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Post-pandemic professionism: Architect in the Metaverse
This is part of a RIBA Part 3 research essay composed by the website owner. It has been submitted to turnitin and using this website to share the idea around only for academic purpose after the submission in March 2022.
Post-pandemic is a concept that can be viewed and learned from multiple perspectives. It can represent the back-to-normal world after the Covid-19, such as architects returning to offline work and constructors returning on site. More radically, post-pandemic also represents an evolved interactive online environment, after all, everyone was forced to work remotely and so-cialise ‘behind the screen’(Jessel, 2022). The popularity of online meeting/collaboration software such as Microsoft Team, Zoom, and Miro is the most direct evidence that technology is trying to extend or even replace offline spaces to host human activities. On 28 October 2021, metaverse started to attract public attention when Facebook officially rebranded as Meta announced by its founder, Mark Zuckerberg(Milmo, 2021).
The metaverse is not just the Internet of the next era for the architecture industry. It is a non-physical world that replaces 2D with 3D by technologies such as VR to contain human activities. A “reality” build by 3D soft-ware in the format that architects are already familiar with. Users buy and sell ownership of ‘land’ from metaverse builders such as Decentraland and Sandbox(Jessel, 2022), just as the real estate market in the cur-rent world but in a decentralised way. Now Covid-19 accelerates the metaverse’s business growth, said Leandro Bellone, the CEO of NFT Studios(Seier, 2021), revealing a brand new opportunity for the architect to prospect their career profitablely.
Through reframing Richard Brindley’s guidance on effective professionalism(2022), this essay will identify two areas of change through the qualitative analysis of the pioneer practices, such as Voxel Archi-tects and Zaha Hadid Architects. The two identified ‘new normal’s are: 1)design on a virtual site; 2)design with the new project team.
This essay does not verify the absolute occurrence of virtualisation. Instead, it uses metaverse as an extreme economic and societal background to examine the meaning of effective professionalism, through answering: What is the potential embodiment of effective professional in the metaverse environment? How can architects and the profession seize the opportunities presented by the post-pandemic environment to prospect their careers creatively and profitably? It is a chance to explore the economic opportunities in the virtual market promoted by the covid-19.
The use of sources will be mainly extracted from influential publications(Architectural Journal, RIBA Journal, Financial Times, The Guardian, etc.), recorded interviews on Youtube and official institution web sources.
The Awareness of Metaverse and Architect’s Competence
Conservatives see the metaverse as nothing more than a dystopian concept from fiction for sic-fi enthusiasts or another capitalist gimmick for the tech company(Naughton, 2022). It does not replace or subvert the value of reality, good or bad(Kelly, 2022), as the construction industry should and will remain unmoved.
However, the Co-founder of Renovi, Adonis Zachariades believes that the emergence of the metaverse provides commercial opportunities for architecture and design professionals(Jessel, 2022). The construction industry has already begun to pay attention to the impacts of the metaverse and how can architect monetise their profession to build virtual architecture in the metaverse. For instance, in early February 2022, Architect’s Journal announced an open interna-tional competition to design virtual infrastructure for the metaverse(Fulcher, 2022). Simultane-ously, ‘Can architects build a better metaverse?’ is raised by the RIBA Intelligence Writing com-petition that appeals to architects and students to write about the ‘turbulent times’ we live in(Young, 2022).
More practically, avant-garde architects such as Zaha Hadid Architects(ZHA), Bjarke Ingels Group(BIG) and Voxel, along with academia’s call for new opportunities in the metaverse Archi-tects have already started to research and extend their business in the metaverse since last year. They use practice to prove that architects have the competence and inevitability to design two worlds simultaneously, believed by Patrik Schumacher, the Principal of ZHA(Quito, 2022). Fur-thermore, the associate of Squire and Partners, Stavros Zachariades considers that architects are primarily equipped with software knowledge to adapt to the virtual environment(Jessel, 2022). The mytaverse Co-Founder Jaime Lopez Villegas believes that architects should be specially trained to build the metaverse because architects understand people’s flow and social interac-tion in space better than game developers (Quito, 2022).
