office tower, a 38 storey Hilton hotel and a 43 storey apartment complex. The crystalline building complex with its modern and geometrical shape gives a pure and classic appearance.

Singapore Grand Prix, Singapore

Our specialists are working on world class sporting events where safety is paramount. Our innovative incremental improvements in areas such as track surface and lighting have led to consistent progress in the staging of the Singapore Grand Prix. The 5km circuit is made up of public roads in a populated area and weaves through a commercial district that has retail, hospitality and cultural centres.

UK
Birmingham New Street station, UK
We've helped transform Birmingham New Street into a vibrant, spacious and bright transport hub. The station opened to the public in September and is one of Britain's busiest inter-change stations with over 170,000 passengers daily. It's now a retail destination in its own right.

Crossrail, UK
We're connecting people in London and creating a world beneath our feet. An Atkins/Arup partnership undertook one of the largest and most important elements of the Crossrail project - the detailed design of the major twin tunnels under central London. We're also upgrading 30 existing, and building 10 new, stations. Upon completion the line is expected to carry 72,000 passengers per hour through 40 stations.

University of Edinburgh Easter Bush Campus, UK
Our iconic design for the £32 million Easter Bush Campus will provide state-of-the-art facilities for students and staff and act as a focal point and gateway. Features include a 'living green' wall and another that appears to float above ground. The campus will provide specialist veterinary research and teaching facilities.

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs), UK
We can see a future with driverless cars. As lead partner in the Venturer consortium we're trialling autonomous vehicles in the south west of the UK and exploring the feasibility of driverless cars. These vehicles have the potential to enable huge social and economic benefits.

Stafford Area Improvements Programme, UK
This programme will deliver faster, more frequent rail services, reducing congestion and improving reliability for customers. We're working collaboratively with Network Rail, Laing O'Rourke and VolkerRail - the UK's first 'pure alliance' to boost capacity and reliability on the West Coast Main Line.

Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, UK

We're working with the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity which provides specialist palliative care and support to families. We're providing cost management services on the project which will accommodate a range of facilities including a specialist inpatient unit, day therapy, support accommodation and external landscaped facilities.

Europe
European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), Denmark
We're helping Danish trains arrive safely on time. With a total replacement of signalling systems on the entire rail network, the 196 million passengers a year will have a more reliable rail service, with more trains on time and higher security for the entire rail network. Once complete, about 80% of the signal related delays will disappear.

Copenhagen-Ringsted Line, Denmark
We're shortening rail passengers' travelling time in Denmark with their first high-speed rail line. As part of the trans-European network, some 10-12 million passengers are expected to use the line every year.

North America
Comstock Border Patrol, Texas, USA
We're working as part of a team to ensure a secure Texas through our design of the new Comstock Border Patrol Station for the Department of Homeland Security. More than 250 members of the US Border Patrol are housed in this facility, where training, intelligence collection, and support to air and ground patrol operations happen.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Louisiana, USA
We're transforming New Orleans International Airport by returning it to a world-class facility in form and function enhancing passenger experiences. Our design blends the region's unique colonial past with its cosmopolitan present. The multi-phase project requires a new terminal facility with expandability to 42 gates, a new airfield apron to support the terminal, roadway improvements for access and circulation, and on-site parking facilities.

Cobb County SPLOST Program, Georgia, USA
We're assisting Cobb County residents to reach their destinations through a major transport improvement program, delivering more than 1,000 projects in the local area.

Project NEON, Las Vegas, USA
We're playing a key role in transforming the city of Las Vegas. Project NEON involves the development of a 3.7 mile freeway through the heart of Las Vegas, an area currently seeing 300,000 vehicles every day. With traffic expected to double in the next 20 years, the project will dramatically reduce congestion and boost safety, mobility and accessibility in Southern Nevada.

Energy

ITER, France
We're working to deliver safe, clean and limitless energy for the future. The world's latest experimental nuclear fusion reactor in southern France sees the fusion reaction of atoms catalysed to create temperatures ten times hotter than the sun.

EDF Energy TSA, UK
We're helping to secure the long term energy needs of the UK population, meeting the unique challenges faced by the nuclear generation industry. We've been working in partnership with EDF Energy for over 30 years and over the last decade we've helped improve the performance of its nuclear fleet of Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors. We're also helping to extend the operational life of its power stations.

ETI Sitting Study, UK
With clean and reliable energy, a priority for the UK government, we've contributed to a major report from the Energy Technologies Institute into the importance of low carbon technologies. The study delivered an assessment of large nuclear power stations in England and Wales.

For a view of these projects on slideshare, visit http://www.slideshare.net/WSAtkins/atkins-looks-back-over-2015

Ends

Notes to editors:

Atkins (www.atkinsglobal.com) is one of the world's most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, employing over 18,000 people across the UK, North America, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. We build long term trusted partnerships to create a world where lives are enriched through the implementation of our ideas. You can view Atkins' recent projects on our website.

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WS Atkins plc issued this content on 2015-12-21 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 2015-12-21 16:46:23 UTC

Original Document: http://www.atkinsglobal.com/en-GB/media-centre/news-releases/2015/dec/2015-12-21