Archinect - News

Zaha Hadid Architects create Fornite experience for London with Epic Games

2024-09-24T08:55:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects and Epic Games have collaborated on an in-game experience for the popular Fortnite video game. Titled ‘Re:Imagine London’, the experience sees an island created within Fortnite that players can use to explore and interact with London’s built environment.

Image credit: Epic Games

Using Epic Games’ Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), Re:Imagine London seeks to explore the use of the UEFN for practical applications in architecture and “pool creator talent across industries including architecture, landscape, and interiors.” To build the experience, the team used content provided by Zaha Hadid Architects, AccuCities, and Beyond Creative.

Image credit: Epic Games

“Situated around London’s waterfronts, the project investigates urban intensification and community participation in the creation of walkable, mixed-use, sustainable development, the team says. “The experience facilitates rapid optioneering through an engaging and...

Iconic Parisian cathedral transformed into ‘sensory nighttime exploration’ by multimedia company Moment Factory

2023-10-26T12:53:00-04:00

Montreal-based Moment Factory has completed an immersive multimedia experience inside the iconic Dôme des Invalides in Paris. The project, titled 'AURA Invalides,' consists of a 50-minute experience combining video mapping, lighting, special effects, orchestral music, and sound design to celebrate the building’s architectural and historical heritage.

Image credit: Moment Factory

Conceived in 2019 by cultural operator Cultival in collaboration with Musée de l’Armée, the project seeks to create a “sensory nighttime exploration” in which visitors wander through the Dôme des Invalides and its six chapels guided by light. The experience is divided into three acts, each portraying a distinct facet of the site: “its construction, the memories it harbors, and its power to inspire one and all.”

Image credit: Moment Factory

To project an experience onto the main dome, which measures 295 feet high and 98 feet at its smallest diameter, the t...

Habitat 67’s original vision recreated in Unreal Engine by Safdie Architects, Epic Games, and Neoscape

2023-05-17T07:00:00-04:00

Safdie Architects, Epic Games, and the creative agency Neoscape have recreated the original vision for Habitat 67 in virtual reality. Using Epic Games’ powerful game engine Unreal Engine 5, the entire original master plan for the radical early 1960s scheme has been constructed, marking a significant expansion on the realized segment situated in Montreal, Canada.

Video courtesy: Epic Games

The genesis of Habitat 67 stretches back to Moshe Safdie’s master’s thesis at McGill University. At 23 years old, Safdie submitted the idea to the 1967 Montreal World’s Fair, with the goal of creating a pilot for a new type of housing that would not contribute to urban sprawl.

Image credit: Epic Games

“It began with a journey through North America to study housing,” Safdie recalled. “I came to the conclusion that suburbs weren’t feasible in the long term. They consumed too much land, energy, and transportation. If we could reinvent the apartment building to offer the quality...

Refik Anadol repurposes his AI data sculpture 'Machine Hallucinations' for 2023 Grammy Awards stage

2023-02-07T18:54:00-05:00

Istanbul-born media artist and design innovator Refik Anadol has quickly become a household name with his mind-bending, data-driven art. This year, Anadol continues to push what's possible during his visual backdrop debut at the 65th annual Grammy Awards.

"The collaboration with the Recording Academy started almost six months ago with an exciting call from the designers who are in charge of the stage design and the whole flow of the ceremony," Anadol shared with Archinect.

Anadol's work can be seen in the background illuminating the space during the award's premier ceremony speech by the Recording Academy's CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Video courtesy of Recording Academy/Grammys.

Along with the event's lead production designer Julio Himede, the art direction team, and electronic graphics expert Hugh Grew, Anadol's distinct data-generated paintings from his AI artwork and NFT collections, Machine Hallucinations — Nature Dreams and Machine Hallucinations: Space Metaverse, could be spotted ...

For Unreal Engine-savvy architects, a multimedia company offers the opportunity to collaborate with big-name brands and promoters

2022-12-07T13:23:00-05:00

Following last week’s look at an opening for a Senior Associate of Design for the Obama Presidential Center, we are using our Job Highlights series this week to explore an open role on Archinect Jobs for an Unreal Engine Rendering Artist at PHNTM.

The position, situated in Los Angeles, calls for an individual with a degree in architecture or game and entertainment design with at least one year’s experience in Unreal Engine. Responsibilities will include developing "detailed 3D scenes and cinematic photo realistic images and videos," as well as "optimize assets for virtual tours" of PHNTM’s experiential projects.