With the appropriate competence and inevitability, George Bileca, the founder of Voxel Archi-tects mentioned that although the ‘land’ in the metaverse is virtual, the project delivery method has high similarity to those in the existing build environment(EntreArchitect, 2022, 52:20). In the interview held by Jeff Echols that the way how this 21-person practice function is similar to a small scale traditional architectural firm. The new “normal” shares the same design process, while the most significant difference is that there will be no statutory planning process, and pro-grammers will replace engineers. Apart from that, they do have a 3D modelling stage, which is similar to the construction stage, with 3D modellers spending one month or two on building all the required building components for the programme developers to code them into interactive elements(EntreArchitect, 2022).
The points he mentioned in the interview can be seen as a breakdown of two main significant changes: change of site from physical to virtual and change of team composition to coordinate with(Form 1). The following paragraphs will analyse the opportunities and challenges posed by the changes in these two fields in conjunction with Brindley’s effective professional guide and explore how architects and the profession should use their existing expertise to respond and prospect.
The metaverse is not just the Internet of the next era for the architecture industry. It is a non-physical world that replaces 2D with 3D by technologies such as VR to contain human activities. A “reality” build by 3D soft-ware in the format that architects are already familiar with. Users buy and sell ownership of ‘land’ from metaverse builders such as Decentraland and Sandbox(Jessel, 2022), just as the real estate market in the cur-rent world but in a decentralised way. Now Covid-19 accelerates the metaverse’s business growth, said Leandro Bellone, the CEO of NFT Studios(Seier, 2021), revealing a brand new opportunity for the architect to prospect their career profitablely.
Through reframing Richard Brindley’s guidance on effective professionalism(2022), this essay will identify two areas of change through the qualitative analysis of the pioneer practices, such as Voxel Archi-tects and Zaha Hadid Architects. The two identified ‘new normal’s are: 1)design on a virtual site; 2)design with the new project team.
This essay does not verify the absolute occurrence of virtualisation. Instead, it uses metaverse as an extreme economic and societal background to examine the meaning of effective professionalism, through answering: What is the potential embodiment of effective professional in the metaverse environment? How can architects and the profession seize the opportunities presented by the post-pandemic environment to prospect their careers creatively and profitably? It is a chance to explore the economic opportunities in the virtual market promoted by the covid-19.
The use of sources will be mainly extracted from influential publications(Architectural Journal, RIBA Journal, Financial Times, The Guardian, etc.), recorded interviews on Youtube and official institution web sources.
The Awareness of Metaverse and Architect’s Competence
Conservatives see the metaverse as nothing more than a dystopian concept from fiction for sic-fi enthusiasts or another capitalist gimmick for the tech company(Naughton, 2022). It does not replace or subvert the value of reality, good or bad(Kelly, 2022), as the construction industry should and will remain unmoved.
However, the Co-founder of Renovi, Adonis Zachariades believes that the emergence of the metaverse provides commercial opportunities for architecture and design professionals(Jessel, 2022). The construction industry has already begun to pay attention to the impacts of the metaverse and how can architect monetise their profession to build virtual architecture in the metaverse. For instance, in early February 2022, Architect’s Journal announced an open interna-tional competition to design virtual infrastructure for the metaverse(Fulcher, 2022). Simultane-ously, ‘Can architects build a better metaverse?’ is raised by the RIBA Intelligence Writing com-petition that appeals to architects and students to write about the ‘turbulent times’ we live in(Young, 2022).
More practically, avant-garde architects such as Zaha Hadid Architects(ZHA), Bjarke Ingels Group(BIG) and Voxel, along with academia’s call for new opportunities in the metaverse Archi-tects have already started to research and extend their business in the metaverse since last year. They use practice to prove that architects have the competence and inevitability to design two worlds simultaneously, believed by Patrik Schumacher, the Principal of ZHA(Quito, 2022). Fur-thermore, the associate of Squire and Partners, Stavros Zachariades considers that architects are primarily equipped with software knowledge to adapt to the virtual environment(Jessel, 2022). The mytaverse Co-Founder Jaime Lopez Villegas believes that architects should be specially trained to build the metaverse because architects understand people’s flow and social interac-tion in space better than game developers (Quito, 2022).
With the appropriate competence and inevitability, George Bileca, the founder of Voxel Archi-tects mentioned that although the ‘land’ in the metaverse is virtual, the project delivery method has high similarity to those in the existing build environment(EntreArchitect, 2022, 52:20). In the interview held by Jeff Echols that the way how this 21-person practice function is similar to a small scale traditional architectural firm. The new “normal” shares the same design process, while the most significant difference is that there will be no statutory planning process, and pro-grammers will replace engineers. Apart from that, they do have a 3D modelling stage, which is similar to the construction stage, with 3D modellers spending one month or two on building all the required building components for the programme developers to code them into interactive elements(EntreArchitect, 2022).
