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NYTIMES on Architecture in Second Life

In a New York Times piece titled “Original Sim,” Sam Lubel takes a journey through the virtual world of Second Life. The article chronicles a few different real world and virtual world architects, and their positions on the world’s art/architecture offerings and happenings.

The overall tone of the article is positive and hopeful for Second Life, which is nice to read. Lubel, inspired by those he meets in the virtual realm, points out the extraordinary opportunities that Second Life harnesses for artists. He writes, “The only limit is the imagination….The most exceptional and certainly the most mind-blowing designs are those that could never be built under earthbound conditions.”

Even those Architects who have been skeptical of the environment, have begun to embrace Second Life as an ancillary tool for their real life designs. He writes, “For them it is a place where they can visualize, prototype and test future structures, give clients a better view of or even choose what they’re getting, and conduct remote collaborations with other architects.”

Furthermore, as I mentioned in my post on “Economic Downturn = Good News,” present economic difficulties can be an agent for innovation and creative solutions. In the case of design and architecture, Sam writes “the virtual realm will largely replace the building trades as construction and material prices continue to rise and travel remains a drag on the planet.”

There is a lot virtual worlds can offer, and we are only brushing the tip of the iceberg. We will see more and more inventiveness through these environments as people from far reaching corners of the world come together to do unprecedented work.

Be Creative and Explore! Check out a virtual world and be inspired to do something you can’t in the real world.