Web3 and mixed reality: when interior design meets decentralisation

CONTENT

Following the coming together of immersive (mixed reality) and Web3 technologies (opened by the Ethereum blockchain in 2015), the line between physical and virtual worlds has never been so thin. The link between these two sectors has major implications for interior architecture, which has become an expanded field ranging from video games to “impossible” spaces (4D, non-Euclidean perspective, etc.). This course studies the future of architectural practices. Which new business models and value chains have been opened by these technologies? What might be considered “authentic” digital architecture? What are the consequences in terms of creation?

TEACHING AIMS

The main objective of the module is to demystify blockchain and mixed reality technologies. The topics covered range from cypherpunk ideologies to the financial crisis issue, the technical functioning of blockchain technologies, the societal challenges of web3, and the applications of tokenomics, NFTs and decentralised governance to architecture. The course offers a simple understanding of these issues through a series of lectures followed by short practical workshops. Students will be able to anticipate major changes in interior design related to digital technologies. The course is based on new business models, through a prospective and professionalising perspective.

TEACHING AIMS

The module will comprise five, 3.5-hour lectures, including a 1-hour lecture, a 15-minute discussion, and a 2-hour collaborative workshop (short group work).

Lectures will cover the following topics:

• Blockchain technologies
• From Ethereum to Web3
• NFTs and new business models for creation
• DAO: rethinking governance
• Metaverse and mixed reality

Each course includes a mini report designed as part of the final report of the semester which will be organised during the sixth (and final) session.