The Digital at Human Scale: Architecture’s Critical Role in the Metaphysical Realm As humanity becomes increasingly immersed in digital and virtual environments, architecture stands at a pivotal moment. A new research initiative, The Digital at Human Scale, led by Sarah Ceravolo from Convolo Design, investigates how the discipline’s foundational principles, human scale, cultural meaning, and spatial embodiment, can be transfigured into abstract digital spaces. With the rise of artificial intelligence, cybernetic ontology, and global technocratic integration, society is experiencing a new human condition: one marked by disembodied presence, dual realities, and technologically mediated experience. Far from existing as detached simulations, virtual spaces now demand an architectural framework that can sustain emotional, cultural, and ethical resonance. This research critiques the dilution of architecture’s identity in the digital age and proposes a human-scaled model for meaningful engagement with virtual environments. It explores the implications of mixed realities, referential and non-referential design, and metaphysical presence, questioning what it means to inhabit cyberspace and who holds authorship of these emerging worlds. By interrogating the role of the architect within this evolving landscape, The Digital at Human Scale positions architecture as a vital discipline, not only for shaping the physical world, but for guiding the increasingly influential domains of abstract and metaphysical space. This project opens the door to playful, human-centered virtual experiences that feel as rich and meaningful as the physical spaces we know. It’s about designing futures where culture, creativity, and technology collide, where visiting a gallery, strolling through a city, or connecting with others in public precincts through digital space becomes as emotionally powerful as real life, but with endless possibilities to bend, stretch, and reinvent the rules of space itself.