LEGO® Announces BIG Commission
It’s official! Danish architect Bjarke Ingels of BIG has been commissioned to collaborate with Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA) and COWI to design the first public LEGO® museum in the company’s hometown of Billund, Denmark. The “LEGO® Brand House” and “experience centre” is intended to compliment the non-public “LEGO® Idea House”, which is also located in Billund.
Bjarke Ingles, founder of BIG stated: “It’s going to be looking at LEGO® from all its different aspects—LEGO® as an art form, its cultural impact. When we were doing the research for it [the LEGO® house], we realized, if you would consider it just an art museum, you would be able to fill it with so much user content of such a high quality…it is one of our great dreams at BIG that we are now able to design a building for and with the LEGO® group. I owe a huge personal debt to the LEGO® brick, and I can see in my nephews that its role in developing the child as a creative, thinking, imaginative human being becomes ever stronger in a world in which creativity and innovation are key elements in virtually all aspects of society.”
More on LEGO®’s BIG commission after the break…
LEGO® Architecture Landmark Series: The Imperial Hotel
LEGO® aficionados, the wait is over. LEGO® has announced the details of their first edition to the 2013 Architecture series! Who better to kick off the new year than LEGO® Architecture staple Frank Lloyd Wright with his Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
The most celebrated of Wright’s six Japanese buildings, the Imperial Hotel was designed in the, then very chic, Mayan Revival style and constructed largely of stone and reinforced concrete. It was lauded for having survived a sizable earthquake shortly after its opening, however in reality portions of the building sunk leaving residents navigating its wobbly corridors. Eventually it was decided to completely demolish the building in 1968 to make way for the high-rise building that stands on the site today.
But fret not, now instead bemoaning the loss of one of Wright’s great works, for between $90-$100, big kids and little architects can reinstate this landmark building on their very own living room floor with 1,188 glossy miniature blocks.
More photos after the break…
Win Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye from LEGO® Architecture
Last night, ArchDaily indulged in building our very own LEGO® Architecture Villa Savoye. As one of the most influential buildings in the International style of architecture, it is no surprise that architecture and LEGO fanatics rejoiced last month when LEGO® announced Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye as the newest addition to their architecture series. Now, thanks to LEGO® Architecture, five of our readers will win their very own.
We want to know what building should be the next in the LEGO® Architecture series and why. All you have to do is become a registered user at ArchDaily and leave us your answer in the comments below by Sunday, September 23rd! (More information on LEGO® Architecture’s Villa Savoye, designed by architectural artist Michael Hepp, can be found here.)
Official rules:
The five winners will be chosen at random from entries received between Monday, September 17th and Sunday, September 23rd 11:59 EST. You must leave a comment as a registered user at ArchDaily. Open to anyone in the world. One entry per person. ArchDaily will enforce verification and remove duplicated ones before choosing the winner.
Good luck!
UPDATE: And, the winners are….
- Seth Ellsworth
- Wonyeop Seok
- Daniel Bollard
- Makoto Shibuya
- Mark Kitchens
Congrats! You can expect an email from us shortly.
LEGO® Architecture Landmark Series: Villa Savoye
LEGO® has just announced the newest classic building to join the collection of renowned architectural replicas in their Architecture series, the Villa Savoye, designed by Le Corbusier. Capturing the essence of the modernist villa, the small scale replica also makes sure to touch on Corbusier’s well-known ‘five points’. One of the most easily recognizable and renowned examples of the International style, the LEGO version will be available September 1 at a suggested price of $69.99.
Lying on the outskirts of Paris, France, Villa Savoye was designed as a private country house in 1931 and quickly became one of the most influential buildings and cemented Le Corbusier’s reputation as one of the most important architects of the 20th century. More images after the break.
Venice Biennale 2012: ‘Freeland’ and ‘Porous City’ / MVRDV + the why factory
By invitation of Director David Chipperfield, MVRDV and The Why Factory will participate in the 2012 Venice Biennale. The main contribution consists of the collaborative project ‘Freeland’ forming part of the single exhibition in the Central Pavilion at the Giardini. Further contribution is made by Winy Maas and The Why Factory with ‘Porous City’ to the EU CITY Program, initiated by the European Forum for Architectural Policies (EFAP) representing Europe for the first time at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
More details on the two exhibitions after the break.
Video: The Story of Lego®
As we reported yesterday, the LEGO Group, the company responsible for everyone’s favorite LEGO bricks, just turned 80. We’ve often talked about LEGO’s major impact on young architects’ development, but few are aware of architecture’s influence on LEGO… so we thought we’d keep the LEGO celebrations going by sharing this cute (if unabashedly cheesy) video on the birth of LEGO.
If the intro about wooden toys doesn’t tickle your fancy, get right to the plastic bricks by skipping forward to 08:20.
