The Future of Design? Review of EveryRealm’s The Row, Impossible Architecture in the Metaverse (original) (raw)

Journal of Research in Philosophy and History

Architecture is the embodiment of evolution-a material demonstration of innovation, ingenuity, and iteration that both speaks to the zeitgeist and reacts to the traditions of the past. As architecture has evolved since the temporary houses of nomads, so has the perception of design, its purpose, and its position in civilization. The architects of ancient societies built with longevity in mind, from the pharaonic pyramids, to the sprawling fora of Rome, to the tranquil temples of Angor Wat. With this longevity came the ritual of building: a series of practices, tried and tested for millenia, and perfected in order to achieve an ideal space. The Industrial Revolution introduced new materials, and importantly, new building practices dependent on mass production, which changed architecture forever, initiating a constantly-evolving technology shift that still impacts the architectural world today. Imagine another industrial revolution initiated through the application of digital technology under the pioneering efforts of Greg Lynn, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman, and Shoei Yoh, who again changed architecture forever through applied computer programming. With the invention of computer modeling and rendering came the introduction of alternate, extended, augmented, and virtual realities, with the alternate digital space allowing for never-before-seen design possibilities. Thus far in its short lifetime, reality-based presentation methods have been used to understand and test client experience, communicate design intensions, and tweak detail and lighting as part of the design process. But, more recently, this architectural practice in a metaspace is being used as a way to encourage communities under the realm of design-appreciation and shared experience. Instead of merely visiting metaspaces and their associated metaobjects as a tourist, or as an expansion of everyday lived reality, NTFs (non-fungible tokens) provide the opportunity to take ownership over the digital realm, the newest frontier of marketable architectural space.