Related on Archinect: Epic Games unleashes Unreal with the Academy

Why the role interests us

The PHNTM role’s emphasis on proficiency in Unreal Engine marks the latest example of an architectural career’s intersection with immersive multimedia and gaming. Last month, the topic was also the focus on a MoMA exhibition showcasing its own video game collection. Last year, meanwh...

Squint/Opera announces merger with Journey as the industry-leading experience designers look to scale up digital production

2022-11-02T13:54:00-04:00

3D experience pioneer Squint/Opera has been acquired by the digital agency Journey in a move announced on November 1 by the newly-formed entity.

The merger will enable both to pursue an expansion of their services at a time when the industry is seeing an increase in demand thanks to the advent of metaverse design and other forms of media.

“The opportunity to join Journey was momentous.” Julius Coke, the CEO of Squint/Opera, explained in a statement. “Over the last few years Squint has experienced significant growth, as the demand for immersive 3D experiences grows and new platforms and technologies enable a new level of creativity tapping into our storytelling, virtual production and creative media skills.”

Previously on Archinect: BIG and UNStudio's investment in co-working platform SpaceForm signals a tide-change in architectural practice

Founded in London in 2021, Squint/Opera has since then, it has garnered a reputation through groundbreaking projects like The Observatory at The ...

Why does the metaverse look so ordinary, UCL researchers ask

2022-04-04T10:32:00-04:00

Last week, our editorial team had some fun with the metaverse. While light-hearted in nature, our April Fools article was nonetheless inspired by the serious interest shown by our community, the architecture world, and society at-large in the metaverse and how architecture and design intersect with virtual space.

Now, a new article by UCL researchers Luke Pearson and Sandra Youkhana puts forward the thesis that the metaverse doesn’t appear as disruptive or radical as the underlying technologies it is often associated with, be it blockchains, cryptocurrencies, or NFTs.

Instead, the team argue that the architecture and urbanism of the metaverse appears to follow real-world principles of design and construction, despite the freedom given by virtual space to transcend these principles.

“People have always imagined cyberspace to look like a version of real urban space,” say Pearson and Youkhana. Th...

Dewan's NFT of the Tower of Babel offers infinite spiraling exhibition spaces

2022-01-21T14:33:00-05:00

Dewan Architects + Engineers have unveiled Babel 4.0, a project which the firm with headquarters in the UAE describes as “the first architecturally-inspired NFT from the Middle East.” A reinterpretation of the mythical Tower of Babel, the project speculates on the role of architects and designers in shaping futuristic metaverse landscapes.

Babel 4.0. Image by Dewan Architects + Engineers.

Available now on OpenSea, the project consists of an infinitely-propagating helix form. Visitors to the tower begin at a communal space at ground level, before ascending anticlockwise through exhibition and museum levels which exhibit user-generated NFTs in a virtual museum. The public exhibition spaces are currently reserved for 100 invited members, which may be extended at a later date.

Babel 4.0. Image by Dewan Architects + Engineers.

The silos are intended as a platform to promote interaction between digital artistic communities, building on a renewed popular focus on the metaverse. “Babel 4.0 i...

Shaped Touches by Sean Lally features an interactive video game for the Venice Biennale

2021-07-22T20:03:00-04:00

As part of this year’s Venice Biennale, architect Sean Lally of Switzerland-based Sean Lally Architecture has paired a physical installation with an immersive simulation video game.

Shaped Touches is an investigation into the ways architecture and space can be perceived, showcasing the inherent subjectivity of the craft. The project is centered around climate change, specifically the impact it will continue to have on the way future environments are experienced. Using a virtual platform, Lally provides unfamiliar and potential perspectives to its users.

“Architects are in a position to foreshadow the opportunities and implications these pressures will have on shared public spaces,” reads the project description. “Shaped Touches offers a proposition for how architecture will define its shape and the relationships of people and communities touching that space.”

Within the video game, players explore a design space. Every minute, the game restarts in the same space but with new senso...

Architect Kenneth Gruskin envisions new business opportunity for designers as the world becomes increasingly virtual

2021-07-13T17:07:00-04:00

Kenneth Gruskin, owner and principal of architecture and marketing firm Gruskin Group, has envisioned a new avenue for firms as businesses increasingly shift to virtual spaces.

With remote work the new normal, Gruskin sees an opportunity for architects to play a role in how new virtual environments and overall representation of companies are designed and communicated. Specifically, his idea entails the personalization of video conferencing calls with customized, animated backgrounds.

“And, along with everything else, it’s a way for us to stay involved with companies that are shedding their physical footprint,” Gruskin said to ROI-NJ. “It’s just a good way to stay in touch with clients … that might not be the big Facebook and Amazon companies that are still buying up real estate.”

