Augmented Environments: The Architecture for the Augmented Era

Abstract

Human imagination has played with the idea of an alternative technological world for years. From dystopian proposals like Neuromancer or The Matrix to more positive views like the recent Upload series, the exploration of the friction between the digital world and the physical world has entertained the imagination of our society for decades. Outside the fictional environments, the omnipresence of the internet and the development of "the cloud" are showing that the virtual world is possible and that the idea of a Metaverse is no longer part of science fiction but a very real future for human relations (Winters 2021). In line with the idea of the Metaverse, the intersection of the virtual and the physical world is being explored through the idea of Extended Realities. Technology is allowing humans to enhance their capabilities more than ever, and in fact, it has been proposed that we are entering the Augmented era (King 2014). This paper explores the opportunities and possible challenges that "Extended Architecture" has by analyzing a research project based on augmented reality as the media to explore these ideas. This project will propose a speculative approach to how the fact that in the recent future, everyone will have access to an AR device will change the way we perceive and understand our architectural environment.

FabriCity-XR: A Phygital Lattice Structure Mapping Spatial Justice – Integrated Design to AR-Enabled Assembly Workflow

“…The advancement of mobile and wearable devices has opened numerous possibilities for creative application of extended reality in built environments (Arth et al, 2015;Lopez Rodriguez and Pantic, 2023;Geopel et al, 2023). This research study delves into the convergence of user interaction design, gamification, and augmented reality technologies within the context of an exhibition design project.…”