LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition / Adam Reed Tucker

Jul 2010

By Karen Cilento — Filed under: Architecture News ,Exhibition , Adam Reed Tucker, LEGO, National Building Museum, Washington DC

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LEGO Architecture Towering Ambition / Adam Reed Tucker

Growing up, LEGO were a staple of most children’s playtime activities to create anything from a house to an entire city for hours at a time. The blocks were so captivating that it seems that even as we outgrow our childhood years, we can never outgrow the toys. Previously, we’ve featured projects that have shown James May’s LEGO addiction…his actual house is built from LEGOs! Yet, May isn’t the only one to still show an interest in the children toys – architect Adam Reed Tucker has created 15 large scale buildings from around the world just using the blocks. The buildings are the focal point of the exhibition LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

More about Tucker after the break.

Certified as a LEGO Professional (only 11 exist worldwide) and a LEGO Architectural Artist, Tucker began experimenting with LEGOs as an artistic medium years ago when he created Brickstructures, Inc and began developing his Artitecture™ concept as a way to join art and architecture. By using a recognizable medium, his creations attract all different types of people, begging them to take a closer look. The blocks are the perfect tool to explain the complexities of the towers in a simple and understandable way.

“As an artist’s medium, The LEGO brick is not initially thought of as a material typically used in creating art. But as an Architectural Artist, it lends itself perfectly to my applications just as paint to a painter or metal to a blacksmith. I first and foremost do not view my models as literal replicas, but rather artistic interpretations that capture the essence of their sculptural form,” explained Tucker on his website.

Lego Architecture St. Louis Arch, Transamerica Building

St. Louis Arch, Transamerica Building © Flickr uploader absentmindedprof

Even better than viewing Tucker’s impressive LEGO masterpieces is the second part of the exhibit where visitors get to make their own LEGO creation. The idea is that people will be inspired by Tucker’s work – such as the large scale Empire State Building, the St. Louis’ Gateway Arch and Fallingwater – and the blocks will give people the opportunity to let their inner architect/engineer/designer free as they create their own models.

Check here for ticket information.

Photos from Flickr, credit as noted: Kim Baker, Brian Mosley and Absentmindedprof.

Cite:
Cilento , Karen . "LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition / Adam Reed Tucker" 26 Jul 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 09 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/70333>

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H. Roark says:

Sorry to be a pedant but its just Lego, never “Legos”.

# July 26, 2010 at 16:25

aufi says:

i wonder if he can make any of hadid’s design

# July 26, 2010 at 21:55

and if so the model must be huge compared to these in order to compensate limits in lego building units

# July 26, 2010 at 21:58

Lauren says:

this was really cool. I saw the exhibit (through the windows) at the national building museum. i guess being from dc, you are so used to being able to see everything to see it. i was so bitter that i had to pay and stand in a huge line that i didnt think it was worth it. i saw all of the structure though, but not close up.

# July 28, 2010 at 10:46

12:02 PM Jul 26th

rental_watanabe 2.0

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Filip Šalindrija

RT @archdaily: LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition / Adam Reed Tucker http://archdai.ly/bne9gs #architecture

12:03 PM Jul 26th

Carlos Salamanca

amazing!! RT @archdaily LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition / Adam Reed Tucker http://archdai.ly/bne9gs #architecture

12:06 PM Jul 26th

Cibele Machado

12:09 PM Jul 26th