The building Skin of Arkadia is made up of Nearly Half a Million Recycled Bricks

The two key design drivers for this multiresidential project were responding to community and addressing climate change. For the former, the team went doorknocking to ensure the locals directly informed the design response. The latter was acknowledged by the team as the single biggest issue facing humanity in the 21st century, calling for a groundbreaking effort. 

The DHA/Breathe/DKO/Oculus team worked together to push the boundaries and each other, taking on an extra degree of difficulty in delivering this development. The building features an extensive roof garden, complete with beehives, food production, and shared amenity spaces in a strong landscape integration. The building skin is made up of nearly half a million recycled bricks and articulated with deep reveals and solar shading to the north and west. The window openings allow cross ventilation, summer shading and winter sun penetration.

The building is fossil fuel free. The power is 100% electric, in a highly efficient building with a thermal performance of 6.2 stars (NatHERS). The team has also taken on an additional role as mentors, providing ongoing guidance to users on operating the building.

Project Information

Architect: DKO Architecture with Breathe Architecture and Oculus 

Photography: Martin Siegner