The metaverse topic, in the end, gained the attention of academicians from the world of architecture. Such is true at the webinar held on Thursday, 28th of July 2022 by SAPPD ITB. Global explanation of the metaverse, explained by Fauzan Alfi A, B.Eng., M.Eng., a lecturer from the Undergraduate Program in Architecture who has just finished his doctoral study at the Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan. The youngest member of ITB’s Construction Technology Research Group delivered his lecture titled “Recognizing Metaverse as a Cultivating Environment”. The presentation ran for 20 minutes and was delivered by Fauzan live in Tokyo, Japan.

According to him, metaverse is a combination of real and virtual social life conditions. The term metaverse, he concluded, is still dynamic with many experts trying to define the meaning of a metaverse itself.

The word “metaverse” itself is not brand new. The term was coined in 1992 by Neal Stephenson, a novelist from the United States. In his science-fiction works, titled “Snow Crash”, Stephenson imagined a virtual reality in the future which will become the successor of the internet. Aside of Stephenson literary works, meta life is a common theme in popular entertainment such as Tron (1982, 2010), The Matrix (1992), Ready Player One (2011, 2018) Black Mirror series (2011-2019) and the newest Hollywood movie, Free Guy (2021).

Mechanism-wise, metaverse is a digital extension of the internet in a 3D model, not the 3D space that people commonly thought of. Metaverse’s understanding can be simplified as an epic internet network. In Metaverse, we can do all sorts of activities not unlike in real life, such as infinite transactions and interaction. In metaverse, it is as if we really live inside the virtual world.

How Do Designers Enter the Metaverse Development?

In metaverse, there are four layers making its body. Designers can play their role in the uppermost layer of metaverse, that is contents and experiences. This layer can be broken down and classified into contents, application, and virtual world. Here are a few topics that designers might view opportunities existing:
1. Digital Sandbox
2. Web3 (Blockchain dan NFT)
3. Meta Architect
4. Connected digital twin of the built environment.

He explained, that even though the metaverse trend from google search trends now experiences a decrease, it does not change the fact that matters concerning virtual reality will not disappear into oblivion.

Reporter: Madeline Abigail Lukito (Architecture, 2020)
Translator: Firzana Aisya (Bioengineering, 2021)