How can virtual reality help to relieve the physical world?

Every year, hundreds of millions of business trips take place worldwide for meetings, conferences, and trade fairs – with considerable impact on the environment and the climate. Stephan Hürlemann and his team wanted to find out whether such formats could in the future also take place in virtual spaces – in spaces where people can genuinely feel comfortable.

To explore the potential of a new kind of architecture within the Metaverse – the three-dimensional version of the internet – the team conducted a multi-month study that culminated in the design of Anthropolis. In the process, Hürlemann and his team asked themselves questions such as: What might an authentic, sensory architecture without matter and physical boundaries look like? How can atmosphere emerge in a dematerialized world – and how much familiarity is needed in such an unfamiliar environment?

Their answer is a floating, dematerialized architecture that radically departs from classical notions of building. Gravity, natural forces, and material limitations do not exist in the Metaverse – so space can be reimagined: floor plans become pathways, walls become guides, and ceilings become projection surfaces. Natural elements such as floating tree trunks, grasses, or birdsong bring life and a sense of familiarity into the digital void.

At the same time, the project serves as an appeal to architects not to leave the design of virtual worlds solely to tech corporations and marketing departments. As immersive technologies continue to evolve – for instance through devices such as Apple’s Vision Pro – digital and physical spaces are increasingly merging.

For Hürlemann, the digital is not an end in itself but a tool – a means to ease the burden on the real world and make it a more livable place.

Design: Stephan Hürlemann
Project-Team: Andrin Bührer, Julian Wasem und Oliver Sahli