Lexicon of SL Architectural Language

I have become interested in creating (maybe only for my own edification, but perhaps it could be useful to the world at large as well) a study into the language of SL architecture. I am intrigued by the persistence of aspects from RL architecture in SL that really serve no practical purpose, such as stairs when you can fly, and peaked roofs when there is no snow load to shed. In the absence of such structural load and weather protection restrictions, are there instead other types of concerns that should be defining successful SL architecture, and what would the result of those concerns look like?

I have an idea to try to set up, not exactly a competition, but a workshop area where SL builders could present to the public examples of what they consider to be successful SL architecture, which the public would then be invited to visit, explore, and comment on in terms of practical SL use, as well as aesthetic and artisitic impressions.

Has this sort of a thing been done already? Who would I approach with this sort of an idea in terms of finding land to pull it off? I appreciate any input the SL building community may have about this. We have been given a clean slate on which to create, but are we just re-building what we know?

Thank you for your time!

Damien Rosencrans

Good thoughts. We definitely have some advantages over RL that we might not be utilizing. And there is some junk we can shed from pracitcal living spaces (rather than house re-creations), like kitchens and bathrooms.

I do agree with your points, but I would just like to add that sometimes making things look like their real-world counterparts serves a purpose, even if it's technically not necessary in SL. An SL structure is essentially a metaphor for a real-world structure, and copying RL can help communicate what its purpose is. For example, the very nature of a building is unnecessary, since there is no weather or even real privacy. But having a building defines boundaries, and makes us feel like we know where we are. Walls can say "my home starts here and ends here." And a roof helps us feel like we're indoors rather than out, and more isolated or protected.

I've thought about this too. What I concluded is that in SL the primary design consideration is aesthetics, in contrast to RL where protection from the elements, durability, cost, structural soundness and other aspects are necessarily more of a priority (generally speaking). To me that means the entire issue of what constitues "junk" is a matter of subjective taste. Most of what is done in SL could actually be done on bare terrain, and the main reason it isn't is aesthetics.

I've noticed that one vocal opponent of prims "wasted" on kitchens, etc. favors what is basically post-and-beam construction, even though there is no need in SL for beams and columns to carry structural loads down to a foundation. What this style of construction does offer in SL is articulation, an important aesthetic feature of RL architecture that is often missing from SL builds because prims are limited and it takes effort to create the effect with textures. In terms of what is "necessary", the beams are just as wasteful of prims as a kitchen appliance. In terms of aesthetics, they are equally successful to their creators. If I were going to criticize the mimicry of RL architecture, it would be on aesthetic grouds; often what is copied isn't the best RL has to offer. IMO, if you're going to copy an RL house, it might as well be a Frank Lloyd Wright (generally speaking again).

But I definitely agree with Milo that there are functional aspects to SL architecture as well, and I think it would be cool to discuss them. A virtual wall can communicate the desire for privacy even if it can't guarantee it. SL creates a whole new challenge for presentation and circulation, since flight allows people to approach your building from practically any direction. And although SL frees us from the burdens of gravity and weather, it also takes away natural light, shadows and reflection.

If you do lead a study or discussion of these kinds of things, I'd follow it and try to participate (but I have a lot on my plate so I can't commit to anything). I've been vey curious what juani has to say on this subject.

Aesthetics are surprisingly important. I tried my hand at map-building in Warcraft III once, and was surprised by how important aesthetics are.

In the map, you could build different structures, and essentially they boiled down to castles that produced soldiers, and houses that produced tiny unarmed boys. The strategy to win was to build lots of houses creating tiny unarmed boys, and it said so clearly in the introduction text.

Needless to say, people would build one house, then would discover the castles and waste all their money building castles; and they would lose.

So, people's decisions in games are based strongly on aesthetics, and for a game to be easy to use the aesthetics of an item should reflect its usage and capabilities.

