ATMOSPHERIC ABERDEEN

ATMOSPHERIC ABERDEEN: A CONTEMPORARY FLOATING URBAN VILLAGE

Atmospheric Aberdeen consists of an urban greenhouse for high density collective living composed of a series of
open-air apartments. Solidity and privacy are achieved by hanging green chandeliers of edible vegetation fed by a
water aeroponic system. Mediated skins control the temperature of the building as an integrative system, where the
geometry of the membrane wraps the exterior and interior, blending the boundaries of the living, sleeping, and
social spaces together. Responsive glass fins open and close to external climatic conditions and environmental needs
of each season. Opening in the winter to allow fresh air in and closing in the hot humid summer, cool water in the
fins lower the ambient indoor temperature.

The community is intimately connected to the context of Aberdeen, Hong Kong – an old fishing village where numerous
houseboats still exist today. Instead of floating the apartments above the water we propose a new type of housing
which brings the water inside the unit, using the ecological collection of water as a passive cooling element for
the entire structure.

Acknowledgment/ Team Credits:
Designers: Eric Schuldenfrei and Marisa Yiu;
Project Team: Eric Schuldenfrei, Marisa Yiu, Wesley Ho, Fanny Sze
Project Client/ Summary:  45th Central Glass international Architectural Design Competition: ‘Housing for Better Urban Environments’.