I have always appreciated the help and comments of others. Here is the first beta page of a source I am writing about present virtual architecture. Let me know what you think… I know itd hard to form an opinion about it with only one page but let me know if it sparks any interest. Thanks!
Since man has needed shelter, architecture has become an entity of protection and beauty. Built form has been a staple in the human society in the shape of comfort and power. Time has a way of evolving the most rudimentary of life forms and the concept of architecture is no exception. In today’s modern era, a new generation of architectural representation has arisen. One that defies all needs for architecture in the first place. The perversity of a new dimension of architecture defies rational conception behind the original purpose. Whereas nature once stood as the canvas, a new man-made institution is taking shape. We stand in a digital era, ruled by educated coders, absent from what mankind has always known. Humanity is now only a sub-level of the extension of what we perceive to be human. Therefore, architecture must adapt to new laws, and new consumers. I speak only of new digital environments, canvases created by humans for artificial entities.
We live in exciting times. A new generation of information, social interaction, and design is evolving. Three-dimensional environments are being created as extensions of a person, controlling an avatar. The avatar will react as the user reacts, much like a puppet on a string. Therefore emotions, and feelings can still be aroused through the avatar. The human being behind this representation is still very much human, just in a different environment. Reality is something that we perceive everyday, the world in front of us is our reality. Since the world is inherently subjective, virtual reality can then start to blend with what humans have always seen as reality.
This work is not only a look into the architecture of virtual realities, but also a study about how this new form of architecture came about. It is less of a history lesson, and more of a theoretical approach to an ever-changing extension of humanism. I feel as though we should not hide from this technological breakthrough, but embrace it as our future. We are on the cusp of a future only dreamed of by blockbuster science-fiction movies. The evolution of humanity is actually less human. We are beginning to extend ourselves into a different medium. This scares many, but intrigues the bold few. Ones that embrace this new technology are the ones that will be able to evolve with it.
This book is less of an argument, and rather a look into the theory and future of digital architecture. Works like Snow Crash are extremely well written tales of what the future may hold, but this is not the direction nor intention of this writing. Instead, I would like to focus on the now, taking examples from what has been accomplished and applying them to a set theory. The consequent architecture of digital worlds has its foundation in what it serves, much like in the real world. This may seem like a simple case study into the minds of its creators but it is so much more than that. Architecture is reaching a new stratum of existing and the reasons behind its creations are now so much different than ever before.
There have been several books published about digital theory as it applies to architecture, but with new technologies ever-present it is now possible to take real examples and dissect them. I feel as though the alpha versions of what is to come are already present. Digital environments such as Second Life, There.com, and online games like World of Warcraft are new worlds with new rules behind them. Digital environments are a pull away from the senses that we use to experience our world. We use visual screens to represent what our actions are. Typing, clicking and moving the mouse are actions that all have effects on the mainframe that controls them. Therefore, the new digital environment is one that is directly shaped and molded to a humans actions and thought process.