As far as SecondLife, most buildings reflect users' current expectations of what a building etc should look like. As people spend more time in SecondLife, their expectations will slowly change and the architecture will morph slowly and gradually correspondingly. As an example, non-architectural, consider the pose balls you see on furniture everywhere. Its become the norm, and is considered aesthetically acceptable.

Change to move away from first life limitations may be quite slow. Games are generally about fantasy, and the fantasy of many SecondLife players is to lead a normal first life, so their usage of SecondLife reflects this. Even those who are here to play games have certain fantasies linked significantly to real-life: grouping up to fight dragons for example.

So our expectations of what things "should" look like are strongly bound to reality.

Azelda

I think most people build what they wish they could build in RL. So, they include some of the external features that would be necessary in our RL.

Damien,

[
If this text sounds odd, its because english isn't my first language.
Or maybe it's because i'm odd.
]


so glad i'm not alone with these observations.

When i first started building i fell into the usual trap, building a house like the ones im used to in rl and found myself in a structure that had lots of forms with no associated function. I was observin the rule "Form follows function" in a world with different functionality and failed.

I didnt actually realize my problem then. I only felt that this was all utterly wrong.
Threw it all away.

Second house was built more from the guts, but still has a lot of stuff that's as important as a fridge in an iglu.

So i started to think seriously about the subject. Didnt get very far though

I think, the first thing we have to think of:
Which functions do we have in sl and what can architecture do to make
life better.

Maybe it helps if we balance what we need and what we might not need



We Need
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# Aesthetics
There is stuff i adore, there is stuff that follows the canonical principles of
architecture, there is stuff i don't like but that follows an aesthetic
principle even if i can't adopt that principle.
That all is totally acceptable.
But the majority of buildings i see doesnt follow any
principle and makes me wanna puke.
So there should be an aesthetic principle and dont't forget to ask yourself
Is it beautiful?

# Communication
The major part of sl (besides gambling and watching dirty pictures - tzz) is about
communication. You usually are chattering along with two or three persons, aditionally
having some IM channels for your own private pleasure.
There is need for an area where some people can "Sit here" facing each other and having a relaxed talk.

# Visual privacy,
OK your AV is only some puppet you are leading on a string,
but part of your soul is "there" and it deserves some privacy if it (you?)
does things you wouldn't do in the open in rl.
We would do it more openly in rl if we all had these magnificient bodies like in sl but,
well anyway...

# Accoustiv privacy
How far does your voice carry in sl? In rl? You can always have an IM but the informal
chat with several people in relaxed atmosphere, with (sort of) eye contact should
remain protected.

# Accessibilty
Buildings that can be accessed from the air. NO SPIRAL STAIRS - who needs stairs anyway if you can fly. Setting something to phantom to ease accessibilty is OK.

# Plausible spaces
If you take even the humble first land parcel, there is an awful lot of space to handle.
I remember a japanese house i once saw that had an inner height of about 15 meters
(that was only the first store, there were three more to come) and a floor space of about 300 squaremeters. Was the first japanese house with an elevator i ever saw. But all with
tatamis and shoji walls.
The building scared me like hell. We dont have the need for so much space, since
the functions we need to fullfill in sl are not very space consuming.
Architecture often means working on the line between interior and exterior, so if we need
very little space in the building, we might consider to create beautiful views,
erratic spaces, art in the open, art that wanders between interior and
exterior. But no cargohall sized empty spaces.
So we should build small, but interesting strutures and maybe more of these per parcel.

# Physics
Now we come to something even the skilled build cant accomplish - changes id like to
see in the physics of sl.
For example the subject of sitting with friends in a tub of hot steaming water, i know
i can do that somehow with poseballs and a nearly transparent block of something with
a water texture. But i decided against that all because i always ended sitting ON the water.
And the solution of letting water in and out of the jacuzzi isnt enough for me.
I would love to have some real water to play with, (like real light), maybe the lindens
should work on that.
Might even vanish on the parcel border, otherwise whole sims would drown under out-of-control fountains

Same with wind. Id love to have sort of wind in the air, not even controlled by me.
Would be nice to have some unpredictable factors in sl. Maybe if the lindens could refrain from tornadoes and disaster stuff, but id like a changing wind so i can put up a flag and
a windharp.


