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Inside a bitcoin billionaire's master plan for his futuristic office and $21 million penthouse : Miniature luxury cars, holographic receptionists, and secret tunnels
Inside a bitcoin billionaire's master plan for his futuristic office and $21 million penthouse : Miniature luxury cars, holographic receptionists, and secret tunnels
Zoë BernardJun 24, 2018, 20:00 IST
Decentral
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Anthony Di Iorio made his fortune as an early adopter of hot cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ethereum.
Now, the cryptocurrency billionaire is spending some of his cash on two video game-inspired real estate projects in Toronto.
Di Iorio recently purchased two spaces in Toronto. One is a 15,000 square foot office space for his blockchain company Decentral, and the other is a three-story penthouse which will serve as both his home and an experimental private event space - and which cost him $21 million.
Di Iorio's plans for both spaces are extremely unconventional. At the office space, in particular, he's bringing a sci-fi fantasy to life with holographic receptionists, "moving walls," and secret tunnels, where remote controlled Aston Martins zoom underfoot beneath glass floors.
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Here's a glimpse of Di Iorio's vision for his futuristic office and his gorgeous new home:
Decentral's new office is located near Lake Ontario's waterfront in Toronto.
The office isn't ready yet, but we got to see some renderings of what Decentral plans for its office to look like when it's all done. When you first enter the office, you'll be greeted by a hologram receptionist and four different concealed doors.
The hologram receptionist will ask a question, and how you answer determines which door will swing open. They haven't decided yet what that question will actually be, but the company likes the idea.
One of the doors opens onto an oval boardroom with a curved TV screen, playing 3D panoramas.
Beyond the board room is the main office, which is also paneled wall-to-wall with TV screens.
"The space is going to be very white and very neutral," said Di Iorio. "We want the walls to feel like they're moving."
A sort-of secret tunnel will lead to Di Iorio's office.
Di Ioria is planning to build a conference room with glass floors, where guests can glimpse miniature remote-controlled Aston Martins zooming below. The miniature Aston Martins will be part of a remote-control car game that anyone can log on to play online, with cryptocurrency incentives as a reward.
Di Iorio is a big fan of Aston Martins. "I just bought a bunch," he said of the luxury sports car. Last month in New York, Di Iorio's company gave away two Aston Martins to two guests during a Decentral sponsored party aboard a boat.
Di Iorio says he wants the office to feel like you're inside of a video game.
Back to the present: In addition to Decentral's new office space, Di Iorio has purchased a three story penthouse inside the St. Regis Residences Toronto. Di Iorio's new home cost around $21 million.
Di Iorio says that he wants the 16,000 square foot residence to be more than just a home. "There's going to be private events here, he said. "It's going to be very experimental space with projection mapping on all the walls."
Di Iorio said his favorite part of the home is the dramatic cathedral ceiling on the top floor.
Di Iorio says that he hopes his real estate venture will bring more blockchain projects to Canada. "Buying this property means that I'm planted here longterm," said the Canadian-born founder. "Let's turn Canada and Toronto into a tech hub."
