CAAVCON 2020

Virtual Gathering Space

“HowcantheconceptofpublicspacebereimaginedintheageofCOVID-19andwhatarethepossibilitiesforvirtual realitytoreplaceandsupplementthewaysweinteractwithoneanother?”

* Finalist in NonArchitecture’s “Future Public Space” competition

Fall 2020

Institution: Clemson University

Critic: Dr. Elysse Newman

Group Project: individual roles included 3D modeling of digital model and solely creating project’s drawings

The CAAV (Campus Alliance for Advanced Visualization) Conference is an annual gathering of international scope which assembles users of large-scale immersive visualization platforms, advanced video screen formats, and advanced visualization software. This Fall the CAAV was hosted by Clemson University and was reformatted to be conducted via Mozilla Hubs rather than in-person due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The spaces designed for the conference explore the notion of digital public space especially as it pertains to life during a pandemic, as well as the evolving role of virtual reality. For the purposes of the conference, a “Main Hall” was designed as an entry and gathering space for participants. The central feature of the Main Hall is a spiraling ramp which weaves in and out of the space’s many arches, as well as ushers users past any one of ten “portals.”

Branching off from the Main Hall are a series of ten “Tech Showcase Rooms,” each corresponding to their own respective portal. Each Tech Showcase Room was designed to both visually and aurally convey information about a particular subject, such as conference sponsors, resources available at Clemson, or simply to create immersive virtual experiences.