The metaverse just scored another big name.
The immersive virtual world, which has attracted an array of reputable brands such as Sotheby’s and the NFL, has welcomed a new building designed by BIG. Headed up by Danish starchitect Bjarke Ingels, the renowned architecture firm has unveiled a new virtual headquarters for employees at Vice Media Group.
Dubbed Viceverse, the next-gen office space is located on the Decentraland platform, as reported by Dezeen. This is an open-source meta world in which people can create unique avatars to represent their physical selves. Viceverse will serve as the media agency’s virtual innovation lab and enable employees to work in the metaverse on Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and other digital projects.
In Viceverse, clients and collaborators can meet for briefings, presentations and demonstrations. Vice Media Group
BIG has previously designed buildings for the likes of Audemars Piguet, Google and Audi, to name but a few, and has garnered a reputation for its envelope-pushing structures. Although this new pixelated building is far from the typical bricks and mortar, it is no less stylish. It has an eye-catching undulating form with sleek, continuous lines. The first floor is dedicated to an NFT gallery, while the upper floors will be used for meetings and presentations.
Vice’s creative agency Virtue Futures worked together with BIG on the office, which was designed to foster collaboration and creativity among employees across the globe. The company currently has real-life offices in 25 countries, though tasked BIG with creating a metaverse workplace free from physical constraints.
“The arrival of Vice Media Group allows its borderless creative workforce to come together virtually for the first time in Decentraland,” Morten Grubak, creative director of innovation at Vice Virtue Futures, told Dezeen. “The creative opportunities within the metaverse are hugely exciting and as we’re already helping brands navigate this new space it makes sense to have an office there ourselves.”
Vice is not the only one to embrace the metaverse, either. Last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that the company would be changing its name to Meta and begin investing “many billions of dollars” into the space. Shortly after, a number of big brands followed suit. Who knows, Robb Report could have its own virtual office before too long.
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