As we have all undoubtedly heard by now, NFTs are the latest craze – and they are everywhere! The architecture industry is no exception. Like many other creatives, architects have been getting involved in the NFT space in interesting and exciting ways. This article explores just a few examples of notable ways architects and architecture firms have started incorporating NFTs and the metaverse into their practices.
Demolition began on the iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower Building this past spring, much to the dismay of preservationists, former residents and other architecture enthusiasta. The tower, which consisted of 140 modular capsules, was considered to be “the embodiment of a bold architectural vision: that of organic growth and extreme flexibility.” Originally built in Tokyo in the 1970s and designed for its capsules to be replaced every 25 years, the tower had since fallen into disrepair necessitating demolition. Through the use of the innovative technology behind NFTs and the metaverse, however, the tower will live on. Kisho Kurokawa Architect and Associates, the studio of the tower’s original designer, and investment company Laetoli have launched a sale of two NFTs: one will give the purchaser the rights to rebuild the tower anywhere in the world and the other will give the purchaser the rights to rebuilt the tower in the metaverse. When rebuilding, buyers of the NFT with metaverse rights will have unfettered creative freedom to redesign and rebuild the tower as desired; however, the buyer of the NFT with real world rights will be required to show its intended scheme to Kisho Kurokawa Architect and Associates for approval before rebuilding. Purchasers of both NFTs will also have the right to lease or sell them to others, which would permit multiple versions of the tower to be rebuilt around the world (and the metaverse).
Well-renowned UK studio, Zaha Hadid Architects, has made headlines multiple times over the course of the past year with its various projects involving NFTs and the metaverse. Among these, is Zaha Hadid Architects’ design of a city in the metaverse, Liberland. The design concept for this metaverse city was revealed earlier this year and includes a city hall, plaza and exhibition center, among other virtual buildings, all designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is intended as a template to aid in the development of the physical Free Republic of Liberland, a 7 km2 sovereign state located between Croatia and Serbia. According to the official website of the Free Republic of Liberland, the Liberland Metaverse is designed to be a crypto hub and a virtual representation of the libertarian micronation. Purchasers of the virtual plots of land in the Liberland Metaverse will also have a stake in the virtual city.
London-based studio, PLP Architecture has teamed up with VerseProp, a metaverse property platform, to launch a collection of 5,000 NFT skyscrapers with the goal of “bridg[ing] the gap between those interested in both digital and physical real estate.” In addition to receiving the ownership rights to the animated digital skyscraper artwork associated with their NFT, each purchaser of an NFT from PLP’s collection will also receive exclusive content, which may include access to webinars, physical artwork and even the opportunity to design their own metaverse building with PLP .
These are just a few of the noteworthy NFT and metaverse projects by members of the AEC industry that have launched over the past year, but as you can see, architects, designers, architecture firms and others in the industry are not shying away from the metaverse. What exciting new NFT projects do you think will launch next? Stay tuned to Ingram’s NFT Newsroom to learn more about the latest developments in the metaverse and to keep a virtual eye out for what exciting new NFT projects the AEC industry is launching next.
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DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.
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