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A house with no rules
Housing and the
MetaverseName
Univers
ityDate
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Abstract
This paper discusses the application of different technologies required to develop
metaverse. Few of them include Blockchain, AR/VR Technologies, 3D Modeling, and Artificial
Intelligence (AI). These technologies played a significant role in providing the perfect virtual
world concept. These technologies stand as the architecture of metaverse development because
these are all required to form the desired design virtually, which can be a home, game, land,
space, etc. Designing virtual homes in metaverse could allow anyone to build their name in the
industry of architecture and designs. It can improve people's quality of life, particularly in the
post-pandemic era. However, working long hours in front of the computer can affect an
individual's circadian rhythms
Keywords: Augmented/Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Networking, Avatars,
DigitalTwins, Immersive Internet, Metaverse, virtual world, & Blockchain.
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Introduction
Technology has always taken us by surprise. Artificial intelligence, intelligent systems,
nuclear power is augmented reality examples of modern technologies that would have been
inconceivable to anyone living in the Stone Age. Although the concept of AR and VR
presented in 1838, it took until the world's technology required (graphics and processing)
allowed for the development we have today. Likewise, by the late 1970s, the idea of a
metaverse had emerged, despite that; it was merely a hypothetical successor or expansion of
the internet.
In the early 1980s, several engineers predicted a better future state or even a feasible
successor for the Internet–metaverse. According to common assumption at the time, the
metaverse would transform both the real and virtual worlds, and all devices connected.
Metaverse is projected to revolutionize the way digital and physical services are delivered,
with significant consequences for cultural, social, financial, and environmental aspects of life,
making it an essential innovation in industries like gaming and communication.
Certain features of the metaverse have already been integrated in games like Roblox and
Fortnite, marking a huge step toward a reality which seems for being decades away. The
metaverse's major goal is to exploit the Internet's capabilities to give people the feeling of
being in a physical space. This will be a turning point in the use of virtual world stability to
allow numerous individuals in different different places to interact in real time for a number
of purposes.
The METAVERSE is a hypothesised artificial world associated with the physical world,
definedby the prefix "meta" (insinuating transcending) and the term "universe." The term
"metaverse" was initially used in Neal Stephenson's hypothetical fiction novel Snow Crash,
published throughout 1992.1 Ever since its inception as a computer-generated cosmos, the
metaverse was already described by a wide range of notions, including lifelogging, digital
communal space, integrated internet/ spatial Internet, a reflection world, and an omniverse: a
forum for modellingand cooperation.
Throughout this study, we also interpret the metaverse as a virtual world that combines
physicaland digital elements, assisted by the convergence of Internet and blockchain
technologies and Extended Reality (XR). As per the Reality-Virtuality Spectrum developed by
Milgram with
Kishino, XR incorporates virtual and physical elements to differing extents, such as
“augmentedreality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)”. Furthermore, in Snow Crash, the metaverse
image showsthe dualism of such a real-world and then a replica of digital settings. Users
throughout the metaverse possess their personas, which are analogous to their physical selves
and allow them tolive an opposite existence in a digital world which is a paradigm for their
actual realities.
Bello, Gema, , Maria, Orgaz, Camacho, David, and Barrero, David. “Clustering avatars behaviours from virtual
world’s interactions. 6.
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This research will explore the architecture design of virtual homes within the metaverse as an
extension of the natural world by studying the various technologies that simulate virtual homes
and identifying how virtual homes can improve the quality of life, particularly in the
post-pandemic world.
There has been a giant leap in VR technology and computer graphics in the past decade, making
virtual spaces more tangible and immersive than ever. With the rise of cryptocurrencies, NFTs,
virtual real-estate, and Facebook's announcement to focus on developing the "Metaverse," the
value of digital assets has skyrocketed uncontrollably.2 Due to the pandemic, we increasingly
have to spend more time indoors, thus more time in digital spaces which can only mean growth
for the digital world.
User input with theoretical relationships in a virtual world, such as altering the composition of a
virtual item or developing new creative pieces, can be used to investigate user attributes. In
specific virtual settings, several users can work together in real-time. It corresponds to the welldefined needs of digital realities:
✔ A good collection of space.
✔ A shared feeling of involvement.
✔ A shared perception of time (real-time engagement).
✔ A method to interact (through gestures, text, voice, and other means)
✔ A way to exchange information and control things
The precise definition of a virtual home remains mildly obscure as there can be several
definingfactors from how the space will come to be and which platform on the metaverse will
host the room to the vision and need of the designer and the user. Depending on the chosen
approach, creating a virtual home may require an architect to either pick up a new set of skills
or collaborate with video game developers to create an enhanced interactive experience for
the users.
