4SPACE opens Meta4Space design studio to help brands seize metaverse opportunities
Now is the time to invest in the metaverse, which is why 4SPACE has expanded its design studio to the metaverse, helping guide businesses through this new, virtual territory.
Kieron is a freelance writer and Digital Consultant who doesn't consider himself a design lover but a user of design - which to him is more than enough.
LinkedinOnce a niche concept reserved for tech enthusiasts and their novel predictions of the future, the idea of a centralised virtual world, which takes the internet experience and upgrades it to a three-dimensional space has careened into the mainstream landscape in recent years.
Shot into prominence by Facebook’s embrace of the term, interest in digital ownership and the technologies necessary to create virtual experiences has spiked dramatically with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies making headlines.
So how can companies and brands stay abreast of the latest developments and secure themselves a space for their business in the digital world?
According to Firas Alsahin, co-founder and design director at 4SPACE Design, investing in virtual land or property is the ultimate goal but first getting to grips with this new territory should be the priority.
That’s why the Dubai-based studio has launched Meta4Space, a metaverse design department and consultancy for firms wanting to enter the metaverse.
“The design consultancy guides firms wanting to enter the metaverse, designing and deploying 3D NFTs and launching their brands into the new space,” explains Alsahin.
“Meta4Space will help guide architects, interior and game designers and developers and help them find the right tool and team of experts who have already demonstrated substantial success in the design industry.”
The firm’s services offer clients opportunities to create a unique digital environment using futuristic game development technology such as Unreal Engine to create innovative digital architectural designs.
It also includes intuitive three-dimensional design platforms like Gravity Sketch and deep understanding of tech equipment including VR headsets and 3D virtual world browser-based platforms like Decentraland, which will allow cross-discipline teams to explore, create and collaborate in an entirely new way.
Seizing the opportunity to help businesses teleport across alternative spheres, the company has taken massive steps to give its clients a competitive edge, including the formation of its Meta Space Design department, which helps brands bring their businesses to life in the metaverse, whether it’s through the creation of NFT’s or translating physical spaces into virtual ones.
“4SPACE architects are forward-thinking and already acquiring an entirely new set of skills to replace traditional architectural drawings with three-dimensional modelling software, non-fungible token design, and augmented reality technology.”
“It could be a shop, showroom, meeting place, or art gallery. Our designers and architects are ready to defy logic, gravity, and limitations,” says Aslahin.
“Businesses should be ready to be part of the metaverse if they want to be present where their partners and clients exist. Now is the time to invest in virtual land or property.”
Expounding on his vision for the metaverse, Aslahin said that the metaverse has the potential to remove barriers to creativity like safety regulations, budget and access to resources and materials.
With that, he emplores architects and designers to view the metaverse as an extension of its current practice rather than a disruption.
It might be a hotel or a restaurant wanting to recreate their physical space so it can be accessed worldwide for booking stays or reserving tables; or a brand wanting to create a game of performance in a virtual space for its audience.
Artist Krista Kim sold the first NFT digital home last year, and artist Andrés Reisinger, who sold ten pieces of virtual furniture in an NFT online auction last year, recently designed a Dieter Rams-inspired house for the metaverse—the possibilities are endless.
“In the metaverse there is no need for physics, planning permission or building codes,” he says.
“Instead, architecture and interiors can be explored purely as art, providing architects an opportunity to evolve as Metaspace designers, setting them apart from their traditional roles. It’s an idea that once seemed far-fetched but is slowly becoming a reality, or at least a virtual one.”
“It is similar to any culture change when people tend to be sceptical,” says Alsahin. “The same happened with the shift from Blackberry to smartphones—history gives us many examples. Remember that in 1990 nobody was buying online, now it seems impossible not to.”
“In 5 years time everyone will own some sort of digital asset, whether it’s a contract, title deed or a certificate, all as NFTs using smart contracts on a blockchain,” he adds.
“Eventually brands and businesses will be willing to be part of the next big thing because they will need to exist where their customers exist and to do that they need to invest in virtual land and build their property there, whether it’s a shop, a showroom or even an Art gallery.”