The points he mentioned in the interview can be seen as a breakdown of two main significant changes: change of site from physical to virtual and change of team composition to coordinate with(Form 1). The following paragraphs will analyse the opportunities and challenges posed by the changes in these two fields in conjunction with Brindley’s effective professional guide and explore how architects and the profession should use their existing expertise to respond and prospect.
Unprecedented Client Briefing
As the pioneer architectural practitioners, metaverse architect has an obligation to use their ability of research, creativity, knowledge and competence to provide the client with the best they can offer in terms of design outcomes(regulate in RIBA Code of Practice Conducts, 1.1 and 1.2 in Principle 2).
However, the briefing from a metaverse client is an unprecedented start. Architects will encoun-ter client briefing that cannot be solved by applying past projects’ spatial strategies. The reason is without constrained by construction costs, building regulations or gravity. The client expects a building outcome that contains virtual activities that are unable to undergo in reality (Quito, 2022).
Bileca said most of his clients are extremely wealthy gamers, collectors and investors with particular experimental requirements (EntreArchitect, 2022, 30:29). Zaha Hadid Architects’ first metaverse client is a micronation, the Free Republic of Liberland. The nation’s vision is to create a “cyber-urban” city more extensive than the sovereign city state of Monaco (Quito, 2022), with an ambition to become the metaverse for metaverse developers and the crypto ecosystem in the future(Finney, 2022). These virtual spaces are challenging to replicate with projects built in the real world.
In this case, listening and understanding is the premise for architects to capture clients’ primary objectives and visions of their project/business. So as to develop a Client Brief that meets the Business Case for the future definition of the scope of works(Brindley, 2022:18). With a good balance between Time, Cost, and Quality(RIBA, 2021:12), architects should have consideration of optimised development opportunities to create long-term value for the client’s projects (Brindley, 2022: 18).
Deliver Project on Virtual Site
Because the metaverse is decentralised, there will be no planning authorities in it, so building a house on the NFT plot no longer needs to worry about the planning application and the development plans. Nevertheless, it also has its own rules. Similar to the building height restriction in the real world, users in metaverse can only build houses no more than 20 metres high per plot of 16 square meters due to technical limitations, otherwise the file will be too large to be loaded. This is why the current Metaverse buildings are so pixelated(Jessel, 2022).
RIBA Plan of Work is a comprehensive and professional tool in the UK to help architect and man-age the project in all scales and types, and ‘evolved over the years to reflect changing trends in project approaches...’ (RIBA Plan of Work Overview, 2020:5). Although it does not guide nor cov-er the execution of any metaverse projects, it is still an excellent tool for architects who has the ambition to explore the project’s programming in the metaverse, effectively manage risk, and complete architectural handovers(Illustration 1).
In the metaverse project, it seems that the architect, client, and stakeholders are rescued from the uncertainties and risks that mainly occur in the construction subject to the real economic, political, normative and social environments(Brindley, 2022: 89). However, it must have risks that the architect cannot detect. This seems to be a question to the professional body like RIBA to provide the profession with the confidence to expand their business continually. Just like how the Plan of Work 2013 evolved to accommodate all types of procurement between briefing and construction because Design and Build started to dominate the capital intensive UK project(RIBA Plan of Work Overview, 2020:5; Scott, 2020).
As the pioneer architectural practitioners, metaverse architect has an obligation to use their ability of research, creativity, knowledge and competence to provide the client with the best they can offer in terms of design outcomes(regulate in RIBA Code of Practice Conducts, 1.1 and 1.2 in Principle 2).
However, the briefing from a metaverse client is an unprecedented start. Architects will encoun-ter client briefing that cannot be solved by applying past projects’ spatial strategies. The reason is without constrained by construction costs, building regulations or gravity. The client expects a building outcome that contains virtual activities that are unable to undergo in reality (Quito, 2022).
Bileca said most of his clients are extremely wealthy gamers, collectors and investors with particular experimental requirements (EntreArchitect, 2022, 30:29). Zaha Hadid Architects’ first metaverse client is a micronation, the Free Republic of Liberland. The nation’s vision is to create a “cyber-urban” city more extensive than the sovereign city state of Monaco (Quito, 2022), with an ambition to become the metaverse for metaverse developers and the crypto ecosystem in the future(Finney, 2022). These virtual spaces are challenging to replicate with projects built in the real world.
