Defining existential space in virtual environments

This paper presents part of the work produced for the project "The Architectural Design of a Virtual Environment for a Three-Dimensional Human-Computer Interface" which is sponsored by the Commission of the European Communities under the Human Capital and Mobility Programme and is being supervised by Dr Alan H. Bridges. It argues that one suitable source to refer to when designing virtual environments (VEs) is architectural theory. Its main aim is to inform the design of VEs by providing a background for the consideration of possible design metaphors and it is assumed that this aim can be achieved by establishing an existential conception of space in a VE. In order to achieve this aim, the paper builds on Norberg-Schulz's theory of existential space and attempts to expand it by refering to other relative studies, which follow a phenomenological approach towards analysing the concept of space. These studies all share a common desire for dealing with the nature of the subjective, phenomenal experience of space. The construct of "existential space" is being used as a starting point for identifying the constituting elements and for conceptualising the structural levels, that the physical environment (PE) consists of. Consequently, differences between PEs and VEs, which result from the limitations of the current state of the art of VE systems, will be considered. These differences will help to identify ways of adapting the proposed taxonomy of existential space elements and structure to the intrinsic nature and characteristics of VEs. This adaptation is a starting point towards building an existential conception of space in VEs.