Dygden city block, Helsinki

Completed in 2022, the block is made up of four apartment buildings, underground carparking and a shared central courtyard. The four residential buildings in the block are Sompasaarenlaituri 10, Sompasaarenlaituri 12, Fregatti Dygdenin kuja 5 ja Kaljaasi Fortunan katu 4. The project’s “SunZeroEnergyBuilding” concept seeks to find solutions for near zero energy building. Excess solar heat gain within the building is collected by the district cooling system and fed back into Helsinki’s district heating network. Dygden city block is part of Helsinki city’s Re-thinking Urban Housing programme. The block’s northern corner is an Asuntosäätiö Hitas development. A rich brick palette unifies the city block’s four apartment buildings. This building’s façade is primarily made of monochrome textured brick, with blue glazed brick at ground floor level serving as a contrasting element. Weathered masonry jointing accentuates the horizontal. An arcade on the building’s seaside creates covered entrances and provides protection for passers-by. ONE Architects (Part of AINS Group) were responsible for the main and architectural design of the project: https://www.onearchitects.fi/ Photos: Kuvatoimisto Kuvio Oy