The Design of Digital Twins for the Celebration of Commemorative Events in the Metaverse

This article analyzes the possibilities and consequences of the convergence between virtual reality, the metaverse and digital twins in the translation of a commemorative celebration event developed in reality, highlighting the influence on digitalization processes in the transformation of social interaction models. Virtual reality is seen as an immersive technology that allows advanced multisensory experiences, incorporated into long-lasting virtual environments such as the metaverse. In addition, the concept of digital twins, which are defined as authentic virtual representations of systems, physical processes and objects, is explored in depth, and the effect of their application in simulation, analysis, prevention, anticipation and operational improvement tasks is investigated. Within the framework of virtual events, it examines how the fusion of these technologies makes it possible to generate interactive, flexible and scalable environments, which can meet the diversity of social groups and, ultimately, accessible to an audience on a global scale. As an example of application, a digital twin of the Ferrándiz and Carbonell buildings, which is the most emblematic architectural complex of the Alcoi campus, was created to implement the event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the University School of Industrial Technical Engineering of Alcoi in 1972 to the Universitat Politècnica de València. At the same time, the virtual environment was subjected to various validation evaluations from different users, involving both students and teachers, with the aim of assessing its usability, functionality and determining possible improvements. This work confirms the main opportunities and challenges linked to the incorporation of these booming technologies, highlighting their versatility for the reconfiguration of digital work environments and particularly those of socialization and learning. Taking this specific case as a reference, an overview is offered about the strategic role that the virtual space of the metaverse plays in expanding the perception of the environment, and its potential to reconfigure the digital ecosystem of the future based on digital twins.