In this case, listening and understanding is the premise for architects to capture clients’ primary objectives and visions of their project/business. So as to develop a Client Brief that meets the Business Case for the future definition of the scope of works(Brindley, 2022:18). With a good balance between Time, Cost, and Quality(RIBA, 2021:12), architects should have consideration of optimised development opportunities to create long-term value for the client’s projects (Brindley, 2022: 18).
Deliver Project on Virtual Site
Because the metaverse is decentralised, there will be no planning authorities in it, so building a house on the NFT plot no longer needs to worry about the planning application and the development plans. Nevertheless, it also has its own rules. Similar to the building height restriction in the real world, users in metaverse can only build houses no more than 20 metres high per plot of 16 square meters due to technical limitations, otherwise the file will be too large to be loaded. This is why the current Metaverse buildings are so pixelated(Jessel, 2022).
RIBA Plan of Work is a comprehensive and professional tool in the UK to help architect and man-age the project in all scales and types, and ‘evolved over the years to reflect changing trends in project approaches...’ (RIBA Plan of Work Overview, 2020:5). Although it does not guide nor cov-er the execution of any metaverse projects, it is still an excellent tool for architects who has the ambition to explore the project’s programming in the metaverse, effectively manage risk, and complete architectural handovers(Illustration 1).
In the metaverse project, it seems that the architect, client, and stakeholders are rescued from the uncertainties and risks that mainly occur in the construction subject to the real economic, political, normative and social environments(Brindley, 2022: 89). However, it must have risks that the architect cannot detect. This seems to be a question to the professional body like RIBA to provide the profession with the confidence to expand their business continually. Just like how the Plan of Work 2013 evolved to accommodate all types of procurement between briefing and construction because Design and Build started to dominate the capital intensive UK project(RIBA Plan of Work Overview, 2020:5; Scott, 2020).
Forming the New Project Team
Architects may face a new team composition and build trusted relationships with them, both familiar and unfamiliar. The practice must ensure that employees have enough skills and knowledge to complete the project(Brindley, 2022:120). In the metaverse’s case, Engineers will be replaced by programmers, whether in-house or from another organisation, to ensure the building is trigger-abled and interacting well(EntreArchitect, 2022). On top of that, the team may welcome transdisciplinary designers and artists (Senier, 2021). “From a design standpoint, you have to think very differently, because the same rules do not apply in the virtual world as they do in the physical world”, said Leon Rost, one of the principals at BIG(Stinson, 2022). Last but not least, 3D builders are needed to assemble the project team(Senier, 2021).
Based on an interview with Bileca, the following illustration is an inferred visualisation of the Voxel Architect team structure. We will find that more than half of the members are only involved in “construction”. From this team structure, we can preliminarily infer that there is still much labour needed to construct the metaverse project. Although not assertive, practice is supposed to avoid Modern Slavery by treating every employee fairly, regardless of the level of responsibility (RIBA, 2021: 18).
Architects may face a new team composition and build trusted relationships with them, both familiar and unfamiliar. The practice must ensure that employees have enough skills and knowledge to complete the project(Brindley, 2022:120). In the metaverse’s case, Engineers will be replaced by programmers, whether in-house or from another organisation, to ensure the building is trigger-abled and interacting well(EntreArchitect, 2022). On top of that, the team may welcome transdisciplinary designers and artists (Senier, 2021). “From a design standpoint, you have to think very differently, because the same rules do not apply in the virtual world as they do in the physical world”, said Leon Rost, one of the principals at BIG(Stinson, 2022). Last but not least, 3D builders are needed to assemble the project team(Senier, 2021).
Based on an interview with Bileca, the following illustration is an inferred visualisation of the Voxel Architect team structure. We will find that more than half of the members are only involved in “construction”. From this team structure, we can preliminarily infer that there is still much labour needed to construct the metaverse project. Although not assertive, practice is supposed to avoid Modern Slavery by treating every employee fairly, regardless of the level of responsibility (RIBA, 2021: 18).
