Arabianvillat Housing is a cluster of apartments in Helsinki Arabianranta neighbourhood. The entity was designed by Ark-house Architects and was completed in 2005. Arabianvillat Housing was also granted the Finnish Concrete Facade award in 2007.

The three residential buildings are situated so that the views from the apartments towards their surroundings are as wide and diversified as possible. The buildings form a group of cubic shaped silhouettes as seen from the seaside. The continuous balconies and the free arrangement of window openings characterise the facades. The painted prefabricated concrete elements with coloured images of seagulls by artists Johanna Hyrkäs and Tiina Kuhanen have given a unique character to the whole Arabianvillat Housing.

The sauna sections form the heart of each building; the pavilion type light-weight structures above the roof level provide panoramic vistas over the surrounding landscapes. The buildings open onto the courtyard side and form private entrance yards sheltered by the masonry walls and gates. Natural passages, created by these walls and the gates with their canopies, form a human-size scale to the courtyards. This creates a kind of a detached-house atmosphere and a Central European suburban feeling. The concrete frames of the buildings have been implemented using a mixed technique.

Different views in several directions both inside the apartments and out to the environment form the core of the design. Some apartments are convertible according to the inhabitant’s needs. The apartments can also be combined through the front hall areas.

Sources:Betoni 2/2006, Betoni 4/2007