My persistent world

This article presents design thinking and practice in the shared space of architecture and video games. It argues the need for designers to think about the delivery of distributable architectures that do not replicate, construct or delay the experience of architecture as anything other than a screen event. The video game and virtual worlds offer new potentials to present space, to create architectures inhabited by globally distributed audiences. By discussing a series of design, art and educational projects, this article illustrates how these novel digital environments are precursors of emergent design ecologies where educational, cultural and commercial spheres align through new spatial interfaces.