technology

The metaverse will not replace the human-centric nature of physical hospitality and design. This is the overarching message from episode 30 of DESIGN POD. The design and architecture podcast, sponsored by Geberit and fuelled by progressive conversations, entered uncharted territory when it welcomed Dubai-based interior designer Pallavi Dean as a special guest to explore design’s role in the metaverse.

Dean, who when this episode was recorded had purchased four plots in the metaverse, is among a cluster of designers who are exploring how a connected virtual universe can allow brands to explore new facets of their personalities in a safe space where there is no such thing as coordinates, timezones or gravity for that matter.

Listen to the full episode here:

The special episode of DESIGN POD touches on what designers should consider when purchasing and designing property in the metaverse, from crypto wallets to accepting virtual commodities. Beyond the practical elements of entering this new chapter where technology and hospitality collide, the episode also futuregazes towards the idea of guidelines and rules – like building regulations, for example – reflected in virtual worlds.

Throwing it back to concepts we have come to understand, the episode also explores how the theory of the ‘democratisation of everything’ – first discussed with technology expert Jason Bradbury on an early episode of DESIGN POD that, in simple terms, suggests that social media and technology is allowing everyone to have a platform – will evolve outside the world we recognise today.

Taking the VR headset off for a minute, Kilburn and Dean also discuss how Roar has evolved since 2013, discussing some of the milestone projects the interior designer has undertaken in the real world, and why Architectural Digest described it as, ‘one of the hottest boutique design companies in the UAE’.

> Since you’re here, why not read about the panel discussion on the metaverse from HIX 2022?

Main image credit: DESIGN POD