Do we need?
---------------------------------------------------
# Gravity
A lot of the aesthetics in traditional architecture (beams, support structures etc)
is connected to the need to keep it all together and to prevent the house from
breaking apart. You obviously cant build this house (see sketch) in rl but in sl.

But is it beautiful? Does our aesthetic depend on gravitational credibilty, we should
explore that.

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# rl bleeding in
We are very limited in what we actually can do, we certainly dont eat or drink or cook
(sigh) so there is no need to have a kitchen or a microwave or a restaurant (doublesigh)
We should support all what the AVies are capable of and we should do that good.
I accepted the need for a bed recently, but thats another story.


Hey i liked writing this text tremendously, maybe we should talk about architecture more
often in a world of so much cuteness and pink shoebox houses.

Have a beautiful day,

Clinton

I've been thinking a lot on this topic for two reasons. First, because I've spent a *lot* of my second life living on the beach in Nautilus (I own no land). Secondly, because I've spent a lot of time recently as part of a household where I did not design the living spaces. I feel that I can confidently say that SL architecture does *not* address the needs of SL users, it expresses what they think architecture should be like.

While I lived on the beach, I created two structures: essentially labrotories for building and working on AV appearance. These structures addressed my two basic needs: two prevent scripted objects from disappearing and polluting a sim where I owned nothing, and cutting down the textural background noise (allowing my client to run faster). I have recently met another builder who has done essentially the same thing, except he has built a sky platform to work in. For this type of structure function is all that matters. I use single hollow prims with suitable textures. A sit-script 'door' completes the furnishings.

Recently I have created a third structure to use on the beach when I want to spend time with friends and am not entirely comfortable with using the spaces that I share with my SL household. This is a rather less tangible aspect of SL architecture: providing a social context. For social structures, almost any expense is justifiable, although people frequently lose sight of the *social* context. Builders need to ask themselves 'what will this room be used for?' much more frequently than they do; *and* then they have to ask themselves: 'can this activity be *done* in SL?'

A third goal is privacy, but *that* topic is very murky. There is very little privacy in SL. As best as I can figure you're only privacy derives from having *lots* of land. Something like a 4096m^2 single plot (of apropriate geometry) is required to be safe from camera-hopping. BUilding in the sky can also help, but there are other difficulties with that solution. There is a need for some serious Linden work in this area.

- C

One aspect of SL architecture that I think could use some discussion is the distinction between private and public space, and how to communicate it. One of the main motivations to create in SL is to showcase a creation you want other people to experience, so on the one hand there can be an implied invitation into people's builds. But people also do make private homes that they expect others to stay out of unless they're explicitly invited. I haven't noticed any conventions yet for communicating which is which (besides the nasty red bars). Two houses can look exactly the same, but one is open and one is closed. I was in SL for a while before I realized I was supposed to go into a lot of the homes I was seeing, because I was assuming I should treat people's property the way I do in RL.

I think one way to deal with this would be a visual cue that explicitly invited people to explore a build. I can imagine something like the old voting boxes, or something more subtle like an open door versus a closed one. I don't know really, but maybe someone has good examples of this kind of thing.

I'd prefer not to say what people should or shouldn't do. To me SL is mostly a big toy, and people can play with it however they want as long as they don't interfere with me. I do see a place for areas with aesthetic limits, but I think they should be voluntary places for like-minded people. Mostly I'm interested in talking about how architecture works in SL.

There is no need to eat, but a restaurant communicates something to passers-by that a big room with chairs usually does not. Come in, feel free to hang out and relax. It doesn't necessarily have to be a restaurant; if you can design a hang-out space that says "hang out here" without it being a restuarant, more power to ya. In the sames sense the av's sit down at all. There is no practical SL need for a chair. It's all a metaphor. I usually feel like sitting down when I'm hanging out or building, even though my av's legs don't get tired.

