In the coming years, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the newly named Meta, which includes Facebook, wants to invest billions in building the Metaverse. This virtual world is said to be the next chapter of the internet. The metaverse could soon to be a meeting place for a billion people and billions might be made from online shopping, SRF recently wrote in an article on its website.

According to SRF, the Metaverse is characterised by three elements:

  1. It is a three-dimensional world: unlike the internet, where we call up web pages with a mouse click, we move through the metaverse with a computer figure – an avatar – as we know it from computer games, for example.
  2. It is persistent: the metaverse exists not only for me, but for all other visitors to this world – and it continues to exist even if I am not in this world. If something is changed in the metaverse, then it changes for all users.
  3. It is connected to the real world: If I order something from an online shop on the internet, a little later a real package will be in my real mailbox. Just as the internet is connected to the real world, the metaverse does not simply exist in isolation from it – we should also be able to order real things or meet real people there.

Recently, the online platform dezeen reported in detail about the fact that «designers have created a number of virtual buildings for metaverse community The Row, including a giant statue turned into a house designed by Daniel Arsham and a home that changes colour during the day.

Ares, the Greek god of war, was turned into a house by Daniel Arsham (Picture: Link with dezeen)

The members-only metaverse community The Row has launched with 30 virtual properties created by artists including Arsham, Misha Kahn, Andrés Reisinger, Alexis Christodolou, design studio Six N Five and Hard Architects. According tho their website, “The Row” is a members-only, master-planned real estate development in the metaverse, designed by artists who are defining culture today.»

A cantilevered house has colours that respond to the sun throughout the day (Picture: Link to dezeen)

The Row District is a designated space where members of The Row who hold Architectural Design NFTs will be permitted to develop their landmarks. The first Row District is in Mona, and future districts will be created in additional metaverses over time.

See also the video published by dezeen on YouTube lately with some illustrative renderings of the metaverse projects:

The author Christina Yao of the above mentioned dezeen article continues: «Each has designed a “3D architectural landmark” that will be sold as an NFT, a non-fungible token. The virtual buildings can then be deployed on 26 different metaverse platforms on which metaverse real estate development firm Everyrealm, one of the developers of The Row, owns land. ‹In the metaverse, one does not need to adhere to the many constraints that exist when creating spaces, exhibitions, and art works in the physical world,› said Arsham and continues: ‹When designing for The Row, I considered how my sculptures would appear from inside this unique piece of architecture. I’m excited and eager to see how people might engage with these pieces of architecture once they’re deployed in the metaverse.›

Featured image: House resembling a glass box by architect Andrés Reisinger; Picture: Courtesy of dezeen.