What does the future hold? What place does emerging technology have in creativity? How can brands use it to their advantage, all while crafting a compelling and authentic customer journey IRL? It’s questions like these, among others, that are being explored at 3fivetwo—a new type of space that defies linear explanation, located at Pier 17. 

Built on the premise that collaboration, above all else, has the power to enrich lives, 3fivetwo presents a unique opportunity for brands of all sorts (think fashion, sports, beauty, travel, and even media) to tap its team of in-house tech and strategy experts to co-create the kind mind-expanding activations that seamlessly merge digital and physical spheres—and stick with visitors long after they’ve wrapped. 

To fete its recent opening, 3fivetwo is currently showcasing Future Visions, an immersive exhibit that introduces more dialogue around the futuristic themes it’s slated to explore with its brand partners in the coming months. 

Here, 3fivetwo curator, Michael Sharp explains more:

What is 3fivetwo?
3fivetwo is a space for brands to ask questions about the future. To test new products, technologies, and ideas with their customers.

What’s the concept behind it?
We wanted create a space, as a kind of sandbox, to be able to push the boundaries of what is possible at the intersection of the physical and digital. Throughout our journey, we spoke to many brands who had a similar need for a physical “safe space,” to ask questions about what the future will mean to their customers and their business. In this, we also saw an opportunity to learn in partnership and build a community of forward-focused brands, and one-of-a-kind activations.

Who designed it?
The concept was conceived by the Emerging Technologies and Insights team at Howard Hughes. We then worked with the design team at Post Company who brought our ideas to life in an incredible way. 

How do you hope people use and interact with the space?
The space was created to take visitors on a narrative and interact with physical space in a different way. It is part exhibition, part education space, part experiential retail and points to the future of all three. Visitors are encouraged to explore and interact with the space and content.

How big is it? Does it have any special features?
The space is approximately 1500-square foot, and is divided up into four distinct areas. During the initial conversation with Post Company, we described wanting to take the modularity of digital products and translate this into a physical space. The layout is all based around a grid which creates flexibility, but also order. This format also allows the layout and function to be changed quickly.

How are the physical and digital juxtaposed within the space?
We think about physical space in the same way we think about digital experiences—where a rich multimedia offering is expected, and rabbit holes are fallen into. The vision for the space, then, is to create a journey which has all the benefits of a digital experience, but in a physical space. 

What can you tell us about Future Visions?
Future Visions is an exploration of the space itself and the theme it represents. I wanted to look our relationship with the future over the millennia to set a foundation for the activations and discussions to come. I was also interested in discovering how AI could be helpful in the process of creating this kind of physical activation, so I used AI wherever I could for concepting and content creation.  

What’s in 3fivetwo’s future?
Everything within 3fivetwo was designed with an eye on the future. The plan is to continually add features and functionality to the space as technology evolves and comes online. My eventual goal is to create an AI for the space so it can begin to have meaningful conversations with visitors and help plan content and create its own future.