Thesis Project Creates Virtual World for 'Imaginary Architecture'

When Sal Armetta, bachelor of architecture student in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment, wanted to focus on designing a virtual world for his thesis project, he didn’t have to look any farther than the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce’s animation and digital media program.

At the intersection of architecture and animation, Armetta has created a virtual world that transports users into an interactive three-dimensional environment.

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Seeking to push the usage of virtual reality in architecture, Armetta also wound up creating the ultimate example of Nexus learning, according to Andrew Hart, Assistant Professor of Architecture at our College of Architecture and the Built Environment.

"It takes two colleges, and combines faculty and courses and expertise from both, to exceed the capability of either individually," says Hart. "In general, collaboration is what we do on this campus."

Jefferson proved to be a place where architecture and extended reality can meet.

"Sal really was a bridge between these different disciplines that have a lot in common — architecture, user experience design, animation, virtual reality," says Fredric Freeman, Lead Faculty, VR/AR/XR in our Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce. So Sal really gave all of us as faculty the opportunity to work together."

As part of the wide network of Jefferson alums, Eli Tuttle — senior environment artist for Sledgehammer Games, and architecture alumni — rounded out an advisory committee on the project, bringing his experience with Call of Duty to the table.

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