Visiting a range of virtual houses in the metaverse on platforms like decentral and the
sandbox, one begins to see that a great deal of these virtual homes are either designed to be
pieces of art themselves or galleries to publicly host the trophies of NFT collectors, rather than
having a functional programme. However, this doesn't define the future of virtual houses as it
is just the beginning of a new era.
Metaverse Theory
The Metaverse seems to be a virtual environment where people could do many things they
could do in the actual world. They will be able to work, play, purchase, work out, and
participate in social activities simultaneously. They could perhaps start their businesses, buy
land, create music, and go to concerts in a virtual world.
Borries, Friedrich, Böttger, Matthias, and Walz, Steffen. Space Time Play Computer games, Architecture and
Urbanism.
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In the future, instead of going shopping for your clothes, users could perhaps buy clothes for
your avatar online. You can even purchase digital art to display in a virtual gallery rather than
buying a piece of art for your wall decoration.
The promise of the Metaverse is a greater convergence of our real and virtual lives in wealth,
social connection, interaction, shopping, and amusement, either in virtual reality (VR),
augmented reality (AR), or simply on a computer monitor. There was no need for headphones
since these two worlds have become interconnected:
 Look into how the Uber app used geolocation to inform you how far away the vehicle is.
 Consider how Netflix provides guidance based on your previous viewing history.
 Consider how accurate iPhones' LiDAR scanners can scan your environment in 3D.
Russell's article highlights that one could live digitally beyond the ideas of capitalism, racial
supremacy, gender norms, or even other strict standards throughout various radical
aspirations.3They can create fluid, flexible, humanly, or nonhuman avatars, with the ability
to split, shape-shift, even glitch their cyber-identities and virtual skins. The Obsidian Virtual
Concept House, illustrated in figure 1, vividly illustrates Russell's "brighter development"
implemented inthe virtual world. Visitors will not only digitally purchase objects and
installations chosen by thehome's designers, but they could also participate in a week of
virtual entertainment. Each space and location in the prototype house has been inspired by
the designers' own stories, making it asecure and liberated environment for "manifestations
of joy and imagination.
Figure 1: Interiors by 25 BADG creative4
Objects throughout the metaverse are not permanent. They have almost the same capacity to
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4
Russell, Legacy. Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto Paperback. New York City: Verso. 2020
Stone, Leilah. “A Virtual Home Imagines a More Free and Authentic Future for Black Families.” Digital image
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incorporate limitless variations seeing themselves as the humans or avatars that create and
engage with them. The term Meta could have a variety of connotations, including activity, and it
appears in many times that signify change, transition, or transcending, such as metabolism or
metamorphosis.5
Key technologies that power the development of metaverse
Blockchain:
A blockchain is a chain that a network of servers can access. It is complicated to modify a record
once it has put into the chain. Frequent checks performed to guarantee that all database
duplicates are accurate. Although blockchain is use to underpin virtual currencies such as
bitcoin, it has a wide range of other applications on the horizon.
The whiteness of this technology makes it simple to comprehend. In theory, the system is
composed of shared database records that must be authenticated and encrypted through a
network of individuals.
As lockdown precautions and work-from-home laws forced more individuals for work and
pleasure online during the crisis of Covid -19, the Metaverse notion gained traction. The term
encompasses a broad spectrum of virtual environments, from corporate applications to
videogames and social networks. Several mobile innovations use blockchain technology,
including NFTs, to allow for the development, authority, and distribution of a different type of
virtual currency asset. NFTs seem to be a blockchain-based asset used to verify ownership of
assets goods such as paintings, media, and accessible computer game components.
NFTs and even the metaverse are becoming almost synonymous terms. One of the reasons for
this is the widespread use of NFTs within blockchain gambling. Many people believe that the
metaverse would manifest itself in digital environments, and interoperable gaming is a perfect
way to do so. The NFTs integrate real-world identities with virtual personas to offer access to the
metaverse in various ways.
Artificial Intelligence:
Artificial intelligence has progressed to the point that, on paper, its decisions and consideration
mechanisms are indistinguishable from those of a person. It has presented by an understanding of
biological variables in the central nervous systems that connect all of the cognitive and
intellectual activities in the human body, taking into account the information for forecasting
human behavior in a state machine.
Enhancing the link between the virtual and physical world requires intelligent systems. A variety
of metaverse interactions require artificial intelligence (AI). It could aid in language processing,
ensuring that our machines and robotics recognise and understand us.
AI also facilitates computer vision or even Simultaneous Vicinity or Location and Mapping
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system that also assist computers in understanding our physical environments.5
XR might be the most applied form of metaverse technology today, involving the integration of
the real and the virtual, including headphones and gadgets. Using XR, individuals can enter a
virtual environment and engage with 3D avatars within societies. Mixed and augmented reality
could also integrate digital products into the physical world, transforming how we engage
primarily with maps to online purchases.
