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MetaMundo’s 3D NFT Villa opens up questions about the function of architecture in the metaverse
MetaMundo’s 3D NFT Villa opens up questions about the function of architecture in the metaverse
MetaMundo has launched its second three-dimensional NFT, a seaside villa, complete with an NFT gallery, meditation pavilions and entertaining areas. The structure was designed by American architect and hybrid creative Luis Fernandez to become an immersive space for meeting, playing and relaxing. Through this project, the architect aims to explore the changing paradigm of building in the metaverse. As the laws of physics become irrelevant and materials are reduced to surface images, he asks the question what will architecture mean for the metaverse, how will we experience it and how will we use it?
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Architecture built for the metaverse seems to split into two different approaches: take full advantage of the lack of constraints, such as physics, to create a sculptural object that can be explored or repeat familiar shapes and forms of architecture. According to architect Luis Fernandez, his approach is not based on the form of the final object, but on functions that the architecture can serve in the metaverse. From this question, the spaces are designed to be virtually freed from some constraints found in the physical world, such as controlling humidity or exposure to natural elements, but they are still spaces meant to be experienced by people in an immersive way. For Luis Fernandez, one of the main uses of the metaverse will be meditation.
The architect also discusses the references to architectural history and theory. Upon entering the villa, users are teleported to the main entry point, reminiscent of the columns of ancient temples in Greece. Other inspirations for the villa were Frank Lloyd Wright, for the relationship between architecture and landscape, and Mies van der Rohe for the shape of the interior columns and the use of materials such as marble and natural stone.
According to the architect, he takes cues from mid-century modern architecture as a way of understanding the works of masters like Le Corbusier, who “looked at the traditional and the established and tried to break it down by coming up with these new rules, which spoke about the way modern life was led.” In an interview with MetaMundo, Luis Fernandez expresses his opinion that we are at a similar point today when traditional forms of architecture are challenged by the development of the virtual world.
AT the end of the day, I think of these spaces – the ones in the metaverse – as being very similar to scenography, as in the set of a theater or a movie; they all tell a story. – Luis Fernandez
The 3D NFT villa is sold as an exclusive edition of 100, marked by MetaMundo. The object is optimized for use throughout the metaverse, on platforms such as Spatial, Decentraland and Cryptovoxels. MetaMundo also updates the NFTs after the sale to optimize them for maturation and newer versions of the metaverse.
