The internet has transformed the way we work, interact with others, shop, and sell. In recent years, the rise of virtual and augmented reality technologies has paved the way for a new era of digital communication, allowing people to connect in immersive and interactive ways. This has led to the emergence of the metaverse, a collective virtual shared space where people can visit and engage with each other in real-time.
SpaceForm is the ‘metaverse for the built environment’. Customised and optimised for architecture, real estate and engineering workflows, SpaceForm improves and speeds up decision making by immersing groups of stakeholders together in the same virtual space. With SpaceForm, developers can create fully customisable, immersive experiences for events, launches and to aid the letting of buildings and places through virtual tours and sales and marketing suites.
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As developers and agents look for new ways to reach potential tenants, the metaverse offers an exciting new opportunity as a sales and marketing platform. Schemes such as The Spiral at Hudson Yards in New York signed up their anchor tenant using a VR experience and virtual tour inside the spaces and offices long before they were built. SpaceForm, together with Squint/Opera, created a tour through the history and context of the site, spanning through the park and into one of the upper floors of The Spiral building, for a true real-life experience of what it would become, with the flexibility to see the view from any of the floors. Through this innovative and unique marketing tool, Tishman Speyer were able to secure a multi-million-dollar contract with Pfizer - who call the offices home in the heart of the big apple.
The metaverse is a vast and diverse landscape that offers a range of virtual spaces and experiences that can be customised and branded to suit individual businesses and their target audiences. Virtual showrooms, product demos, and interactive experiences that allow customers to try products and services before they buy are all being tried and tested globally, across industries. Over in the fashion world, luxury brand Gucci has conducted multiple brand activations in the metaverse. They released an exclusive pair of digital sneakers available to try and buy within the metaverse, as well as drawing 20 million visitors in two weeks when it launched a metaverse version of its real-world Gucci Garden on Roblox, allowing users to purchase digital pieces while mingling with other fashion fanatics in the area.
Closer to home, London-based Developers Clivedale London are bringing their new offices at 20 Carlton House Terrace to life in SpaceForm, creating a collaborative virtual sales platform that will aid the letting of this new space.
SpaceForm creates a sense of immersion within the building, which is currently being built, with the ability to walk around a branded marketing suite and view information within a room centred around an interactive model. Potential businesses interested in occupying the new offices will here view sections of the building and a view of each floor and its external spaces, as well as more intricate detail such as the light impact per room, depending on the season and time of day, and the views out from various spaces.
One of the main advantages of using the metaverse as a sales and letting platform is its ability to reach a wide audience. Virtual spaces are not limited by physical location or time. If a building is still being built, SpaceForm allows a presence in the metaverse that is accessible to anyone with an internet connection at whatever development stage, and wherever they may be.
Another benefit of the metaverse within the built environment industry is the ability to create personalised and customised experiences for clients and occupants. With virtual and augmented reality technologies, developers can create tailored experiences that cater to the specific needs and preferences of individual customers – for example interchangeable office floor fit outs, or the ability to imagine a space occupied by tenants before it can be. By creating branded virtual experiences and metaverse events, developers and letting agents can also generate buzz and excitement around the opening of a new development, engaging with and welcoming new tenants in innovative ways before they are able to occupy a space.
As the metaverse continues to evolve and expand, it offers developers an exciting opportunity to connect with clients and tenants alike in new and pioneering ways. By leveraging collaborative virtual media tools such as SpaceForm, and creating personalised and engaging built environments, developers will continue to build on a loyal client base, that ultimately will drive sales and revenue growth.
