[6] Arup's ownership is structured as a trust[7] whose beneficiaries are its employees, past and present, who receive a share of its operating profit each year.

[10] According to the architectural author Ian Volner, Arup's vision when establishing the company came out of a combination of his wartime experiences and a progressive-minded philosophy broadly aligning with early modernism, was for the organisation to be a force for peace and social betterment in the postwar world.

[13] Within 25 years of its establishment, the firm had become well known for its design work for the built environment,[14][15] acquiring a reputation for its competence at undertaking projects that were structurally and/or logistically complex.

[18] During Arup's lifetime, the company would also work on high-profile projects such as the 'inside-out' Centre Pompidou with Rogers & Piano, and the HSBC headquarters with Norman Foster & Partners.

These included quality of work, total architecture, humane organisation, straight and honorable dealings, social usefulness, and the reasonable prosperity of its members.

"[24] The firm has published an annual sustainability report since 2008, and is involved in several projects around the world aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions,[25] such as Dongtan Eco-City, which is planned to be zero waste,[26] and the High Speed 2 Interchange Station, which is the first railway station in the world to achieve BREEAM 'outstanding certification.

[37] Many of Arup's modern stadia are designed with a contemporary, distinctive edge and the company strives to revolutionise stadium architecture and performance.

[40] The Casa da Música, Oporto, designed by Arup and Office for Metropolitan Architecture was nominated for the 2007 Stirling Prize.

[43] Arup won the Gold Medal for Architecture at the National Eisteddfod of Wales of 1998 for their work on the Control Techniques Research and Development HQ, in Newtown, Powys.

[45] The 2001 inaugural award was won for Arup's contribution to the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, the world's largest greenhouse.

[48] The Evelyn Grace Academy, London designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and Arup won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2011.