June 19, 2014 - ARCADIS (EURONEXT: ARCAD) announced today that a proposed design concept intended to protect southern Manhattan during a severe storm event, from a team including ARCADIS, the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm, is a winner of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-sponsored Rebuild by Design competition and will receive $335 million in funding.
In collaboration with the Bjarke Ingels Group, ARCADIS was responsible for the engineering behind the concept, and also the cost estimating for a design concept dubbed the "Big U"- a series of protective measures stretching from West 57th St., south to the battery and then up around the island of Manhattan to 42nd St. in a U-shape that includes the use of passive berms, mechanized floodgates, and deployable floodwalls that are highly contextualized and integrated into New York's urban fabric.
"The Rebuild by Design competition is a process that is reshaping the philosophy of making communities resilient, through bottom up participation and coalition building with stakeholders and a cost efficient design approach " said Peter Glus, director of business development for ARCADIS in New York City. "It has allowed us to actively engage and collaborate with our partners to 'think resilience' and do something about educating and protecting our communities instead of just waiting for the next big storm to make landfall."
Another ARCADIS-supported entry in the competition, "Resilient Bridgeport," will receive funding for additional studies through the state of Connecticut.
ARCADIS employs over 1,100 staff at seven office locations in the tri-state area. ARCADIS is currently working on a variety of resilient infrastructure projects in New York City area, including the protection of major hospitals, airports, communications centers, commercial buildings and wastewater treatment plants. ARCADIS also recently completed a feasibility study for a proposed multi-purpose levee project along Manhattan's East River.
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For more press information, please contact:
Andy Rowlands, Head of Corporate Communications at ARCADIS on +44 (0)20 7833 6662 / andy.rowlands@arcadis.com
Debra Havins, Head of PR at ARCADIS US on +1-303-471-3485/ Debra.Havins@arcadis-us.com.
About ARCADIS: ARCADIS is the leading global natural and built asset design and consultancy firm working in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and sustainable outcomes through the application of design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services. ARCADIS differentiates through its talented and passionate people and its unique combination of capabilities covering the whole asset life cycle, its deep market sector insights and its ability to integrate health & safety and sustainability into the design and delivery of solutions across the globe. We are 22,000 people that generate €2.5 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world. Please visit: www.arcadis.com