Virreal Architecture


Saturday, 30 September 2006, 05:30 - 06:00

The field of Information Architecture is getting established so it is more than ready for a challenge. If we look at the analogy between a buildings architect and structural engineers on the one hand and a websites information architects on the other; there is a role missing namely the ‘virreal’ architect. The ‘virreal’ architect should be the one that conceives the ‘buildings of the virtual world’ with the same goals and starting points as a physical architect; balancing functionality and beauty. Or in the words of Frank Lloyd Wright1:

“A building should contain as few rooms as will meet the condition which give it rise and under which we live, and which the architect should strive continually to simplify; the ensemble of the rooms should then be carefully considered that comfort and utility may go hand in hand with beauty.”

The product of the architect should be a ‘webmark’, because:
 

 

Therefore: A finished website shall be called a ‘virreal’ and its ambition should be to become a ‘webmark’. 
 
So the ‘virreal’ architect is the one that sets out and guards the context and outlines with the ambition to stand out, where the ‘core information architects’ or preferably ‘information engineers’ are the ones that ensure the ‘virreal’ architect’s conception has the proper structure and foundation.
 
I suggest this diversification of roles because, in my opinion, beauty isn’t one of an IA’s drivers where it should and could be. It’s a factor that can be used to set yourself apart, to be just as functional but more pleasing to the senses. In comparison see the Chrysler building in Manhattan, the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam or the Palm Islands in Dubai: all projects that didn’t just resolve a need, but added a dimension of beauty.
Furthermore, discerning the role of ‘virreal’ architect opens up the discussion on exploration of other architectural subjects, like parks, squares or statues/monuments, online. These ‘open’ spaces ‘between’ websites can have an additional role in the overall online experience. If created adjacent to existing websites they can allow you to ‘stroll a virtual space’ without a specific goal and return to the ‘functional’ sites as you please.
In case of a ‘virreal’ park, it should be a spot where you can wander around, stand still and enjoy the ‘view’ and even encounter others. In a way it should be similar to avatar-environments like SecondLife or Habbo-hotel, but it should be more open (e.g. part of a ’regular’ website or group of websites) and maybe less life-like. This way it can also be a platform for all kinds of digital artists, who can create the virtual equivalents of statues, fountains or streetperformers that you find in any park.
 
Finally, ‘virreal’ architects should the ones to stretch the virtual boundaries, like physical architects defy gravity by greating ever greater skyscrapers. To imagine not only the experience ‘inside’ a website, but also its effect on the ‘skyline’. Question is what the online boundaries actually are. And what are the drivers? What is the value of online real estate (e.g. can you invest)? And what is the shelf life of a Webmark? 

Virreal architecture: a challenge with a challenge in itself.

Speaker(s)

Almar van der Krogt, VIRVIE, The Netherlands

Almar van der Krogt has been working as an e-business consultant for the past 8 years. He has advised large (inter)national companies on their online strategies, devised innovative website concepts and managed several implementations.
He presented posters on specific projects (as consultant for Multimedia Skills) at both the 2005 IA and EuroIA and the 2006 IA summits.
He has his own company, VIRVIE, which explores the new field of virreal architecture. His ambition is to become the architect of a ‘skyscraper of the virtual world’.