History – Arabia135

Eat & Drink See & Experience Shop Work

1870 Birth of the block

Arabia’s factory was established in red-brick buildings that can still be found in the area’s alleys today. The buildings were constructed close to the gulf’s shore on what, at the time, was wasteland.

1940 The world’s biggest ceramics factory

The Arabia factory block developed and grew in the early 1900s. Arabia’s visionary leader Carl-Gustaf Herlitz saw the opportunities offered by industrial design and by the end of the 1940s had grown the Arabia factory into the biggest ceramics factory in the world.

1950 Finnish ceramics take over the world

The global triumph of minimalist Finnish ceramics production began after WWII under the lead of Kaj Franck and Arabia’s design department. The ceramics factory continued to develop, and new industrial buildings were built and the factory area expanded.

1980 University of Art and Design moves onto the block

In the late 1970s, the ceramics factory’s production was concentrated under one roof in a new factory building and the University of Art and Design moved into Arabia’s old factory premises in 1984. This marked the start of a new and more diverse era for the block, as the factory and its employees were joined by schools, students and services.

1996 Construction of the Arabia residential area begins

The planning of the Arabianranta residential area was begun in the early 1990s and construction began in 1996. Approximately 8,000 people reside in the district, which was completed in 2015.

2000 Arabia Gallery brings design companies to the block

Once the gallery was completed, the block gained more shop and office premises, as well as public services. The beating heart of the Arabianranta area sprang up right next to the factory block.

2018-2021 Metropolia University of Applied Sciences’ Creative Campus built

The Creative Campus, opened in 2021, is located in the Arabia 135 block and includes both the renovated old factory buildings and the new Soiva building. The Metropolia campus is home to 14 different cultural and creative degree programs.

2021 New Soiva music centre created for Metropolia and the Pop and Jazz Conservatory

In March 2021, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and the Pop & Jazz Conservatory moved their music programs to the newly built Soiva building in Helsinki’s Arabianranta. The building is located in the historic factory block and is part of Varma’s Arabia135 real estate development project, which aims to create a vibrant urban environment.

2024 Arabia’s alleys and a new thoroughfare from Hämeentie to Arabiankatu completed

In the Arabia135 block, the general construction project for the oldest part of the block, the red-brick buildings, was completed in early 2024. The inner courtyard of the block (Giraffe Courtyard) and Arabia’s alleys were opened to the public and entrepreneurs. A new thoroughfare was built to connect Hämeentie and Arabiankatu, making it easier for pedestrians to travel through the block.