Architecture finds space in the Metaverse

More and more architects are entering the field Metaverso.

A territory that still appears in some ways unknown but which can at the same time reserve numerous potentials.

The Metaverse represents one of the protagonists of recent years, amid enormous expectations but also disappointments. The term appears for the first time in 92 within the science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

In Stephenson's story it is represented as a gigantic black sphere in which everyone can achieve whatever they want in three dimensions, visitable by other users.

This shared virtual space where you can play but also work and trade, it has become a land of conquest for high-tech companies and is now also affecting the world of architecture.

In the field of international architecture, the first studies to approach the Metaverso they were the ones who worked with parametric and digital design right from the start.

ZHA projects

The first project in the field of the Metaverse is by Zaha Hadid Architects.

The name chosen was "Architecting the Metaverse" and saw the Seoul studio collaborate with the DDP Design Museum.

It is an immersive project that, combining art and architecture, starts working to return the intersections between data, artificial intelligence and architecture.

The project is the result of the collaboration with Mytaverse and ArchAgenda a.o. and prefigures a real virtual city with access via a cloud platform. Visitors who log in can move around the buildings designed by ZHA and also participate in its political and social life by purchasing land or starting businesses.

The activity of the British studio also extends to the world of video games.

In the 2022 has in fact collaborated with LightSpeed & Quantum Studio designing a medical practice for PUBG Mobile in the virtual world.

Architecture in the Metaverse aimed at the real estate sector

Another of the markets that is emerging with the advent of the Metaverse is that represented by virtual real estate.

Those who have decided to invest in this sector are already spending millions on NFTs (non-fungible tokens), to purchase virtual properties. A survey estimated the market value of the Metaverse a 47,69 billion dollars in 2020, and expects it to achieve a turnover of 828,95 billion dollars in 2028.

If the investments that will prove most fruitful in one aspect in the long term remain unknown, there is no doubt: the number of virtual properties will grow and this could imply a turning point for companies over time architects and consequently for the entire sector that affects the’architecture.

In addition to private “homes” and “offices”., in fact, in the Metaverse there will also be entertainment spaces: virtual amusement parks, theater, cinema, art galleries, concert halls, shopping centers, arene sportive, or any other public gathering space.

The spheres of the Metaverse do not have real-world limitations such as time, the budget or the physical space and for this reason they can guarantee ample margin of movement to all the most adventurous architects who want to give full freedom to their imagination. This phenomenon, around you, it could also reinvigorate traditional architecture, leading to a futuristic architectural renaissance.

Technological development and our constantly evolving needs continue to redefine the role of architecture and architects in our lives. The Metaverse is arguably one of the most exciting digital advances ever and could lead to significant changes inarchitecture.