When delivering virtual projects, an offline office is not a necessity. Nevertheless, being an architect to deliver metaverse projects requires constant communication, negotiation, reporting, and teamwork (Brindley, 2022:120)(Illustration 3). For example, when faced with a conceptual conflict with a concept artist, architects ideally should have the ability, such as ‘emotional intelligence’ to understand and reconcile the circumstances(Brindley, 2022: 118-119).
An Opportunity to Address the Low Salary Issue
Architects in the traditional construction industry generally suffer from low salaries but a high-risk environment. As a highly professional cohort, the average salary of architects is only 66% of that of lawyers and half of that of doctors(Brindley, 2022:39). Brindley believes that the reasons for the low wages of architects are that they have not been driven by money since ancient times, so architects have no awareness of building costs. Most architects quietly disassociate their pro-fessional value from the ultimate value of the building(Brindley, 2022:40). However, the metaverse is a chance for architect to reintroduce their value to the client and improve the low salary issue.
Metaverse is a built environment with no planning process or physical construction. Over the past 20 years, more than half of the projects in 2018 have used the Design and Build procure-ment route (RIBA, 2018) due to the development of CAD and BIM technology and a society that is increasingly focused on efficiency and speed (Brindley, 2022: 6-7). The employer would like to seek an experienced contractor to be in charge of the overall delivery of the prpoject to reduce the construction risk by ensuring better buildability. Architects need to seize this opportunity, become more commercial, re-introduce the value they can bring to clients in the metaverse, and formulate a new fee calculation plan. Of course, this is not something that an individual architect can do, and it requires the whole profession to act together.
Conclusion
Although many conservatives believe that the metaverse is a gimmick that should not shake the traditional construction industry, many architects still believe that this is a commercial oppor-tunity for the architectural industry, working together to explore the competence and potential of architects in the metaverse. Through the analysis of metaverse pioneers such as Voxel Archi-tects, it is found that the metaverse mainly brings changes in two areas. They are the change of the site from the physical to the virtual and the re-composite skill workers in the project team. These two changes bring challenges and opportunities to the profession of architecture. First of all, when faced with a virtual site, client briefing is likely to be unprecedented. Architects need to capture the client’s primary business objectives by listening, understanding, and doing their best to bring more value to the project. Secondly, architects can reduce the risks and precautions of project handover when delivering projects on a virtual site by learning from RIBA P of Work. At the same time, the professional institution also needs to innovate Plan of Work according to the latest design approaches and provide a better business framework for architects. Third, although the project team members have changed as architects work in the metaverse, the ability to col-laborate as a team is still indispensable. The practice should be aware of Modern Slavery. Ulti-mately, architects and professionals should see the metaverse as an opportunity to redefine their value and address the low paid issue in the industry.
No matter what build environment the architect is embedded in, an effective professional needs to be successful in taking good care of clients while also being commercial enough to have a ‘prosperous career and profitable practice’. This is inseparable from efficient and profitable project management, working well, and mobilising the best from people(Brindley, 2022:X). An effective professional is also obliged to have social and environmental considerations and serve the wider public as much as possible. Although this essay does not cover the potential risks and alternative insurance for architects involved in the metaverse, more discussion could be drawn about avoiding disputes and managing risks by understanding and complying with laws and utilising insurance that obstacle architects to enter into the metaverse.
Architects in the traditional construction industry generally suffer from low salaries but a high-risk environment. As a highly professional cohort, the average salary of architects is only 66% of that of lawyers and half of that of doctors(Brindley, 2022:39). Brindley believes that the reasons for the low wages of architects are that they have not been driven by money since ancient times, so architects have no awareness of building costs. Most architects quietly disassociate their pro-fessional value from the ultimate value of the building(Brindley, 2022:40). However, the metaverse is a chance for architect to reintroduce their value to the client and improve the low salary issue.
Metaverse is a built environment with no planning process or physical construction. Over the past 20 years, more than half of the projects in 2018 have used the Design and Build procure-ment route (RIBA, 2018) due to the development of CAD and BIM technology and a society that is increasingly focused on efficiency and speed (Brindley, 2022: 6-7). The employer would like to seek an experienced contractor to be in charge of the overall delivery of the prpoject to reduce the construction risk by ensuring better buildability. Architects need to seize this opportunity, become more commercial, re-introduce the value they can bring to clients in the metaverse, and formulate a new fee calculation plan. Of course, this is not something that an individual architect can do, and it requires the whole profession to act together.
