This paper presents the design and prototyping of a Virtual Museum dedicated to ephemeral architecture, conceived as an autonomous post-digital metaverse environment. Developed through a research and teaching collaboration at the University G. d’Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, the study investigates how virtual museums can evolve from simple digital archives and virtual tours into immersive architectural spaces specifically created for networked exploration through avatars. The authors define conceptual models, semantic classifications, and technical workflows for the realization of the VM5 prototype, a five-room interactive museum where users navigate first-person virtual environments dedicated to historical and contemporary examples of ephemeral architecture. The project combines 3D modelling, animation, real-time rendering, Unreal Engine, Twinmotion, panoramic visualization, sound design, and interactive scripting. Through reconstructed environments ranging from Andrea Pozzo and Piranesi to Aldo Rossi, Roger Waters, and Berlin urban installations, the research demonstrates how digital representation can preserve, reinterpret, and reactivate temporary architectures that no longer physically exist. The study proposes the virtual museum as both a cultural archive and an experimental habitat for future forms of digital living.
Representation Advances And CHallenges association