But no matter what metaphor you're using, design it for its intended purpose (which is definitely not eating). Don't put the backs of chairs against walls, allow enough space to get around (Design for a drunk person with an eyepatch!) and make it something people want to use.

Yes, a lot of people use SL to model RL. Modelling is an important human activity which lets us investigate ideas without the risk / expense / etc of having to do a RL version.

A huge advantage of SL is the ability to model.

However, it would be interesting to discuss SL specific architecture.

There was a fellow who presented a paper - "there is no spoon". What he meant was that the spoon in SL wasn't really a spoon, but rather a standin as a representation of ideas, and concepts that the builder wants to communicate.

So if you are going to build in SL - remember, you are not trying to build practical objects rather you are trying to communicate an idea or a message to those who come to interact with your buildings.

One can give the illusion of an enclosed space in SL without actually enclosing it.

If one looks at my home in Hooper (pic below, although not all the detail is apparent), you can see that I use artwork hung in mid-air, columns on the corners, and a large light hung from the center to frame the main "living space".

Doing these sorts of tricks can lead to something that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and that has the appearance of an enclosed structure, while still allowing for easy egress.

As they say... form follows function. In SL, we fly, so entry and exit to ANY build should be built with that means of movement in mind.

- Ace

We need to avoid this type of philosophy as modelling realistic buildings in SL is a completely valid activity. Real World City planners and real architects should be allowed to collaborate and innovate inside of SL without having to satisfy the demands of 'so called' purists.

However, I think attempting to define buildings which are pure is a very interesting challenge..

And I agree with Ace in that the 'enclosure' of space is probably the primary concept to be talked about. Spaces should also have a clear defined purpose. For example, an auditorium or a round table communicate that a space is to be used for discussion or lecturing.

I have been to Hooper, and while I really like the abstract feel of the building I have to say as I moved from space to space it wasn't clear to me what purposes they served.

I guess this begs the question? What are the purposes do we have in SL?

Define the purposes and then we can start to define what an SL space should be.

This is a very interesting discussion.

I'd like to go back and drop some thoughts on Damien's comments about aspects of RL architecture applied in SL, with no apparent benefit.

Today's RL homes exist as decendants of earlier structures that were built to address a very important need: protection from the elements.

In SL, we have no 'elements' to contend with, so one might make the argument that any enclosed structure, or home, is simply wasteful. Simply open-air gathering areas should suffice.. right?

Personally, I don't subscribe to that belief, as I think that SL offers a great chance for people to 'own' the home of thier dreams, even if it is in a virtual environment. Peaked roofs, beams, pilings, and foundations all add to the realism that most try to instill in thier builds. True, they are not necessary, but do help complete the story.

Sure, you don't need a kitchen, bathroom, or even a bedroom.. but it really comes down to the owner and the level of detail that they wish to include in thier home. Most of the homes I've built did not include a kitchen or bathroom, but all have a bedroom and living area.

One of the things I would like to see more of is people buiding with the camera in mind. I've been to some builds where the ceiling is so low, your camera has to zoom to near mouselook.

Usually, I build homes with at least a 5m high ceiling. This provides enough room for your camera and still delivers a realistic feel to the room.

Like Blaze, I too have visited Ace's abstract build in Hooper. My first impression was of a bridge, not an enclosure. The build's mass/void ratio worked well, achieving a pleasing balance between the progression of demarcated spaces and the visually salient 3D forms. No stove, sink or RL 'decorator touches' required!



How about architecture as a form of non-verbal communication, and a form of play. Those are good purposes. As a visitor investigates the build in Hooper a non-verbal communication is in progress. Ace has been playing with the architectural toolkit within the resource constraints, and he has oriented his build to the site in a certain way. In my (idiosyncratic!) opinion, architecture as a form of communication and a form of play constitutes one of the most enjoyable games within SL.

