For the real world

At my age and level of influence, I don't think I could get these put to work single-handedly... but I would still feel kind of bad if they get taken without me getting to help. So, if you're someone from a firm who wants to take a stab at it, let me know!

1. "LIGHTS OUT" Arcade

I want to design a combination arcade, batting cage, golf simulator, go-kart track, bowling alley, mini golf, etc... (honestly, a place that has a bunch of things I like to do.) The main gimmick of this place and the source of its namesake would be that the main lights would be OFF. In its place would be a bunch of glow-in-the-dark implements that show the contours of everything inside. Every attraction would have high-tech implements. I first had the idea back in 2021 when I thought about creating a bowling ball with a built-in display. It expanded quickly into an idea for a Topgolf-like experience for multiple sports; one where a sport's elements are gamified. For example, the batting cage would be turned into a game simulator. One player stands in the batting cage, while another one can pick the pitch type, speed, and location (within reason, of course.) After three outs, the players switch spots. For bowling I also thought of implementing some of the gameplay from the Wii Sports bowling challenges, like the one about getting spares or controlling one's spin.

A lot of R&D would need to go into making the electronics/etc. durable, cheap, and effective enough, but if everything works out, it could turn into a fun business venture with great potential for advertising and merchandise. Back when I had that idea in late 2021, I also designed a logo where the 'O' in LIGHTS OUT was a broken lightbulb. The slogan I had at the time was something like "the fun doesn't stop when the lights go off."

2. Minecraft themed hotel

I don't think this would succeed as its own standalone resort, but as a part of multiple resorts (like a Disney World type of deal,) then it would be perfect. The basic idea is to make the first drafts of a hotel in Minecraft, then adapt it into real-life, along with its textures, dimensions, and shapes. When I adapt real-life buildings into Minecraft, I use 1 block = 2 feet, so I'd start building with that in mind. If I start diving deeper into this one, I think I would try for a small-to-medium size resort but with Minecraft-themed attractions on the resort property. Since the IP belongs to Microsoft, the "Microsoft" world would have other resorts and attractions too. I looked up a list of the games they own and it seems feasible! Flight Simulator, Call of Duty, Forza, Halo...

3. Golf course w/apartments

I got the idea when in Mexico back in 2022. My dad and I, along with a few of my cousins, went golfing, and one of the holes we played at had us tee off in close proximity to a hotel. There was netting to prevent missed shots from hitting people, of course. It made me wonder if the land nearby golf courses could be used more effectively. You could have apartment buildings or hotels around the edges of the golf course along with protective netting. People who rent from there or stay at the hotel can play at the course for free during the weekdays, and on the weekends, the course turns into a park that is public access... It would need some security to prevent people from damaging parts of the course such as the green or tee boxes, but other than that, it seems feasible. It would probably be best if the course was a par 3 course, though, since it wouldn't use as much land. The main challenge would be creating something that's good as both a golf course and a park, and with little maintenance.

4. Baseball stadium with built-in urban core

I don't know if this is going to work, but it would be cool to try. I get the inspiration every now and then when I pass by Busch Stadium when it's not gameday and notice that nothing really goes on. It's a very large plot of land that only sees regular attendance for a fraction of the year. I'm thinking that it shouldn't be a "this is what happens when baseball isn't happening here" type of building, but rather a place where baseball can happen at the same time as everything else. It would be a headache for ticketing, businesses, sales, security, movement, and more, but I still want to give it a try.

5. Electronic synth museum

Similar to the project I did in college, but focusing mainly on the history aspect. Life-size synth controls that people can manipulate to change the sound. Displays for real synths with information about their history and functionality. Interactive demos of music software such as FL Studio, Ableton, Protools, etc. They sort of have this with video games in the Science Center, but it's a rather small part of the entire building and not as deep as I would hope. I think people would enjoy creating their own music with each other.

6. Malls, stores, etc.

I know malls all around America are dying, but I'm sure there's a design out there than can withstand the test of time. The ones that are surviving today look very nice. I had an amazing time when I went to the West Edmonton Mall back in 2023, but when I visit my local mall, it feels very bland and emotionless as soon as I step inside. A lot of it has to do with the fact that the mall in Canada had waterparks, rollercoasters, go-kart tracks, mini-golf courses, and arcades and the one near where I live doesn't, but the architecture also played a role. Everything in the Edmonton mall was wide and expansive and had lots of natural light. I think a mall designed after a neighborhood could be interesting, too.

From the Minecraft world

These are cherry-picked selections from the Minecraft server my friends and I have built on since 2016. We tend to not be so serious here, so the builds vary widely in quality. I've included the year they were built so you can get an idea of how I've progressed as a builder. The chances that these could translate into a real-life build are very slim... but not zero. As you read through the documentation of each build, you'll learn a lot about the "lore" of our server.