AR/VR
VR has become a marketing buzzword for entertaining, computer games, 3D movies, and
television programming. None of them constitute VR since they never permanently or
temporarily engage you in a virtual environment. Interactive games or simulation software, on
the other hand, would fit portions of our formulation above, demonstrating that there are multiple
ways to build virtual worlds—and numerous flavors of VR.
Smartphones are considered a supercomputer processing power in our hands and pockets. Even
though we are traveling around the world, whether it is seeing a historical building that we have
never been to before, we usually prefer an enjoyable experience of the excitement of seeing those
in front of us compared to seeing them virtually. As a result, the notion of augmented reality
(AR) established, in which you can point the smartphone at such a notable location or structure
and obtain valuable information about it.
In augmented reality, the real environment morphs using visual components and graphical
characters. Anybody with a digitized smartphone and an intelligent camera may acquire AR
applications, which allow consumers to explore their environment through interesting digital
images similar to what we see in videogames like the AR Dragon game.
VR is very different from AR, yet it is similar to the Metaverse theory. Users can explore a fully
computer-generated online technology using VR headgear, safety glasses, and digital sensor
systems.
The essential characteristics of VR and AR illustrate the Metaverse's new generation. Such
technologies are maturing over time and thus expected to change our digital experiences
regularly. Furthermore, AR and VR have generated a lot of buzz, encouraging substantial-tech
companies to invest in VR or AR hardware development to support upcoming Metaverse
developments.
Internet of things (IoT)
IoT, as a system, connects our physical environment to the internet by allowing information to be
sent and received via sensors. The internet of things receives data from the actual world and
converts it to a virtual environment, improving the accuracy of digital data processing. It
indicates that IoT data streams can predict how things in Metaverseerse will behave based on the
new virtual environment and other factors.
5
Joshua, Judy. “Information Bodies: Computational Anxiety in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash.” 39.
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IoT technology allows the reproduction of real-world operations in a digitally interoperable
architecture by seamlessly connecting the 3D virtual environment to numerous real-world
devices. IoT can leverage Artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to properly
process and analyze the data it collects to improve the Metaverse ecosystem further.
Metaverse architects
We all knew that architects play a crucial role in realising innovative initiatives in the
metaverse.Architects uses 2D or 3D rendering for their clients who have difficulties in
understanding the scale and spatial relationship. Designing for the metaverse would
necessitate new talents and a shift of viewpoint for architects. Architects throughout the
metaverse undertake 3D modelling and incorporate technical competence from various
professions, covering user interface, visual design, character creator, and perhaps even
interactive media.6
Individuals need locations in the metaverse, which necessitates hiring architects and designers
todevelop or improve these venues. Nevertheless, since this new world expands, those we
considerarchitects would most likely alter. Aside from that, architecture training will have to
educate this next generation of architects on arange of digital media and 3D technologies. It
moves away from architectural history, building processes, and materials.
By providing a highly engaging world that does not need a physical presence, since the
metaverse setting can strengthen the interaction among architecture students and their
instructors or educators. A practical framework for establishing interactive interactions will be
offered, which may be applied by any architectural school.
In addition, the metaverse might represent a new frontier in architecture preservation. Because
environmental or man-made disasters have destroyed some structures, the metaverse could
serveas a framework for preserving structures within this technological landscape for coming
generations. It may be a technique to convey and understand architectural history by allowing
people to engage with the environment through virtual setting.
A metaverse, as well as existing architecture, are not the same thing. One of the most
essential distinctions would be the space's qualities. It remains in such a natural setting
whether or not people engage with this now. Inside a virtual world, every location has a
rationale or a tale. Thatreason is one of the most critical aspects of the virtual world.
Furthermore, the metaverse will have no real-life regulations or limits, including
gravity, structure stability, climate concerns, or physical laws. As a result, architects
could always transcend existing constraints and create unique surroundings and works
of art.
The metaverse architecture, on the contrary, does not contain all sensory experiences. As a
result,the mood is created with fewer sources; therefore, visual and auditory elements are
Wei, Yungang, Qin, Xiaoran, Tan, Xiaoye, Yu, Xiaohang, Sun, Bo, and Zhu, Xiaoming. “The Design of a Visual
Tool for the Quick Customization of Virtual Characters in OSSL.”
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emphasised further.
Moreover, whereas visualisations typically made in present architecture to convey the
ambianceand features of the location towards the audience proposed building, throughout the
metaverse, the entire area is constructed with the same amount of time and energy spent just
on projection.
