Immersive Architectural Legacies: The Construction of Meaning in Virtual Realities

This chapter investigates how new realities alter the experience of the tangible and intangible in Virtual Environments and how meaning can be constructed to compensate for this. In order to understand how these experiences can be digitally reconstructed to preserve their aura, this chapter examines the methodology and techniques of Digital Heritage. The Gordon Wilson Flats, a Modernist apartment building in Wellington, New Zealand, is presented as a case study to understand how the historical significance of a building can be translated into virtual realms. The research method utilised a range of digital technologies that documented, represented and disseminated an experience of the Gordon Wilson Flats to educate members of the public about the building and its history and look beyond the decaying facade only observed from behind barriers. The outcome of this project is exammined through the results of the exhibition Immersive Legacies: 320 The Terrace, which presented the virtual experiences of the Gordon Wilson Flats to the public. This discussion considers the role of multimedia and GLAMS in the construction of meaning and communication of authenticity for architectural heritage in virtual realities.