Building Beyond Boundaries The Role of Architecture Design in Crafting the Metaverse

12/31/2023

The Metaverse, combined with Mixed Reality, represents one of the most groundbreaking and rapidly evolving areas in the realm of technology. With the flourishing of 5G and mobile immersive computing, tech giants like Meta, Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Epic Games have committed themselves to creating a fully digital world (Cheng et al., 2022).

This essay delves into the architectural aspects of building within the Metaverse, exploring the unique opportunities and challenges this virtual frontier presents to architects and designers. By examining the transformative potential of the Metaverse, we can uncover how it reshapes our understanding of space, design, and community in a digital context.

1 Shifting paradigms in real-world architecture

1.1 Limitation of resources to build in the physical world

The physical world is constrained by factors such as climate, materials, and environmental concerns. As land is increasingly recognized as a scarce resource, the scope for undertaking new building projects becomes significantly constrained. Considering the climate crisis induced by over-exploration, our society is more cautious about the exploration of untouched land (Vardopoulos, 2023) and the development of building constructions (Tirelli & Besana, 2023). Furthermore, the progression of real-world architecture is slow, hindered by financial constraints, construction schedules, regulatory compliance (Parsamehr et al., 2022), and the preservation of buildings with cultural significance (Aygen, 2013). These factors collectively highlight the limited opportunities for new architectural designs in the physical world.

1.2 Decreasing demand for new construction of buildings

Urban expansion, propelled by population growth and urbanization, has significantly shaped the landscape over recent years. However, as population growth rates level off or decline in specific areas, the previously relentless demand for new construction is beginning to decline. Furthermore, the global pandemic has catalyzed a shift towards remote work and online learning, granting individuals unprecedented flexibility in choosing their living and working environments (Schouten & Kawano, 2024). This shift has resulted in residential and commercial buildings in once-densely populated urban areas losing demand (Gupta et al., 2021; Gupta et al., 2022).

1.3 Flourishing of virtual Life

Architecture is a place to house our activities. The expanding reach and advancement of the internet has been bridging physical spaces and online environments. Specifically, the blockchain integrated Web3 network enables the decentralized creation and communication of digital assets in virtual environments (Tang et al., 2022). These changing dynamics necessitate a reevaluation of space function and human building interaction by architects and designers, emphasizing adaptability to accommodate increasingly mobile and location-independent lifestyles.

2 Physical space provides the infrastructure for the digital replica

The penetration of technology into the architecture realm is changing the landscape of the building world, opening the opportunity for architects to broaden their creative horizons. Real-world architecture nests the physical infrastructure of Metaverse for its users.

2.1 Technology used in building Metaverse

Metaverse is built on and integrates technologies such as 5G, XR, edge computing, blockchain, machine learning (ML), and HCI (Park & Kim, 2022). To enable an immersive experience of Metaverse, real-time sensing is necessary. This includes two aspects: the collection of environmental data and the sensing of human movement (Tang et al., 2022). The initial case of wireless sensor networks (WSN), in which various dedicated sensors, such as acoustic sensors, light sensors, humidity sensors, and thermometers, are deployed in the physical environment to continuously collect the surrounding information (Tan, 2022).

2.2 Physical space is the backdrop for virtual life

The physical space in the real world is the harbor of the technology infrastructure. This requires the building to gain more intelligence to support efficient data collection (Yan et al., 2023), and exchange and at the same time, enhance the comfort of the real-world space to host the virtual activities. One of the pain points of the current Extended Reality (XR) technology is the inconvenience of wearing a cumbersome head-mounted device. Lots of endeavors in Metaverse technology focus on accessing the Metaverse without wearing any additional devices (Park & Kim, 2022). This inspires cross-disciplinary research in architecture and HCI to explore the possibility of conveying physical interfaces in the architectural space to the gateway of transformation in and out of the Metaverse.

3 Extending architectural design into Metaverse

The principles and experiences derived from physical world architectural design are pivotal in shaping the creation of virtual environments.

3.1 Spatial experience is the essence

One pivot point of any space is evoking experience and memory through functionality, consideration of aesthetic aspects, and creation of spiritual vibes. Unlike video games, the Metaverse requires a more immersive virtual space experience and serves more sophisticated purposes such as education, collaboration, and communication. Crafting these distinctive features falls within the realm of architectural design. Ensuring a seamless transition between reality and virtual reality requires preserving our modes of perception, behavior, and interaction within the virtual space. This suggests that spatial design experience from the physical world will serve as a cornerstone for constructing the Metaverse.

3.2 Inheriting from the physical world

The physical world serves as a reference point for virtual design. This includes the incorporation of familiar physical elements to make virtual spaces more relatable and intuitive. Specifically, incorporating aspects of the real world, such as natural landscapes and historical heritages is invaluable. These elements are essential assets, enriching the virtual world with sociological depth and context.

3.3 Extended opportunity of architecture design in Metaverse

The Metaverse opens the possibility of experimenting beyond physical limitations and environmental constraints to create unique experiences. Within the virtual realm, architects are no longer constrained by structural, electrical, or mechanical engineering considerations, nor are they limited by financial constraints, building codes, or standards. This freedom allows for the conception of spaces and experiences that are not unique but also transformative, marking a significant departure from traditional architectural practices and enabling a reimagination of what architectural design can achieve.

References:

Aygen, Z. (2013). International Heritage and Historic Building Conservation: Saving the World’s Past. In Google Books. Routledge.

Cheng, R., Wu, N., Chen, S., & Han, B. (2022). Will Metaverse be NextG Internet? Vision, Hype, and Reality. IEEE Network, 36(5), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1109/mnet.117.2200055

Gupta, A., Mittal, V., Peeters, J., & Van Nieuwerburgh, S. (2021). Flattening the curve: Pandemic-Induced revaluation of urban real estate. Journal of Financial Economics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2021.10.008

Gupta, A., Mittal, V., & Van Nieuwerburgh, S. (2022). Work From Home and the Office Real Estate Apocalypse. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30526

Park, S.-M., & Kim, Y.-G. (2022). A Metaverse: taxonomy, components, applications, and open challenges. IEEE Access, 10, 4209–4251. https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2021.3140175

Parsamehr, M., Perera, U. S., Dodanwala, T. C., Perera, P., & Ruparathna, R. (2022). A review of construction management challenges and BIM-based solutions: perspectives from the schedule, cost, quality, and safety management. Asian Journal of Civil Engineering, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42107-022-00501-4

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Tan, D. (2022). A Survey on Fundamental Limits of Integrated Sensing and Communication. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. https://www.academia.edu/103925390/A_Survey_on_Fundamental_Limits_of_Integrated_Sensing_and_Communication

Tang, F., Chen, X., Zhao, M., & Kato, N. (2022). The Roadmap of Communication and Networking in 6G for the Metaverse. IEEE Wireless Communications, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1109/mwc.019.2100721

Tirelli, D., & Besana, D. (2023). Moving Toward Net Zero Carbon Buildings to Face Global Warming: A Narrative Review. Buildings, 13(3), 684. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13030684

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