Juro, I'd agree about the headroom - builders in general really need to let spaces 'breathe' for it to feel natural in SL. I've always built at exagerrated scale, but interior rooms semed to work out better that way, forget the building ruler, its worthless, and I never use one. One other thing is making allowances for rails and such, make things possible to jump over, so you don't end up unwittingly trapping people. Just checking clearances in general helps a lot.

That's all I've got for now

There are physical needs in SL, but they have to do with camera movement and the fact that AV's can fly and get around, but sometimes they are very clumsy. So, high ceilings, lots of windows or empty space, less clutter, and big doors/ingresses/egresses, etc.

I think architectural needs in SL are mostly psychological. People build walls and roofs and place furniture because it's what defines comfortable habitation for them. But most people make that definition based on RL perspectives, not SL. Replicas of RL architecture are beautiful and worthwhile, but also nostalgic. They don't push any envelopes.

Maybe there's an SL style emerging, since there are a lot more curved surfaces available to experiment with now. I've seen three very basic things, over and over again: the need to perch high in a beautiful place, since we can all fly and we are visual creatures who like a wide view, the need to make a unique statement about our character, since we can now all build, badly or well, but we can build, and finally, a need for temporary privacy of some kind, even if it's only a wall or a thick stand of trees to talk with friends behind.

It means that a lot of structures have high ramparts, they have no common style beyond what prims, limits, and parcels, force on the builder and they have some hidden place in the structure for privacy. To me that means that SL architecture is evolving away from RL slowly in terms of physical needs, but will always keep something in common with RL in terms of psychological needs.

JMO

As a form of non-verbal communication I will most definitely agree with you. It was what I was talking about with the statement 'there is no spoon'.

So, let me restate what I said in a different way, what sort of things do we have that can be communicated (in a non verbal way) in SL? And how do we make each build and each component of build have a cohesive structure so that it communicates its ideas in a cohesive way .. with still allowing for an appropiate segue from component to component and build to build.

While we can start really getting abstract here, and talk about builds like backstage and how each communication is a personal vision, I would be interested in starting to develop some common themes that will further our understanding of SL architecture..

There is the chance for endless and pointless discussion about aesthetics and visions without any practical use.

I'd love to see contributions from people "in the trade" i.e. rl architects etc.
As in every profession there must be some rules of thumb that can be applied to sl architecture.
PLUS our very own sl specific subjects like "headroom for the camera", "accessibility for flying visitors",
"No &%$&%$## spiral stairs" etc.

We might be able to agree on a manifesto with very generic simple rules.

What i could find in the thread to this point:

#
We dont need the structures that keep rl buildings together, we dont need to protect
ourselves from the elements, but buildings that adress these needs became so
common to our visual experiences that the functional parts became part of the aesthetics as well.
We can try to find other solutions for a world without gravity and thunderstorms.
But we might need some time to invent a visual language thats not influenced by gravity
and bad weather.
We shouldnt hurry, new forms will evolve if we let them.

#
Since the camera is our point of view in this world there must be enough space for the
camera to act

#
A building isn't approached from the street it is usually approached either from the air or
on a designated landing point. Both points should be designed to lead visitors into
the building and to inform visitors about the possibilities of the building

#
It must be possible to access a building with "local lighting on" without falling back
to 0.5 fps

#
A designed space must communicate its purpose its size should be big enough to fulfill
this purpose, but not bigger.

#
Dont build structures that have the potential to trap people. Ever been trapped in a trench
along the basement of a building?

#
(Your contribution goes here)

Good ideas Clinton. I actually already have a list I started here:
/120/e0/29470/1.html

I'm in the process of updating it, and if you don't mind I'd like to incorporate some of your ideas. Ignore the subject line about building a mall, it pretty much applies to everything.

Great start, here are some more:

1. Allow a place for people to easily drop down on landmark (like from an event or something you pass around) and immediately be able to orient themselves as to where to go.

