The great civil engineer was born at 16 Jesmond Vale Terrace, Newcastle, the son of the Danish consul. Shortly afterwards the family left the city, and Arup was brought up and educated in Germany and Denmark. Arup became preoccupied with structural problems in modernist buildings, for example Highpoint flats (1936-38) in London, and the spiral reinforced concrete ramps in the penguin pool at Regent's Park Zoo (1934). He was also concerned with the structural design of Coventry Cathedral (1962) and the Sydney Opera House (1956-73).
Kingsgate bridge in Durham is an striking design by Ove Arup and Partners, and was personally supervised by Arup. He came to regard it as his favourite piece of design. The Byker Viaduct on the Tyneside Metro system (consultant engineers Ove Arup) is equally elegant. The company has also been associated with the erection of the Angel of the North in Gateshead. In 1967 Arup received an honorary D.Sc. at Durham and in 2003 a bronze portrait head and plaque were unveiled at the Elvet end of the bridge by Karin Perry, Arup's daughter.
A plaque was erected to Arup in Jesmond in 2000.