Conclusion
Although many conservatives believe that the metaverse is a gimmick that should not shake the traditional construction industry, many architects still believe that this is a commercial oppor-tunity for the architectural industry, working together to explore the competence and potential of architects in the metaverse. Through the analysis of metaverse pioneers such as Voxel Archi-tects, it is found that the metaverse mainly brings changes in two areas. They are the change of the site from the physical to the virtual and the re-composite skill workers in the project team. These two changes bring challenges and opportunities to the profession of architecture. First of all, when faced with a virtual site, client briefing is likely to be unprecedented. Architects need to capture the client’s primary business objectives by listening, understanding, and doing their best to bring more value to the project. Secondly, architects can reduce the risks and precautions of project handover when delivering projects on a virtual site by learning from RIBA P of Work. At the same time, the professional institution also needs to innovate Plan of Work according to the latest design approaches and provide a better business framework for architects. Third, although the project team members have changed as architects work in the metaverse, the ability to col-laborate as a team is still indispensable. The practice should be aware of Modern Slavery. Ulti-mately, architects and professionals should see the metaverse as an opportunity to redefine their value and address the low paid issue in the industry.
No matter what build environment the architect is embedded in, an effective professional needs to be successful in taking good care of clients while also being commercial enough to have a ‘prosperous career and profitable practice’. This is inseparable from efficient and profitable project management, working well, and mobilising the best from people(Brindley, 2022:X). An effective professional is also obliged to have social and environmental considerations and serve the wider public as much as possible. Although this essay does not cover the potential risks and alternative insurance for architects involved in the metaverse, more discussion could be drawn about avoiding disputes and managing risks by understanding and complying with laws and utilising insurance that obstacle architects to enter into the metaverse.
Reference
Book
Brindley, R. (2021) Good Practice Guide: Professionalism at Work. Routledge.
Online Journals
Fulcher, M. (2022) ‘Next Top Metaverse Build’, The Architects’ Journal, 7 February. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/competitions/next-top-metaverse-build (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Jessel, E. (2022) ‘Explainer: Is there work for architects in the metaverse?’, The Architects’ Journal, 25 February. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/explainer-is-there-work-for-architects-in-the-metaverse (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Kelly, J. (2022) ‘What Meta’s VR advert tells us about life in the metaverse’, Financial Times, 24 February. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/c60b8543-e7f0-43f1-89f8-32a57bc2b26e (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Milmo, D. (2021) ‘Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward’, The Guardian, 28 October. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-meta-metaverse (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Naughton, J. (2022) ‘The metaverse is dystopian – but to big tech it’s a business opportunity’, The Guardian, 29 January. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/29/the-metaverse-is-dystopian-but-to-big-tech-its-a-business-opportunity (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Young, E. (2022) ‘Feel strongly about something? Enter our Future Architects writing competition’. RIBA Journal, Available at: https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/ribaj-future-architects-writing-competition (Accessed: 16 March 2022).
Documents
RIBA. (2020).RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview
RIBA. (2021).RIBA:Code of Professional Conduct
Videos
EntreArchitect (2022) George Bileca - Architects and the Metaverse (Context & Clarity LIVE). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgVTz_A4Kk0 (Accessed: 19 March 2022).
LIBERLAND METAVERSE ArchAgendaDebate: Cyber-urban Incubators in the Blockchain Metaverse - YouTube (no date). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qWwTO-UZLM (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Websites
Finney, A. (2022) ‘Zaha Hadid Architects designs virtual Liberland Metaverse city’ Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/03/11/liberland-metaverse-city-zaha-hadid-architects/ (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Quito, A. (no date) A Zaha Hadid-designed city in the metaverse captures the ambitions of Liberland, Quartz. Available at: https://qz.com/2129329/zaha-hadid-in-liberland-architects-designing-in-the-metaverse/ (Accessed: 6 March 2022).
Scott, B. (2020) Traditional Procurement vs Design & Build: Which One is Better? | Urbanist Architecture - London Architects, Urbanist Architecture. Available at: https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/traditional-vs-design-and-build/ (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Seier, J. (2021)‘It can cost up to $300,000 per project to create metaverse real estate’, Metaverse News. Available at: https://metaversenews.com/it-can-cost-up-to-300000-per-project-to-create-metaverse-real-estate/ (Accessed: 21 March 2022).
