Metaverse and Architecture. A Review on Representation and Fruition of Virtual Worlds

Virtual reality has established a hybrid condition between the traditional categories of representing and experiencing spaces. The chapter investigates one of the fringe conditions of contemporary architecture associated with digitalisation: digital architecture designed for a virtual experience, drafting a tentative hypothesis on its heritage status. In 2021, the word “metaverse” became a hot topic, leading to an increased number of research products. The affordances of simulated reality are discussed in three main steps. The first is a clarification of its semantic range, focusing on the problem of the spatial sense of reality. Not only can parts of the physical world be transferred to the metaverse, but the virtual simulations also have repercussions on the physical world. Considering the discursive nature the notion of contemporary heritage acknowledges, the contribution that designers provide to metaverse has certainly its place in a wider debate on the recognition of intangible artefacts. Secondly, a systematic literature review of scientific publications containing both the terms “metaverse” and “architecture” will be presented. The landscape of the current status of academic research in this direction highlights prominent authors and research groups, and suggests streams of investigation for future developments. Finally, a tentative conclusion discerns five main theoretical points raised by authors in the literature, reviewed through a content analysis, with the intention of discussing possible implications for the discipline of architecture and suggesting how virtual environments have developed distinct forms of expression.