Virtuality
Virtual Reality Space, The Mall Athens, Marousi, Greece
Virtuality is a space of entertainment that offers exciting experiences to the visitor, based on virtual reality. Through a pair of vr glasses and by sitting on a rotating seat, the visitor experiences a virtual reality where all his senses follow the story projected at the goggles. The key element of virtuality is that the visitor experiences a different space from his real space.
The architectural goal was to translate the experience of virtual reality into the physical space. In order to communicate to the visitor the experience virtuality can offer, basic elements of the virtual experience, such as technology, action and alternation had to become physical within the actual store space. Moreover, there was a need to identify the aesthetics of the new store space.
Design principles were borrowed by science fiction films. The aim was to create a space that would translate empirical experiences into concrete space.
The entrance of the store is formed around a narrow almost claustrophobic corridor which intensifies the transition to the main store area and impresses the visitor with its height and oval plan layout. The exterior boundary is formed by a series of glazed windows which were illuminated through linear led lights that intensified the vertical dimension of the space. The VR machine stands at its centre, surrounded by two curved white walls. Their role is to define the various activities that take place and simultaneously to accommodate light projections powered by robotic beams and disco balls. It can be argued that architecture is partially shaped by light, which changes and moves constantly. This, creates an illusion to the visitor, where the boundaries of space alter and immerse him.
Project status: Completed | Date: 2019 | Photography: Photis Karapiperis