ATN Summit 2026 | Mariana Cabugueira | [MC] Studios | Why Architects Must Design the Virtual World

In this talk, Mariana Cabugueira, founder of MC Studios and former Senior Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects, shares her journey from designing landmark projects to becoming the sole architect within a 150-person virtual world startup. Along the way, she explores why architects are largely absent from the design of digital environments, why that matters, and how emerging technologies such as AI, Unreal Engine, virtual reality and digital twins are creating entirely new opportunities for the profession. Mariana discusses the lessons learned from building virtual cities, founding MC Studios, and pioneering work at the intersection of architecture, immersive environments, AI agents, neuroscience and virtual reality therapy. From metaverse development and digital twins to AI-powered avatars and therapeutic virtual environments, this talk challenges architects to rethink their role in shaping both the physical and virtual worlds of the future. In this talk: Why architects are missing from the design of virtual worlds Lessons from working inside a $30M metaverse startup Building immersive environments with Unreal Engine AI, digital twins and the future of architecture Virtual reality therapy and neuroscience The rise of virtual architecture as a new discipline Why architects are uniquely positioned to shape digital environments About Mariana Cabugueira Mariana Cabugueira is the Founder and CEO of MC Studios, an architecture and design research practice exploring the convergence of architecture, AI, virtual reality and immersive technologies. Previously a Senior Architect at Zaha Hadid Architects, Mariana has worked on major international projects while pioneering new applications of virtual environments, digital twins and immersive design. Get access to all the ATN Summit 2026 recordings here: https://archi-tech.network/programs/a... #atnsummit #atn #architecture #architect #ai #virtualworld