EXPLORING VIRTUAL REALITY AS AN APPROACH TO RESURRECT DESTROYED HISTORICAL BUILDINGS - AN APPROACH TO REVIVE THE DESTROYED “EGG BUILDING” THROUGH VR

Abstract

An important part of a city, that gives it a sense of community and character, is its history. One way of acknowledging this heritage is by preserving historic building and structures. Old buildings are witnesses to the aesthetic and cultural history of a city, helping to give people a sense of place and connection to the past. Unfortunately, despite their importance within the city, historical buildings are most of the time subject to demolition and to be replaced- leaving behind stories told and untold of what use to be. The paper, therefore, aims to explore the capability of the metaverse, using virtual reality touring, to revive the memory of historical buildings that are subject to fade. Where preserving historical buildings can not only act as a symbol of grandeur but is also vital for reviving the community’s collective memory. The case study focused upon in the research paper shows a first step in the development of an immersive virtual tour for the significant building of “The Egg” or “Beirut City Center” in Downtown- which is a building that witnessed a series of unfortunate events that lead to destruction, erasure, and demolition of the building. Therefore, examining the recovery and revival of this unique historic site in an unconventional way which is in the metaverse, specifically the Virtual Reality (VR). The paper assumes that virtual reality, as the main metaverse approach, would help people ‘remember’ and ‘mentally revive’ the destroyed historical buildings that once acted as the building blocks in the impacted city. To prove this hypothesis, two different methodologies will be used, by theorical analysis and literature review, such as analyzing the main keyword, and analyzing datum from previous works. The second method will rely on the physical methodology, where virtual 3D Models will be built in a computer software, Autodesk Revit, then imported within a VR experience for an enhanced experience within the historical site to preserve the historic buildings and revive the collective memory within the community, enabling people to view how these historic sites once were and how they have now become.