2. Use "sit target" as much as possible on chairs / places to sit so people aren't constantly fiddling with having to adjust themselves to properly sit

3. Build in a way so that people joining you don't interfere with whatever event / things are going on in your space

4. Use builds from RL to communicate ideas and set mood, not to serve a practical purpose which doesn't exist. For example, add a water feature - not a dishwasher. (My favorite build will be the single-wide trailer .. communicated volumes)

5. Leverage sit target teleports if it makes sense for your build. Useful because we don't have "z" coords to our landmarks

6. If doing walls, try to use transparent walls in case the camera goes awry.

7. Some common purposes for builds:

auditoriums (for events)

Use sit target and control the camera if possible so people can immediately be focused on the stage with a minimum of fiddling
Think about using dual loading blackboards for loading textures so you can avoid texturing lag
Make sure your stage is big enough for people to demonstrate on
Situate the stage, if possible, amongst rocks or at least away from the nearest telehub so people will not land on the stage

Rountables (for discussion)

My favorite type of SL build
Round is democratic in nature, rectangle is less so
Use the center space for rezzing textures or objects for discussion
Use llGiveInventory so when people sit down they are given notecards to describe what the discussion will be about

Workspace

- Lots of space
- Try to surround with colors which objects will not disappear in (black is tough)
- Have example objects around with example scripts so you don't have to dive into your inventory when looking for examples.


Gallaries / Malls

Gallaries are places to showcase art, items for sale, and interesting builds.
Try to make them easy navigatable, low prim, and no obstacles.
Setting the tone is very important, artifacts which communicate your theme is always a good choice. (For example, for modern art .. have modern prim sculptures .. if renaissance art, perhaps a da vinci invention or two)

A few more comments....

I am not an architect, but I did study architecture for a couple of years. I've tried to use what I learned about traffic flow, utilizing the natural surroundings to enhance the build, selective privacy, and focus on views in each one of my builds (more specifically with custom builds).

Recognizing that we don't walk up to a house from the street, but usually drop in from flight is an important factor. I tend to use alot of outdoor patios/decks that are spacious enough to allow for easy landing when flying in.

I also tend to use more square prims to help cut down on the lag.. it may not be significant, but even that little bit helps.

One comment on malls. IMHO, Anshe's Netherbeck mall is one of the best I've seen to date. It is spacious, easy to navigate, logically laid out, and it looks good. I think it truly gives a 'mall' type feel to it.

Another interesting result of SL architecture is you don't need to have all of your 'house' in one place. You can spread it around, depending on the purpose, because it's fairly easy to own multiple places with little extra cost.

I am very impressed with the level of thoughtfulness and consideration I have seen in this thread so far. These are exactly the kinds of points that I wanted to see in open discussion when I began this thread. It becomes obvious to me that even unstated, there is already a common language of sorts that is finding its way through infancy in the SL environment, and I am fascinated to see where it develops as people's expectations and experiences evolve. Unless people have specific objections, I would like to start collecting these observations and organizing them (with apprpriate credit given) to see where this all boils down.

Now, for a more technical question:
I would like to do a SL case study to involve the SL public where I would invite SL builders to display what they consider to be their most effective virtual stuctures and have the public explore, use, and comment on them, in order to gather "practical" data on the usefullness of various SL architectural styles. This would not be a building "contest" per say, but a chance for the public to explore possible constructs in a way that would not violate the privacy of people's own SL spaces.

Who should I contact, if anyone, to help set up the "nuts and bolts" of such a venture. It would require space ($L?), and perhaps some scripting in terms of setting up a survey for the visiting public to respond to. Any assistance that you folks could render would be very much appreciated.

Thank you for all of your time, and please lets keep this discussion going...

Damien Rosencrans

I didn't build anything of the least importance up to now, so i cant show anything.

But i'm in with Lindens and smart-assing.

C.

I have a rather practical minded question for builders...How does the prim limit affect your designs?