Since Facebook changed its name to Meta, millions of people have started asking “what is the metaverse?” Today, one of the most famous architecture firms in the world interacts greatly. From the Evelyn Grace Academy in London to the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, the futuristic structures that brought the late Zaha Hadid Architecture’s firm to immeasurable fame have always been ahead of their times, even now. The London-based company recently announced that its visionaries, led by lead architect Patrick Schumacher, Mika Bond of the Metaverse and Nick Lacroix, are designing a self-contained virtual city within the Metaverse.
The city, which will feature ZHA’s signature style in the form of city hall, co-working spaces, and even galleries selling NFTs, is not entirely dependent on the unstoppable imagination of its creators. In fact, ZHA’s online world is an inaccurate reference to a real place: the Free Republic of Liberland, a microstate 2.7 miles long located between Serbia and Croatia. Founded by Czech politician Vet Jedlikback in 2015, as its name suggests, Liberland’s small government celebrates libertarian values. But due to the lack of legitimate infrastructure, no one lives there, not even Jedlickaback. But now it’s time to get into virtual development. Schumacher explains: “It is now time, technically, economically and socially, to move our productive lives more and more towards metaverse. The metaverse is just beginning to demonstrate its potential to enable true global collaboration with borderless global participation.
In the ZHA metaverse, there are many buildings and places where users can communicate, including the central plaza.
Photo: ZHASchumacher hopes his virtual present will inspire the development of a truly libertarian microstate that inspired its metaphysical counterpart. Perhaps futuristic buildings resemble structures that indicate the brutal movement that has emerged throughout the virtual city. At the very least, the potential array of buildings that could one day be under construction in the near future is attractive to the 700,000 people who Jedlickaback says have submitted citizenship applications to Liberland. However, until that happens in reality – which its border neighbors suspect – Liberland will remain online in a highly developed virtual reality where visitor avatars will communicate and collaborate.
Places like Liberland — countries with libertarian governments that pride themselves on few rules and regulations — resonate with the metaverse because they are built using blockchain technology, which is decentralized and self-sustaining. After all, these and other elements, including its blazing speed, are just some of the reasons why people turn to cryptocurrencies. In June 2021, for example, El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, passed a law legalizing the acceptance of bitcoin as legal tender.
