The Impact of Metaverse Architecture on Real Estate and Urban Planning

Minecraft has become a huge marvel in 2020. It has a simple interface with the players to explore, build and interact with other players educating all the players, thus impacting a positive outcome through a video game, thus giving a positive outlook on the metaverse. October 2021 marked an event that comes close to being iconic. The social-media giant Facebook rebranded itself as Meta. As there came a time when people were more invested in the virtual world, e-sports became a thing, Non-fungible tokens and Crypto came as a new cool, and it became a source of both work and play. The term “meta” was first used in a 1992 science fiction novel called “Snowcrash” by Neal Stephenson, which denoted meta as a virtual world parallel de facto world. It is a platform that nestles all social media and virtual, augmented reality in one space. As there is the onset of the virtual world, how has the architectural scene picked it up? 

Welcome to the Future

With the Hallyu wave already rounding the globe, a newer phenomenon of the Metaverse Seoul asserts to be the initial Web 3.0 virtual system that encompasses all municipal administration which helps the citizens to pay taxes, file complaints and registrations, meet the mayor, even tour the historical landmarks of Seoul from the comfort of the house couch. All the digital twins have ventured into the metaverse that aims to educate the masses and transform the cities from their existing versions for beneficial development. Thus urban development is highly reliant on the inputs and development of the metaverse as AI has been a crucial aspect in monitoring the real world.

Humans believe that there is a parallel universe that all of humanity is unaware of. But the reality of the parallel universe that can be modified and simulated according to the present realm has been struck. Metaverse gives all out access to be a part of the real-world activity in the digitized realm where the avatars of the humans are part of the metaverse and carry out all the real-life activities of working, shopping, going to concerts, buying and selling properties hence it’s the individual being out and inside the metaverse with a simple login and log out. It is said to have been a better and alternative version not replacing the actual world and has also shown an impact on the global economy having a 234 billion dollar net worth.

This has heavily impacted real estate & urban development. Conventional architectural studios like Bjarke Ingels Group and Zaha Hadid Architects have started explorations into the field, along with niche design attire like Voxel Architects, Polygonal Mind, “a metaverse-native digital architecture studio. Video game developers and 3D designers are currently the foremost builders of these worlds. The first-ever virtual home to be sold as an NFT was the Mars house by Krista Kim. There is still a variety of ideas that are getting explored in the metaverse that can serve as excellent architectural ideas. As it is already on the verge of blurring the lines between reel & real, property businesses have interplay by showcasing the properties virtually and helping better sales.

Thanks to AR & VR, virtual tours of the property can be possible from any part of the world, and so the whole world will become a potential market. With the Mangalyaan on Mars and probable life on the Moon, properties and virtual possible homes in space are a part of the sale to some extent. As Crypto and blockchain help to bring about secure transactions, the process becomes much easier and more relevant. AI being in the picture would also collaborate to bring about the data of the individuals to produce a more client-centric approach for the real estate market. With all the feedback and inputs, the buyer could have quicker alterations in the property, having them have their properties straight out of their dreams.

Similarly, a simulation of the world in the metaverse will help all the avatars to come together to give a probable solution for existing real-day problems. It can be humungous and can be changed as per public interaction without the stress of having numerous revisions on the web, thus keeping every solution at the fingertips. Virtual reality has been an architect’s tool since the advent of computer-aided designs and hence is easily adaptable. The metaverse provides an ever-evolving environment for conceptual urban planning and vision, providing more chances for modeling and simulating, and bringing ideas for urban environments to life digitally. Increased sensitivity in the planning process is one huge advantage that we may see from the usage of the metaverse, as urban planners and government officials can better immerse themselves in the roles and experiences of others, producing a better understanding and context for future projects. 

What makes it more striking is that it can replicate the ancient monuments as they would have been in their original state thus helping to preserve the heritage and maintaining a cultural balance. The swift feedback from citizens, and foster solutions for climate change through simulations, and meeting with the people in the metaverse are more efficient thanks to the digital twins.

Best of Both Worlds

Replicating the data from the real world to the reel world can become challenging. All the more, it will require streaming internet from numerous smart devices will burden the networking infrastructure. This will also require security measures as there will be all consolidated public sensitive information. With this processing, the data on this bigger scale and cloud storage for all the data also can be worrisome. Tackling this issue can be seen in the latest development in Saudi Arabia where Neom, a $500 billion settlement, provides a peek at how cities and the metaverse could interact in the future. Neom will be reachable online, via an avatar or hologram, as well as physically. The city will also house a market for NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The virtual version is intended to guide the design of the real manifestation. Visitors will essentially be encouraged to crowdsource its design.

The belief that cities prosper and become more livable when they host a big number of people, who feel reassured by the obvious presence of others around them, is based on the theory of safety in numbers. On the other hand, deserted streets appear perilous. Could the enthusiasm of civic leaders for the metaverse result in the desertification of cities? Maybe not. In addition to the technical challenges, local and national governments will need to ensure the public that integrating the metaverse into their communities would result in real benefits rather than apocalyptic landscapes. Although the public’s awareness of the metaverse is still developing, people’s sentiments toward it are much more frightening than intriguing.

Since its inception, the Metaverse has been a topic of discussion since it raises several moral and societal dilemmas. As we have seen with the prior instances of the towns throughout the world who are beginning to utilize it for good reasons, this one may also be used to have a beneficial influence. Let us hope that it becomes more successful like that of Minecraft; the avatars help rather than just being impressions of the individuals.

References:

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