Story via LEGO.com
LEGO Turns 80, Remains Architecturally Awesome
“Legos were the ultimate building tool, capable of making the most advanced space ships, powerful vehicles, impressive buildings, and incredible cities. As a child, everyone I knew loved Legos, and this never seemed to change. In high school, whenever a conversation with friends happened to shift upon Legos, everyone would gleefully reminisce about their days making fantastic structures out of those awesome little building blocks. [...] No doubt Legos played a supporting role in my growth in appreciation for architecture.” - Architect Albert Lam, in a Blog post for the LPA
When you ask architects what inspired them, almost all (according to one study, 99%) can trace the calling back to the same, simple origin: playing with their LEGO bricks.
The LEGO Group, which turns 80 today, can boast that there are approximately 62 LEGO bricks for ever person on earth. However, it wasn’t until 1958, when the newly-plastic LEGO bricks incorporated the classic knob-and-tube-connecting-system, that they overtook the Froebel block (Frank Lloyd Wright’s toy of choice) to become the massively popular architectural inspiration they are today.
But while the influence of LEGO on architects may be self-evident, not many know about Architecture’s contribution to LEGO. In fact, only through the lens of Architecture, can you truly understand why LEGO merits its bold moniker as “The Toy of the Century.”
Find out Architecture & LEGOs unlikely relationship, after the break…
Olympic Park replica made from LEGOs
With a quarter million LEGO bricks and 300 hours of finger intensive labor, Warren Elsmore and his wife constructed a mini replica of the 2012 Olympic Park in London. As Gizmodo reports, the model weighs about 80kg and would cost around $300,000 to build for scratch!
The miniature world is complete with Anish Kapoor’s Orbit, Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre, Wilkinson Eyre Architects’ Basketball Arena, Hopkins Architects’ Velodrome, and Populous’ Olympic Stadium.
Continue after the break for a time-lapse video and more images.
LEGOs Hack Bridge in Germany
Architects love LEGOs, this is a well-known fact. So what could be better than a real-life bridge made out of the colorful toys themselves?
Unfortunately, of course, the LEGOs are actually an optical illusion designed by street artist Martin Heuwold of MEGX - but that doesn’t make the project look any less awesome. The bridge, painted last fall, is part of an Urban renewal project in the city of Wuppertal meant “to reinvigorate the city and increase residents’ quality of life.” The High Line-style bridge is actually part of a larger 10-mile cycle path being built on what was once the city’s Northern Railway.
More pics of the LEGO Bridge, as well as a LEGO forest & a real-life Monopoly board on the streets of Chicago, after the break…
World’s Tallest LEGO Tower Constructed in Seoul
In celebration of LEG0’s 80th birthday, Danish Crown Prince Frederik unveiled the world’s largest LEGO tower in South Korea last week. Nearly 4,000 children stacked 50,000 bricks in five days to help build the 105-foot-tall tower in front of Seoul’s Olympic Stadium. The structure surpassed the previous records set last year in France at 103-feet and in Brazil at 102-feet. As reported by The Daily Mail, the record has been broken more than 30 times since the first LEGO tower was constructed in London in 1988 at a height of less than 50-feet.
Reference: The Huffington Post, The Daily Mail
LEGO Architecture Landmark Series: Sungnyemun
LEGO has unveiled their latest model in the Architecture Landmark series: the Gate of Exalted Ceremonies in Seoul, better known as the Sungnyemun.
Sungnyemun is the series first Asian landmark and one of the most complete examples of Joseon Dynasty architecture. Standing in the heart of Seoul since 1398, Sungnyemun was once one of three major gateways through Seoul’s historic city walls. It is listed first among the National Treasure of South Korea.
Sungnyemun is the fifteenth model in the LEGO® Architecture series, which uses the LEGO brick to interpret the designs of iconic architecture around the world.
LEGO Architecture Landmark Series: Big Ben
We are only 100 days away from the 2012 London Olympics, and LEGO has announced the release of their latest model in the Architecture Landmark series: The Big Ben.
The Big Ben, officially known as the Clock Tower, is one of the UK’s most recognizable buildings and a global symbol of Victorian London and the Gothic Revival style. It was designed by the unlikely team of Classical architect Charles Barry and Gothic Revival pioneer Augustus Pugin and completed in 1859.
Big Ben is the fourteenth model in the LEGO Architecture range, which uses the LEGO brick to interpret the designs of iconic architecture around the world. It is the first model to be designed by Rok Zgalin Kobe from Slovenia who joins Adam Reed-Tucker as a LEGO architect.
The Free Universal Construction Kit
The Free Universal Construction Kit offers adapters between Lego®, Duplo®, Fischertechnik®, Gears! Gears! Gears!®, K’Nex®, Krinkles®, Bristle Blocks®, Lincoln Logs®, Tinkertoys®, Zome®, ZomeTool® and Zoob®. Adapters can be downloaded from Thingiverse.com and other sharing sites as a set of 3D models in .STL format, suitable for reproduction by personal manufacturing devices like the Makerbot (an inexpensive, open-source 3D printer).
While we are at it, don’t forget to try and win Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House from LEGO® Architecture! The giveaway closes Sunday, March 25th at 11:59 EST.
