“We mustn’t be afraid of a connected world”: Jerome Frost on beauty, grit and reviving cities

Founded in 1946, global built environment consultancy Arup has evolved with our cities. Today it employs more than 17,000 people – architects and designers but also psychologists and ecologists – in 34 countries. Its CEO, Jerome Frost, shares his insights into what makes a city tick and why humanity, grit and beauty remain important.

We need to tackle waste but what’s all this about upcycling skyscrapers?
In an age of high inflation in materials and limited resources, there’s a sense that we have to do more with less. We estimate that about 40,000 tall buildings across the globe are reaching the end of their lifespan so we’re looking at the restoration of some fantastic examples, such as Quay Quarter Tower. Rather than demolishing it, we have saved 90 per cent of the core and a huge amount of carbon by stripping and restoring the building. We are entering a golden age of urban renewal.

How is technology changing the way you work?
It’s giving us an extraordinary opportunity and will be at the heart of what we call “total design”, the philosophy that motivates us as an organisation. But we need to ask the right questions. That means having the curiosity to go beyond the norm and what worked in the past – to imagine the future.

We talk about efficiency and smart cities but do we talk enough about beauty and grit?
I know all about beauty and grit from living in London, which has a lot to offer. I was a consultant on the King’s Cross scheme, a combination of old and new. We mustn’t be afraid of a connected world, while keeping what makes cities human, liveable and vital. That’s an imperative.
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