Academia & Design

Architects have long relied on visualization tools to develop their concepts for specific design problems. From the early traditional drawings to the three-dimensional visualizations and virtual environments, all have enabled architects to demonstrate design outputs relatively early in the process. Real-world projects are similar to what architects imagined from the beginning. In other words, the design process has always started by creating the digital representation of a project and then attempting to replicate it in real life. Once the digital representation of design parts is complete, architects prepare their design for construction. However, the final visualization emerges from actual architectural functions, structure constraints, Gravity, materiality, privacy, and physical laws, meaning that architecture evolves the digitally represented visualizations. With the growth of the metaverse, all physical restrictions are being eliminated, and architects can expand the boundaries of how spaces can be represented regardless of being virtual or physical. As a virtual environment on the internet, the metaverse redefines the rules of architecture and offers endless possibilities for architectural innovation. This article aims to explore the role the metaverse plays in designing architecture. It outlines the fundamental concepts of the metaverse to identify significant elements that could influence architectural design.