Win Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House from LEGO® Architecture
We announced last month that the LEGO® Architecture series will now include Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House, the 12th building in this popular series. Thanks to LEGO® Architecture, four of our readers will win a LEGO® Architecture Sydney Opera House.
We want to know what building should be the next in the LEGO® Architecture series and why. All you have to do is become a registered user at ArchDaily and leave us your answer in the comments below by Sunday, March 25th! (More images of LEGO® Architecture’s Sydney Opera House, designed by architectural artist Adam Reed Tucker, can be found here.)
Official rules:
Four winners will be chosen at random from entries received between Monday, March 19th and Sunday, March 25th 11:59 EST. You must leave a comment as a registered user at ArchDaily. Open to anyone in the world. One entry per person. ArchDaily will enforce verification and remove duplicated ones before choosing the winner.
Good luck!
Update: And the winners are…
Matthew Doll
Kerilyn Tacconi
Alex Lowe
Jesse Nguyen
Help Decide the Next LEGO Architecture Model: Vote Now!
Help choose which architectural masterpiece will become the next LEGO® Architecture model. The numbers are close! Top nominees include the classic Rietveld Schröder House (Utrecht) by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld, The MAXXI (Rome) by Zaha Hadid, The Ennis House (Los Angeles) by Frank Lloyd Wright and Nakagin Capsule Tower (Tokyo) by Kisho Kurokawa. Cast your votes HERE and tell us which building is your favorite!
LEGO® Architecture Series: Sydney Opera House by Jørn Utzon
LEGO® has just announced the newest building in their Architecture series, the iconic Sydney Opera House designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon.
Sydney Opera House is not only a building with great beauty but it has also become known throughout the world as a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country.
The LEGO version of the Sydney Opera House seeks to capture the essence of this grand building in a small scale. Like the other models in the series it was created by Adam Reed-Tucker.
The set will be available in stores on March 1st at a suggested price of $39.99. More images after the break:
You Decide the Next LEGO Architecture Model: Vote Now!
Help choose which architectural masterpiece will become the next LEGO® Architecture model. The top nominees include Moshe Safdie’s prefabricated Montreal residential complex Habitat 67, London’s second tallest building known as ‘The Gherkin‘ by Foster & Partners and the famous Taiwanese high-rise Taipei 101. Cast your votes HERE and tell us which building is your favorite!
Exhibition: Open the Tower
Our friends from the Iceland Design Centre Blog shared with us this interesting news. Open the Tower exhibits 676 models in a scale of 1:1000 designed by Eurohigh. The project was led by architect Winy Maas, Alexander Sverdlov and Ania Molenda of The Why Factory in collaboration with KRADS and supported by Lego and Arup.
The exhibition is the result of a 2-month-long research period on the ultimate European skyscraper, and the models are presented in a grid of 26 linear iterations. This exhibition is on display at the Tu Delft Faculty of Architecture. This work will continue until January 2012 and it will be in continous exhibition until February 2012.
More images after the break. Original article: http://blog.icelanddesign.is/krads-open-the-tower/.
UPDATED: Win Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House from LEGO Architecture
We announced at the beginning of this month that the LEGO® Architecture series will now include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the 10th building in this popular series. We asked you to stay tuned to ArchDaily for an exclusive surprise about the LEGO® Architecture Robie House just for our readers, and that time has come. (More images of LEGO® Architecture’s Robie House, designed by architectural artist Adam Reed Tucker, can be found here.)
Thanks to LEGO® Architecture, one of our readers can win a LEGO® Architecture Robie House. We want to know what building should be the next in the LEGO® Architecture series and why. All you have to do is become a registered user at ArchDaily and leave us your answer in the comments below by Sunday, September 25th!
Official rules:
One winner will be chosen at random from entries received between Monday, September 19th and Sunday, September 25th 11:59 EST. You must leave a comment as a registered user at ArchDaily. Open to anyone in the world. One entry per person, ArchDaily will enforce verification and remove duplicated ones before choosing the winner.
Update: Given the high amount of submissions we will be giving away 5 kits this time. And the winners are:
Kris Conner
Megan Kindle
Steve May
Grant Anderson
Pier Paolo Pala
And the newest addition to LEGO Architecture is…Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House
On September 1st LEGO® Architecture series will now include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. The 10th addition to the popular series, which also includes Wright’s Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Robie House was one of the first properties to be declared a National Historic Landmark because of its architectural merit. The American Institute of Architects also listed the Chicago home as one of the 10 most significant structures of the 20th century.
Stay tuned to ArchDaily as we are going to have an exclusive surprise about the LEGO® Architecture Robie House just for our readers. More images of LEGO® Architecture’s Robie House, designed by architectural artist Adam Reed Tucker, following the break.
You can find it on Amazon for $199.
Classic Architectural Icons Reinterpreted in Lego
Do you remember playing with Lego as a child? Recently the firms Atmos Studio, Make, Foster + Partners, AOC, Adjaye Associates, FAT and DSDHA took some time out from designing real buildings to create their own interpretation of some of the world’s most notable architectural icons in the form of Lego for an Icon Eye initiative.