Argument Development
Metaverse's creation of virtual dwellings puts users' data security at risk. Metaverse is
undoubtedly the most significant advancement in virtual reality, and it will fundamentally alter
our perceptions of digital and social networking interactions. However, Metaverse is still in its
early development phase, and like any new technology, it has several potential drawbacks, as
listed below:
 In contrast to what we see in the real world, identifying persons in the Metaverse is
somewhat tricky. Users must be verified using their language, expressions, and avatar
traits.
 Scammers or bots attempting to harm someone's reputation and can impersonate that
person's avatar and achieve their worse goal.
 Another critical issue is the issue of privacy. Because VR and AR gadgets integrate with
cameras and identification numbers, their reliance on Metaverse may result in the leakage
of private information.7
It is important to note that these obstacles are guaranteed, and they don't appear in every
Metaverse project. With a thorough understanding of Metaverse development and thus the help
of a skilled team, anyone can simply design and construct their customized virtual environment
without putting their security at risk.
In addition, the development of Metaverse can also affect users' mental health. Positive
connections, social support, adequate sleep, and physical exercise are all well-established
basic components of mental wellness. If we study any technology, even if it is new or old, the
concern is still not how often people spend with it, but rather whether the ways they use it
will help them achieve their mental health goals.
Teenagers have proven to be eager and enthusiastic adopters of any modern technology.
Many of the implications [of the Metaverse] will be determined by how conscious we are as
elders, technology providers, lawmakers, and educators in structuring the youth in ways that
we know promote beneficial development. The issue we have stumbled across thus far is that
various platforms are not build with their safety in mind. I believe the Metaverse would be
similarly affected. One of the most important developments is it is not so much the computer
itself that is damaging, but rather the worry, tension, and perceptions of risk that it causes
among families.
Addiction8 is another impact of the Metaverse development. 'Internet addiction is a
7
Moloney, Jules and Harvey, Lawrence. "Visualization and 'auralization' of architectural design in a game engine
based collaborative virtual environment." Proceedings”, 830.
8
Xi, N., Chen, J., Gama, F. et al. “The challenges of entering the metaverse: An experiment on the effect of
extended reality on workload.
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subcategory of overall addictive behaviors of using the internet. As the name implies, it
focuses on Internet obsession instead of other forms of media addiction such as media
obsession, radio addiction, or other forms of social media addiction.
The following are some of the signs and symptoms of behavioral addiction:
 No longer partaking in activities that formerly piqued your interest
 Using the internet for the majority of one's waking hours
 If you are requested to put down your device, you may react with rage or irritation
Effect of metaverse towards pandemic
The pandemic has made everyone more at ease in the virtual world. Even before the pandemic,
individuals had a lot of experience working electronically. They have hosted meetings, published
research papers, investigated case studies, and started working as a digital marketer. They also
have conducted multiple conferences and events.
Within and without businesses, the virtual environment is perhaps the most chosen media during
the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees who work from home communicate via
internal messaging platforms, such as Viber, Skype, WhatsApp, etc. Employees were only
authorized to schedule meetings online during the lockdown, and then they were not allowed to
meet face to face at their workplaces.9 Employees used virtual communication to interact with
their coworkers, customers, and certain other personnel in the workplace at the comfort of their
environment.
Employees and companies could interact and complete tasks due to the increased use of project
management tools, electronic mail, and social networking sites. Employees utilize Slack
extensively for better connectivity across teams by building team groups.
During the epidemic, Yahoo mail, Outlook, and internal mailboxes were vital because they were
the primary means of document delivery. Employers become more flexible and empower
workers to accomplish tasks using accessible virtual communication platforms while maintaining
all levels of security.
Conclusion
This research aims to examine the architecture design of virtual homes within the metaverse as
an augmentation of the physical world by investigating the various technologies that analyze
virtual homes and determining how virtual homes can improve the quality of life, especially in
developing nations during the pandemic crisis. Metaverse is a broad term that refers to a
collection of technological features like as virtual reality together with augmented reality. The
virtual worlds will seem fundamentally different in the future years as a result of theintegration
of new technologies (blockchain, AI, AR/VR, & Internet of things (IoT))10 as well as the
Choi, H.-Y. “Working in the Metaverse: Does Telework in a Metaverse Office Have the Potential to Reduce
Population Pressure in Megacities? Evidence from Young Adults in Seoul, South Korea”.
10
Muller, Jens, Radle, Roman, and Reiterer, Harald. “Virtual Objects as Spatial Cues in
Collaborative Mixed Reality Environments: How They Shape Communication Behavior and User Task Load.” 1248
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gradual growth and improvement of the environment. Working remotely has expanded
dramatically due to the current worldwide pandemic, with zoom calls being the standard.
Riding on metaverse hype, seems to be a slow but steady transition to further virtual
conferences on applications like workstations, which have shown to be immersive and
successful. It indicates that virtual environment been very useful and adoptable during the
crisis of pandemic.
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