Zaha Hadid Architects designs virtual Liberland Metaverse city

British architecture studio Zaha Hadid Architects has created a "cyber-urban" city in the metaverse where people can buy plots of land with cryptocurrency and enter digital buildings as an avatar.

Named Liberland Metaverse, the virtual city is a based on the Free Republic of Liberland – a micronation claimed by Czech politician Vít Jedlička that straddles disputed land between Croatia and Serbia.

ZHA is developing a city in the metaverse called Liberland

"While the Liberland Metaverse is meant to spearhead the development of Liberland as a libertarian micronation it will also function as free standing virtual reality realm in its own right," explained Zaha Hadid Architects principal Patrik Schumacher.

"The ambition is for it to become the go-to site for networking and collaboration within the burgeoning web 3.0 industry, its the metaverse for metaverse developers and the crypto ecosystem at large," he told Dezeen.

It is a digital replica of the physical micronation the Republic of Liberland

To access Liberland Metaverse, people have to file an application to become an e-resident of the physical micronation. Then they access the space via Mytaverse – a cloud-based platform that creates 3D environments.

Once inside the "cyber-urban crypto incubator", people can visit buildings designed by Zaha Hadid Architects including a city hall, plaza and exhibition centre.

Schumacher designed the space using the computer software parametricism

Zaha Hadid Architects designed all of the buildings in its typical style with curvaceous, sinuous forms and rounded corners. However, many of the buildings have elements not supported from the ground – something that is not possible with gravity in the real world.

The city hall, which is the city's central urban heart has a terraced walkway that wraps around the building. Inside, benches are arranged in a horseshoe configuration and the Liberland flag can be seen hanging on the wall.

The DeFi Plaza has been designed in ZHA's signature curvaceous style

According to its website, the virtual campus, which is surrounded by water, will be used as a "networking hub for crypto projects, crypto companies and crypto events".

People can also buy plots of land and set up businesses in the virtual city and if they do so, they will also have a stake in the physical Liberland.

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BIG designs virtual office in the metaverse for Vice Media Group

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Schumacher designed the city using parametricism, a type of computer software used to generate architectural forms.

He believes that the metaverse will act as a catalyst for parametric design, as there are no urban planning limitations in the virtual spaces.

A city hall is located in the centre of the digital city

"The key advantages of virtual environments are their global accessibility and their adaptive, parametric malleability," Schumacher argued.

"The architectural and urban paradigm that is most congenial to this idea of a differentiated, evolving, multi-author urban field is parametricism," he said.

"We therefore predict that the development of the metaverse will boost parametricism."

Avatars can meet to work on crypto projects together

According to Schumacher, Liberland Metaverse could become a template for the micronation's eventual physical presence.

"Our conception of the metaverse is based on realistic design and photo-realistic rendering," he said.

"We believe this, at least in the initial stages of metaverse development, allows for the fullest exploitation of the city analogy, utilising our innate and learned intuitive cognitive capacities with respect to orientation, wayfinding and the reading of subtle aesthetic social atmospheres and situations," he continued.

"This realism in our cyber-urban conception also allows for the later physical realisation of the designed metaverse spaces in the physical Liberland, to any desired extent."

E-residents can also buy plots of land in Liberland Metaverse

The Republic of Liberland is an unofficial state that is not recognised by international organisation such as the United Nations.

Liberland is located between Croatia and Serbia on a plot of land that was unclaimed and uninhabited until 13 April 2015 when Jedlička proclaimed it as a country.

It now has its own community, flag, coat of arms, national anthem and a cryptocurrency called Liberland merit.

The architects hope the city will foster a crypto economy

Although Schumacher believes that the future of the internet is the metaverse, he argues that physical spaces will always coexist alongside virtual ones and that the fusion of both worlds will continue to strengthen.

"As long as we have physical bodies we'll need physical environments," he explained. "Virtual environments are as real as physical environments and social reality exists and continues seamlessly across this divide."

"Virtual and physical environments are ideally designed together," he added.

Architecture studios are increasingly turning to the metaverse to construct virtual buildings. Danish architecture studio BIG recently completed a virtual office in the metaverse for media company Vice Media Group.

Elsewhere architecture and interior design studio Roar purchased land for a new digital showroom.

The images are courtesy ofZaha Hadid Architects.

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Something Spaces web plugin showcases the work of Black creatives online

Creative agency Something and nonprofit organisation Where are the Black Designers? have created a web browser plugin that exhibits the work of Black creatives every time a new tab is opened.

Called Something Spaces, the free plugin is available for anyone to download and presents users with an image of artwork by both established and emerging Black artists and designers on their computer screen.

The Something Spaces plugin showcases the work of Black creatives

A web plugin is a type of software that adds features to existing programmes, enabling the customisation of a webpage. In this case, the plugin provides a platform for Black creatives to showcase their work online.

Featured creatives hail from the UK and beyond, including London-based illustrator Olivia Twist and Sierra Leonean-American artist Amir Khadar.