1. Hardware World (2022-ongoing)

THIS is the crown jewel of the server. Hardware World South, North, and West are projects by a friend and I that combine the world of Redstone and architecture into one, complete with its own lore and characters. The idea came when I began my Roman architecture history course at the same time my buddy began building redstone computers on the server. I came up with the idea of building a casing around it in the Roman architectural style and additional buildings on top. As additional computers were added, my friend included design language from the game Rainworld as well. Each computer has its own name and personality, and are wired in a way that they can "talk" to each other. After the Roman-inspired south world was complete, we then completed an Asian-style north world, and now a Mesoamerican-inspired west world is in the works, by far the most ambitious out of the three. An east world is planned, but the design language hasn't been discussed yet. (Future note - this building alone has enough about it that it deserves its own page!)

2. Icicle Ampitheater (2022)

This is at the end of a park a friend of mine built called Festival Park. The concert venue borrowed its design language after icicles, with sharp angles on each side for lighting and more on top of the stage for shade.

3. The Feather (2022)

I traced the silhouette of a feather into the game and built it outward using varying curves. This was a part of a huge city I wanted to build, but it unfortunately didn't go anywhere. On the top is a lounge with a live music venue, and in one of the middle floors is a kitchen. While beautiful on its own, I don't think the feather longed to have any other purpose than to be an oil tycoon's pet project.

4. Aurora Park (2024)

A standard park build but with a mixture of stained glass blocks, panes, and light blocks to give the impression of the northern lights. Also in the park is a small campground and at the end is a statue of a rabbit, with inscribed "advice" from him.

5. "Honeymoon" house (2022)

An open concept design. I built this in Minecraft first, then replicated inside of Revit, including some custom-modeled furniture. Downstairs is a recording studio.

6. "Soup" towers (2023)

A group of cylindrical towers stylized to look like soup cans! The brand on the side reads "SOOMP." When I get back to work on it, I plan to furnish the inside with offices and the like. On the top of one of the towers is even a tab, just like an actual soup can has.

7. High School (2019)

The high school I used to go to was very awkward to move through, and instead of cleaning house and building a new one, the town decided to build a separate campus for the freshmen to go to. I think that was the main inspiration behind me building a high school here. There are also two separate buildings that have basketball courts and a swimming pool respectively.

8. TriArch (2023)

By far the largest singular build on the server, but, doesn't really have much to show except its impressive shape and floor texture. One day I will reconfigure this into something more... workable.

9. Airport (2023)

While I was working on this airport I looked at satellite maps to see what runway numbers are supposed to look like. The airport itself has a lot left to be finished. The existing volume is nice, however.

10. Railway Authority hub (2023)

Underneath the server map is an expansive set of railways that lead to various builds. The main building near the spawn (where new players are put upon joining for the first time.) To the side is another building that hosts the red, yellow, and green subway lines.

11. Desert House (2024)

12. The Cottage (2024)

Built from a picture of a real-life house plan with two friends of mine. I like the charm of the light blue color!

13. Featherland (2023)

A city I planned that needs a lot of TLC. At the moment the only features of the city are the aformentioned theater and feather as well as the railway.

14. Baseball Stadium (2023)

I think this was inspired by the Ballpark in Arlington, but I could be gravely mistaken. It certainly is a lot smaller and is lacking many features, but it has a brick facade like that park does. I plan on building a major-league caliber ballpark someday!

15. Underground Society (2022-ongoing)

Inspired by the Garry's Mod map called "Places From Your Dreams" - several rooms connected by different doorways in a way that going through a door leads you to a completely different looking/feeling room. At the moment, there is a library, an arcade, a restaurant, indoor playground, hotel, airport, and warehouse-style store. Many more areas are planned!

16. Winter Cottage (2022)

I call this one the Triangle! My favorite part of the build is how I used white glass instead of leaves to make the trees look more "wintery."

17. The Headquarters (2020)

A building shaped like the letter "h." As hilarious as it is impractical.

17. TF2 Map (2018)

Similar to Honeymoon, I designed the build in Minecraft and made in another editor. This time around I remade this in Hammer Editor, the program used to create maps for Source games.

18. Seashells (2021)

A small hotel build with an interesting facade. I should remake this at a larger scale...

Non-buildings

Just anything that's on my mind.

1. "Pet Architecture" book

If I were to ever write a book, this would probably be the one that gets put out first, as it's been on my mind since about 2022. It entices the reader with the concept of household pets dictating how the built environment looks, rather than people. A city for dogs would have shorter ceilings and doors without handles, equipment operated by bite or a tap of the nose. Acoustic design would be high priority since the average dog has much more sensitive ears than people. A city for birds might not have any stairs or elevators since they can fly, but if one were to ever break a wing, then anything above ground level is rendered inaccessible. You'd need ADA requirements for birds!

It'd be a fun book to write, since I'd get to research different animals, create new building typographies for them, then draft them in something like Revit or AutoCAD as if they were a client.

2. Various Roblox games

I learned one day that you can earn a decent amount of money if you make a good Roblox experience that gets a ton of visitors. I've been bouncing around ideas about creating a Club Penguin style game where you can travel around a map to play different games. The working title for this area has been "Soda Creek," since I thought it'd be catchy. The map would refresh on a monthly basis with new places to visit so that people would be incentivized to return semi-often. Maybe once or twice a year, there could be a contest that involves different experiences within Soda Creek that award points to the player, and the player with the most points wins. I also thought of a sister town called "Diamond Valley."