Designing Virtual Architecture for Collaboration

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Designing Virtual Architecture for Collaboration

• Mary Lou Maher
• March 2002

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Principles of Architecture in Designing
Cyberspace

• Spatial Enclosure
• Spatial Function
• Spatial Layout

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Spatial Enclosure

• The sense of spatial boundaries that contain
  people and things can create a more coherent
  sense of place. These spaces do not necessarily
  have physical boundaries. The purpose of the
  enclosure is to indicate the contents of the
  space, that is, what is in the space and what is
  outside the space.

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Spatial Enclosure

• Form creating
• Boundaries
• Place
• Awareness of others
• Determine basic level concepts and associated
  semantic frame

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Spatial Function

• Architects create different kinds of spaces for
  different functions. In cyberspace this may be a
  simple as labelling a room by its function, or
  more complex in defining a variety of activities
  and purposes for a room. In designing cyberspace,
  we have started with the easily identified
  functions of architecture, but we can go beyond
  this.

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Spatial Function

• Beyond form
• No function in form?
• New functions?
• Metaphorical reference to function

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Spatial Layout

• Architecture is non-linear. Using architectural
  principles in designing cyberspace has an
  associated non-linear topology, where navigation
  can follow the principles of spatial layout, or
  the principles of the function of the rooms.
  People can easily navigate among rooms and
  buildings without a mental map, and therefore can
  navigation around cyberspace without a consistent
  mapping to physical space.

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Spatial Layout

• Topology
• Dimensions
• 3D N, S, E, W, Up, Down
• 1D In, Out
• ND Functions
• Time and motion

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Issues in designing VA

• Understanding of VA as a set of objects that have
  both a 3D model, behaviour, and purpose
• Visualization of place by establishing boundaries
• Visualization function and purpose of place
• The development of a set of interactive objects
  that fulfill the needs in virtual architecture
  that are not possible in physical architecture.
• Consideration of the implementation of efficient
  virtual architecture.

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Two Design Examples

• Virtual Office and Virtual Conference room
• Part of our Virtual Campus
• Implemented in an object-oriented environment

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Object-oriented VA

• The components of the world are programmable
  objects
• Four basic classes
• Room
• Portal
• Avatar
• Thing

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Virtual Office

• Bird View
• Glass Lift as the Center for Spatial Organization

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Virtual Office

• Walls as frames for holding things

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Virtual Office

• Entrance Area
• Providing Information Security Devices

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Virtual Office

• Communication Area
• Storing Communication Tools

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Virtual Office

• Glass Lift
• Spatial Center
• Teleporting between Ground Floor First Floor

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Virtual Office

• Working Area
• Providing Tools Space for Collaborative Projects

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Virtual Office

• Relaxation Area
• Providing Online Entertainment

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Virtual Office

• Storage Area
• Storing Extra Digital Data Function Tools

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Conference Facilities

• Walls as frames for holding things

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Conference Facilities

• Conference Room Entrance

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Conference Facilities

• Stairs to Presentation Area

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Conference Facilities

• Interior

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Conference Facilities

• Presentation Area