The demand for companies to embrace these prefabricated backgrounds is to maintain professionalism and communicate a brand identity during virtual meetings, which is difficult to coordinate and fully expre...

NFT artwork inspired by Calvino’s “Invisible Cities” explores visions of urbanism; real and imagined

2021-04-15T10:53:00-04:00

Recently, we took a closer look at how architecture and design may be affected by the rise of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and the underlying blockchain technology supporting them. In the latest intriguing development on the subject, the digital art marketplace SuperRare has announced the launch of Invisible Cities; a ground-breaking digital exhibition showcasing a range of real and imagined cityscapes, inspired by Italo Calvino’s seminal book of the same name.

Mari.k, Emiris, 2021, Unique Non- Fungible Token

The exhibition, on display from April 2-30, 2021, features the work of 10 artists who have used Calvino’s Invisible Cities as the basis for an exploration into the relationship between real and imagined cities, and the visible and invisible entities that allow them to operate. The captivating images are also available to purchase as NFTs throughout April, where interest in the subject has been spurred by Christie’s recent NFT sale of Beeple’s Everydays for $69 million.

Karisman...

"Virtual Accessibility Experience" created for FLW's Hollyhock House in Los Angeles

2020-05-12T13:28:00-04:00

Los-Angeles based architecture visualization firm AVA Inclusivity has created a new Virtual Accessibility Experience (VAE) for Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019. According to Docomomo, AVA Inclusivity worked with members of the City of Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs and Department on Disability to meet the City's standards and needs.

The VAE is intended to address the limitations the historical site presents to visitors with disabilities, such as stairs and narrow doorways that limit the freedom to physically experience the space for some guests. "AVA Inclusivity’s virtual tours are designed to be used on site with the inclusive interaction of a docent or educator but they can also be used off site with a WiFi or LTE connection," writes Docomomo.

The Hollyhock House Virtual Accessibility Experience can be viewed here.

Pratt School of Architecture to offer free “continuing education” courses online

2020-04-24T18:14:00-04:00

In response to COVID-19, the Pratt Institute School of Architecture is partnering with AIA Brooklyn to offer four free AIA-accredited continuing education courses. The course offerings are due to launch on April 29th and will offer "dialogue on current topics like affordable housing during a pandemic as well as in-demand technical training."

"Our intention is to show our solidarity with our extended architecture community by offering free classes to professionals that can be accessed remotely," said Harriet Harriss, dean of the School of Architecture, in a statement. "Thanks to our partnership with AIA Brooklyn, architects can earn the vital credits they need to complete the CPD requirements necessary to maintain registration."

Moreover, Marshal Shuster, director of continuing education at AIA Brooklyn expressed the organization's commitment to advancing the profession through this pandemic and beyond. The course offerings have been dubbed the "Executive Education Series" and focus ...

3 virtual presentation tips for architecture students

2020-03-31T13:40:00-04:00

The end of the semester is approaching and with many students preparing for their final reviews, the reality of presenting virtually has set in. I had the pleasure to attend my first digital mid-review this past week at Woodbury University. It was a fun and engaging experience and the projects were great. The virtual environment seemed to provide some unique opportunities for the student not so different from a typical in-person presentation. Here are 3 tips for architecture students to capitalize on in their virtual presentations this semester.

In "Complexity over clarity?" we looked at an important lesson from the renowned theoretical physicist Richard Feynman to consider the trap of trying to sound too smart in architectural discourse. Photo: Richard Feynman

Craft a tight narrative

In any presentation, the narrative is vital. What are you trying to tell your audience? Perhaps a presenter's most important question. If you're presenting virtually, in a powerpoint or slide format, t...

4 tips to address digital miscommunication

2020-03-27T14:33:00-04:00

When interacting virtually, miscommunication can run rampant. So much of our interpersonal interactions as humans are non-verbal. Communicating via Slack or digital chat completely takes that out. Not only do these method take out body language, but also verbal and tonal aspects. Authors of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy offer important insights in a recent essay on how to avoid digital miscommunications during this rise in virtual collaboration. Here are five of those strategies:

Add Emojis

"Emojis can help us express tone, meaning, and emotional cues," the pair write. A colleague can add a teasing smiley emoji when he says "get those drawings done asap!" in Slack, and the vibe is totally different than if the emoji was absent. However, Fosslien and Duffy recommended getting to know a person before introducing emojis, stating it's better to leave them out in early digital interactions.

Emotionally proof...