Asunto Oy Arabianranta rental houses

The goal was to build high-quality and comfortable rental apartments in Helsinki’s historic industrial district. The construction site is inextricably linked to the original red brick factory buildings of Arabia next door, built in the 1870s. The adjacent Pop & Jazz Conservatory was completed in 1995. On the northwest side of the site are most of Arabia’s production facilities. The production facilities, which were completed in several stages, were built mainly in the 1930s and 1940s. The height of the building masses in the formula is regulated by the highest permitted eaves.

In the plan, the majority of the building rights are located on Arabiankatu, partly in a five- to six-storey building and partly in an eight-storey building. The second building, in the northwest corner of the yard, is a four-story mansion with a partial Fifth Loft floor. Parking spaces, technology and most of the auxiliary spaces are located partly in the above-ground basement. A commercial space has been placed on the ground floor along Arabiankatu, which enlivens the street environment and cityscape.

The building masses along Arabiankatu are clear and simple in appearance. In the design of the façade, the atmosphere has been sought in the old industrial buildings of Arabia next door.

The façade material that is particularly characteristic of the district is brick. In order to preserve and refine the unity and distinctiveness of the cityscape, bricks were used almost exclusively in the facades of the new building. It is particularly important that the cleaned red brick facades were made of hand-beaten living-surface bricks that were seamed in the same way as in the old factory buildings. Living material works best with simply composed facade surfaces.

The solidity of the bricks has been emphasized by also cladding the balcony tiles and pillars with brickwork. The facades of the courtyard are light plaster. The surface reflects sunlight onto the yard and connects the buildings to adjacent Arabia’s newer production facilities.

In terms of scale, the south façade of the plot is connected to the west by an old four-storey Arabian industrial building and five-storey residential buildings across the road. The east façade has eight floors and is connected in scale to the point houses planned to the north.

The character of Luhtitalo is inspired by the old brick warehouse building on the northwest side of the plot. The building brings a smaller scale to the yard and shelteres from the north winds.

Rational repetition and good room sizing have been sought in the housing floor solutions, which has led to a slightly different building character.