Scaling down skyscrapers in order to build a big project

Do tiny skyscrapers make sense? Well, that’s exactly what artist Gem Preiz has built in Second Life: small massive buildings which are not scale models, even if they are just virtual. Those wonders, forming a somewhat futuristic cityscape, can be seen in his installation Skyscrapers, which invites us to think of scales in the virtual […]

5 useless items that we love in Second Life

The other day, I was thinking that, while Second Life as a whole may be considered a simulation, some particular elements of what we see and do there could be thought of as a simulation in the simulation, or a second-degree simulation. Let me try to explain what I mean. Our avatars sometimes reproduce things […]

The homes that nobody wants (and which are all taken)

As the most recent Linden Homes arrived on April 15 in Bellisseria, a continent created as a “bridge” between Sansara and Jeogeot, there was a rush for the brand new houseboats with their respective moorings. Soon, they became unavailable (though Linden Lab is promising new units of them sooner than later), and I read someone […]

From a Victorian house to futuristic projects: 2018’s architecture in SL, part 2

For the second part of my retrospective of interesting buildings found in Second Life in 2018 (part 1 can be seen here), I will go from a Victorian house to some futuristic designs and include a couple skyboxes. As I underlined before, I don’t intend to write the ultimate article about the virtual architectural production […]

In 2018, traditional European-inspired buildings and 20th-century-looking houses in SL

As 2018 ends and 2019 begins, it’s time for a retrospective of interesting buildings that I found in Second Life along the year. I don’t intend to cover all the buildings or all the tendencies and I most certainly don’t mean to think of this post as the ultimate article on the virtual architectural production […]

Will we ever be modern (or contemporary) again?

When I first joined Second Life, more than a decade ago, there was a lot of talk about experimenting with architecture in the world created by Linden Lab. Back then, builders used to carry out their projects by using the old system of prims available in world – and it was more or less expected […]

Old and new: a building that simulates time passing

In what we are used to calling real life, the choice between conservation of past-time architecture and the replacement of old buildings by new structures often represents a dilemma in an ever-changing world where new necessities recurrently clash with tradition. One of the responses to such a challenge is the intervention on historic buildings in […]

Discussing architecture in SL (part 2 of 2): the quest for diversity

In the first part of this discussion on architecture in Second Life, inspired by my conversations with Cain Maven, from Maven Homes and Quantum Luxury Homes, I tried to examine the relationship that the design of virtual buildings has with the atomic world. The references that I have mentioned, nonetheless, were all to a certain […]

Discussing architecture in SL (part 1 of 2): how it relates to the atomic world

As a consequence of a photo contest that I have recently won (yes, I am proud of it!*), I have got to better know Cain Maven, architect and house builder in Second Life, and engaged with him in a discussion on how the community of bloggers have been writing about architecture in SL. Mostly, I […]

2015: from Modernist architecture to spooky buildings

As 2015 comes to an end, I thought it would be interesting to check what different builders and architects in Second Life have brought to us during the year. With that in mind, I visited a number of stores and selected a few buildings that called my attention. This is not an extensive review of […]

Back to the happy 50s

The 1950s were years of prosperity, especially in the so-called developed countries. It was a decade of welfare, economic expansion (including the continuation of growth in Europe as a direct result of the Marshall Plan) and cultural reinvention, with the emergence of rock and roll, the consolidation of youth culture and the influences of those elements […]

A colossal experience

Tall and imposing, the Colossus of Rhodes, in Ancient Greece, was short-lived: the statue stood at Rhodes’ harbor (or at a site nearby, depending on the sources that you consult) for 56 years. In Second Life, the Colossus of Rhodes‘ existence will be even shorter, at least as a building for the “Fashion For Life” […]

When architecture beats gravity

“Architects spend an entire life with this unreasonable idea that you can fight against gravity.” Renzo Piano Back from my vacations, I recently had to build a new house for myself – my first mesh one – and started thinking of the ways architecture has been following in Second Life. Not that I’m a creative […]

Pictures for our ears, melody for the eyes

This post was written to the sound of “Sign 0”, by Chouchou – and, while you read the following lines, you can hear it in the embedded player I placed here: Whenever I feel sad, I go to Chouchou and find peace there. When I want to be completely taken by beauty, I go to […]

A 4D experience: The Crooked House

The Crooked House is another classic in Second Life. I will summarize its story here, but my point is to look further into the ways and means of a 4D simulation in a virtual (3D) world. If you want to read further on the house itself, you can check the excellent description of it and […]