A noteworthy development in the expanding field of digital architecture as Grimshaw has been tapped to design their first-ever blockchain project for the forthcoming metaverse platform pax.world.

The endeavor will be the first of four ‘Metaserai’ metaverses that take their name from ancient trade-friendly roadside inns called Caravanserai which carry a symbolic significance to the platform’s digital commerce-oriented mission. In the quest for further development of its nascent 20,000-parcel footprint, pax.world will lean on Grimshaw’s long-established history of working on design’s cutting edge to attract prospective buyers as it begins the initial sale of land parcels ahead of an official public launch set for later this summer.

“From our founding, Grimshaw has led the design and architecture industry in the development of buildings that are adaptable, consider change, flexibility of use, and sustainable principles to extend their life and use,” Grimshaw Chairman Andrew Whalley said of the chance to design in this digital realm. 

“The emerging virtual world — the metaverse — provides us an opportunity to extend and expand this thinking, and the invitation to design a metaserai within pax.world is an opportunity for us to further understand the perception of spaces in architecture and their life beyond the physical world.”

The firm’s contribution will be unbound by previous earthly restraints like building physics and incorporate to a certain degree the lessons learned by team members attuned to both office design issues and the rise in crypto-funded digital worlds during the turbulent past two years.