Creative agency Something and non-profit Where are the Black Designers? created the project

"You can download the plugin extension to your desktop via Chrome, Firefox and Safari," Something studio manager Roshannah Bagley told Dezeen.

"You'll find an inspiring piece of artwork with every tab you open from local and international emerging creators,"

New York illustrator Adesewa Adekoya and Seattle-based designer Shakeil Greeley are among other American creatives featured in the project, while the work of emerging Brazilian designer Amanda Lobos is also included.

The Something Spaces plugin was created in collaboration with the volunteer-run, non-profit design advocacy organisation Where are the Black Designers?.

Founded in June 2020, the group was established as protests took place worldwide in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd.

Featured creatives range from illustrators to designers

The plugin is an extension of Something's Spaces initiative, a project set up by the agency in 2019 that allowed creatives to add their work to overlooked public spaces such as windows of buildings.

Now also online, the project gives artists and designers space that they might not have otherwise had to showcase their work in the virtual world as well as the physical one.

Black artists and designers from the UK and beyond feature on Something Spaces

"The initiative was created to remove the barriers between underrepresented talent and opportunities," continued Bagley, who is also a member of the Where are the Black Designers? team.

Bagley explained that the project aims to make it easier for those in the creative industry to find and hire talent from underrepresented communities.

"We fill under-utilised spaces such as browser tabs with inspiring artwork creators that are often overlooked. We’re on a mission to reimagine these spaces by turning them into canvases for creativity."

Photography is also included in the plugin's selection of featured artwork

Something is a London and Byron Bay-based creative agency. Where are the Black Designers? is a non-profit organisation that seeks to amplify and support Black artists and designers worldwide.

Recent projects that aim to educate audiences about Black history include an augmented reality app developed by London non-profit BLAM that gives users the opportunity to see virtual plaques and sculptures related to their current location.

The imagery is courtesy of Something.

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Siemens' NX visualisation software helps "deliver better products faster and more efficiently"

Dezeen promotion: the NX Render from Siemens Digital Industries Software allows designers to quickly visualise how products will look and function before they are made.

Siemens designed NX Render to enable designers and engineers to streamline their design process and prevent "massive amounts of money being spent on prototype products that will never see it to market".

According to Siemens, in the traditional visualisation workflow, designers spend a lot of time exporting their 3D data into third-party applications for the rendering process.

When using NX Render, users can create photorealistic renders with one computer model in a single software, removing the need for third-party tools and physical prototypes.

The process can "speed up the time taken to produce your first image by up to 90 per cent," said Siemens.

NX Render creates photorealistic visualisations

"Visualization and virtual reality are changing the way we all interact with the physical world through an enhanced digital lens," Siemens said.

"Having the ability to know how something will look and feel before it is actually created is a leap forward for all, especially businesses."

Siemens used NX Render to model a user's Bosch coffee machine

"NX software is a flexible and powerful integrated solution that helps you deliver better products faster and more efficiently," added Siemens.

"NX delivers the next generation of design, simulation, and manufacturing solutions that enable companies to realize the value of the digital twin."

The NX Render can also be used to create different visual scenes including backgrounds

The first step to using the NX software requires setting up a detailed model of the product and a scene in which to place it. At this stage, Siemens encourages referring to real-life versions of similar products to ensure accurate detailing.

Once the 3D model is made, users can then apply photo-real materials finishes to individual components and surfaces or entire bodies.

Realistic material finishes can be introduced

Once the model is covered, tweaks can be made to the materials and decals – digital stickers for logo or details – can be applied to the surfaces to help bring the scene to life.

Lighting can also be manually adjusted to create more realistic images, or altered using built-in "system scenes" that emulate lighting conditions of specific environments.

"Lighting in NX Render is physically-based – meaning the virtual lights and environments behave in the same way lights do in the real world," explained the brand.

Decals or stickers can also be added to surfaces

Alternatively, lighting conditions can be set using "high dynamic range imagery" (HDRI), which works similarly to system scenes but offers a wider range of dark and light shades.

"HDRI's can add a level of realism that a system scene can't achieve but may take longer to configure," Siemens explained.

Lighting is also alterable to help bring the images to life

To generate the final high-quality renders from the 3D model, users can place a camera within the scene. The placement and lens size of this camera can be altered, allowing users to test angles while also helping them to identify where amendments may be needed.

A "field of view" tool has also been incorporated, which Siemens said generates renders that replicate how the human eye interprets real-life scenes. This enables designers and engineers to take virtual 3D photographs of products before they are made.

"This technique considers peripheral vision and the real-life parameters that happen around us subconsciously," the company explained.

Final renders are generated by placing a camera at different angles

At this final stage, the software guides users through any last-minute tweaks that may be needed before processing. The resolution quality and style of the final render can be adjusted depending on its desired purpose, such as a quick review with colleagues to final presentations.

To find out more about NX Render, start a free trial or watch Siemen's webinar, visit its website.

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Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Siemens as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership contenthere.

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