Aitana joined Arup as architect in 2008 and immediately began working on ‘Cityringen’, Copenhagen’s new metro system. She subsequently moved to Hong Kong, working alongside our Rail team and has worked on a number of Arup’s largest rail projects.
2008 Joined Arup
3 Offices worked in across the globe
I joined Arup in 2008 as part of the design team working on Cityringen, Copenhagen’s new metro system. When I started we working out of the client’s prefab project office. It was a joint venture, so I was able to work with a team of people from all over the world, from different background and companies. It was a lot of fun – the collaboration was very good, we had a great relationship with the client, and I still have some very good friends from that time.
“Work like this gives us the credentials to say that we can do things in a different way, and I think this is very powerful. ”
It was my first transportation project, and I realised first-hand what a massive impact transport can have on a city. Transport projects transform the city – that’s why they are so fascinating to work on, because you are building the city and building for the people.
Cityringen was all about attention to detail; fighting for every millimetre! The quality of the design, the attention to detail, and also the simplicity – it was about putting design excellence at the very top of the priority list.
On a more personal level, a small ticket office and tourist boat mooring deck that I designed, which was supposed to be temporary, became so popular in the city and the client liked it so much that it will now remain there forever. I’m getting messages from my friends in Copenhagen – who do not work in this industry – saying that it is looks really nice. Seeing this project so well received and making people proud is a great feeling, and looking at the finished stations, there has not been much change in the design, which proves we provided a robust delivery.
Working on this project made me realise what can be achieved beyond ‘business as usual’. Work like this gives us the credentials to say that we can do things in a different way, and I think this is very powerful. It also demonstrates our broad skills as architects, from transportation to commercial, and it goes further than just the office we sit in – it shows we can do amazing projects all over the world.
Aitana was involved in
