Sweden: Second Life course at the Royal Institute of Technology:
"Students at KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology, have done everything from lighting up the Ice Hotel to creating architecture in the virtual world of Second Life.One course in the track, entitled ‘Unreal central perspective,’ looked at the representation of architecture in Second Life, a 3D virtual world. The 3D tools used by Second Life developers are similar to those used by architects, and Lindstrand wanted to explore the relationship between computer gaming and architecture, as well as between design tools and production.
In Second Life, architectural design is not constrained by the physical constraints of the material environment. This allows students to stretch their thinking about the possibilities of architecture, as well as to try to critically imagine their own future. ‘In Second Life, as an architect, you can build almost anything. And that’s challenging – and thrilling – to think about,’ says Lindstrand."