Stinson, L. (2022) How Will the Metaverse Be Designed?, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/975897/how-will-the-metaverse-be-designed (Accessed: 17 March 2022).
White, S.T. (2017) ‘Designing the Metaverse: The Role of Architecture in Virtual Environments’, Metropolis. Available at: https://metropolismag.com/programs/architecture-virtual-environments/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Insititute Official Websites
RIBA (2018) How to choose the right construction contract. Available at: https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/how-to-choose-the-right-construction-contract (Accessed: 21 March 2022).
World Liberland. (2021) World – Liberland Metaverse. Available at: https://world.liberland.org/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Zaha Hadid Architects. (2022) ‘“NFTism” at Art Basel Miami Beach – Zaha Hadid Architects’. Available at: https://www.zaha-hadid.com/design/nftism-at-art-basel-miami-beach/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Book
Brindley, R. (2021) Good Practice Guide: Professionalism at Work. Routledge.
Online Journals
Fulcher, M. (2022) ‘Next Top Metaverse Build’, The Architects’ Journal, 7 February. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/competitions/next-top-metaverse-build (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Jessel, E. (2022) ‘Explainer: Is there work for architects in the metaverse?’, The Architects’ Journal, 25 February. Available at: https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/explainer-is-there-work-for-architects-in-the-metaverse (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Kelly, J. (2022) ‘What Meta’s VR advert tells us about life in the metaverse’, Financial Times, 24 February. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/c60b8543-e7f0-43f1-89f8-32a57bc2b26e (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Milmo, D. (2021) ‘Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward’, The Guardian, 28 October. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-meta-metaverse (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Naughton, J. (2022) ‘The metaverse is dystopian – but to big tech it’s a business opportunity’, The Guardian, 29 January. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/29/the-metaverse-is-dystopian-but-to-big-tech-its-a-business-opportunity (Accessed: 3 March 2022).
Young, E. (2022) ‘Feel strongly about something? Enter our Future Architects writing competition’. RIBA Journal, Available at: https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/ribaj-future-architects-writing-competition (Accessed: 16 March 2022).
Documents
RIBA. (2020).RIBA Plan of Work 2020 Overview
RIBA. (2021).RIBA:Code of Professional Conduct
Videos
EntreArchitect (2022) George Bileca - Architects and the Metaverse (Context & Clarity LIVE). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgVTz_A4Kk0 (Accessed: 19 March 2022).
LIBERLAND METAVERSE ArchAgendaDebate: Cyber-urban Incubators in the Blockchain Metaverse - YouTube (no date). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qWwTO-UZLM (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Websites
Finney, A. (2022) ‘Zaha Hadid Architects designs virtual Liberland Metaverse city’ Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/03/11/liberland-metaverse-city-zaha-hadid-architects/ (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Quito, A. (no date) A Zaha Hadid-designed city in the metaverse captures the ambitions of Liberland, Quartz. Available at: https://qz.com/2129329/zaha-hadid-in-liberland-architects-designing-in-the-metaverse/ (Accessed: 6 March 2022).
Scott, B. (2020) Traditional Procurement vs Design & Build: Which One is Better? | Urbanist Architecture - London Architects, Urbanist Architecture. Available at: https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/traditional-vs-design-and-build/ (Accessed: 20 March 2022).
Seier, J. (2021)‘It can cost up to $300,000 per project to create metaverse real estate’, Metaverse News. Available at: https://metaversenews.com/it-can-cost-up-to-300000-per-project-to-create-metaverse-real-estate/ (Accessed: 21 March 2022).
Stinson, L. (2022) How Will the Metaverse Be Designed?, ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/975897/how-will-the-metaverse-be-designed (Accessed: 17 March 2022).
White, S.T. (2017) ‘Designing the Metaverse: The Role of Architecture in Virtual Environments’, Metropolis. Available at: https://metropolismag.com/programs/architecture-virtual-environments/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Insititute Official Websites
RIBA (2018) How to choose the right construction contract. Available at: https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/how-to-choose-the-right-construction-contract (Accessed: 21 March 2022).
World Liberland. (2021) World – Liberland Metaverse. Available at: https://world.liberland.org/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).
Zaha Hadid Architects. (2022) ‘“NFTism” at Art Basel Miami Beach – Zaha Hadid Architects’. Available at: https://www.zaha-hadid.com/design/nftism-at-art-basel-miami-beach/ (Accessed: 13 March 2022).