ירדן יהל
Yarden Yahal

אל הסף מציאותי

The Metaverse, a place where communication is born via the Internet in a three-dimensional virtual space where virtuality and reality are fused, and people are gathering again at the civic center. The concept of the ‘Metaverse’ is still in the making, it is unknown how long it will take humanity to achieve a truly massive 'open virtual space' that will allow users or 'players' to reach experiences that are equal or superior to its physical counterpart. Creating the ‘simulation’ is not an easy task. From its bare minimum computational power allowing for such a massive concept to be operational, to its graphical boundaries, the development of the interfaces and code to run such a diverse and complex experience. These limitations of architecture, infrastructure, and design are the new frontier of modern society, from the industrial standpoint to the social elements of immersed connectivity. There is much to question and debate about the integrity of human society in a truly virtual world, what is left of the concept of nationality? What is driving this new ecosystem? should we allow it to be privatized and monopolized? What are the limitations of the virtual? To what degree should we integrate the virtual into our daily lives? Neal Stephenson depicted the 'Metaverse' (1992) as a dystopian hyper-civic space that accompanies the falling apart real world of the ‘Snow Crash’ narrative. In his work Stephenson describes this dystopian world as a place where people escape the dire reality of the post-fall of mankind’s concepts of nationality and the embrace of technology, materiality, and cyberspace. Stephenson’s dystopian views (similar to most cyberpunk sci-fi narratives) should give us a warning of what will come if the global community won't take steps to facilitate and design the conceptual architecture of the metaverses - from its basic behavioral elements, its spatial representation and its basic infrastructure components. The metaverse is both another “tool” of work, social, and leisure and another completely different layer of reality. The weight of the actions in the metaverse reflects on the physical world in a way that is alien to us now even in 2022. Most of the virtual space would act as an informal space, in that sense, it will be a new step of social life as we know it. In contrast to the two-dimensional social platforms of the 21st century, the Metaverse will present new unfamiliar territories in regarding social norms and interactions. It will be a true form of freedom and limitless opportunities; communications, work, designing, gaming, and content consumption (and many other aspects of life) will be experienced in a completely new spatial way unthinkable to the earthly “pre-virtualized” humans. Architects are obliged to partake in these new developing concepts, we need to take action, to state our ground and stamp our ideals into the virtual reality, shaping the space and spatial opportunities it possesses. Learning this new architectural field is as important as exploring new possibilities for space architecture and for making our living spaces better.