Tag Archives: Architecture

LEGO provides the perfect medium for recreating the buildings and landmarks of the world — LEGO has even released a line of official LEGO Architecture sets. Check out our coverage of the official sets, and don’t miss all the gorgeous architectural models created by LEGO fans from around the world.

Monster murals under a microscale urban jungle

Architects of tomorrow see solutions to many problems facing society today and modern concrete jungles often lack the greenery that people need to escape. One solution exemplified here in the sixth microscale architectural model by builder F@bz is elevated green spaces and this one seems to be thriving. The bright green vines lifted from Friends sets and the myriad of leaf pieces create overgrown foliage that contrasts the dark grey, tan, and black of the city structure below.

The slanted supports for the sky park give way to exposed bits of railway leading out from underpasses and tunnels through the metropolis. Thankfully, the dark colors of the city are accented by playful bits of graffiti achieved by using various printed bricks. The expressions and colors that F@bz used for the art work well with the textures of the walls. Tiny details of brown and sand yellow make up the area around the lower train tracks with bright red fencing along one side and a smaller guard wall at the base of the graffiti wall. The little trains work wonderfully with the scene. I wish I could sit back in one of the top seats and take in the view of the rising cityscape above me.

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A mountain sanctuary as big as a mountain

After a long journey, two weary travelers have finally set their eyes on their destination – and what a destination it is. Builder Joe (jnj_bricks) is no stranger to working with effective forced perspective, and this time he’s delivered such a large model that it’s hard to fathom it isn’t actually to scale with the minifigures in the foreground. But this amazing build has more going for it than size alone. The lighting of the scene is incredible, and the mountain sanctuary looks suitably carved from the rocks that surround it. The pillars and arches offer enough variety to keep your eye entertained, while repeating enough shapes to make the location feel cohesive. But I think my favorite detail is the two streams of water falling in the background. The layering of trans-clear plates and tiles to create arcs of water falling off of and away from the cliff is in an incredibly clever touch that adds to the model’s overall feeling of realism.

Microscale city scene mixes traditional architecture with fantastical flair

Whenever I come across a scene by Jeff Friesen I’m amazed at his uncanny ability to create such interesting stories in such a small space. His models are a wonderful blend of seemingly simple techniques combined with the perfect color combinations. In this scene depicting a sky train station with a cruise ship port, the addition of the floating tower in the foreground is such a whimsical detail. And the arches continuing through the build perfectly divide the lower level details from the upper. Gold parts are used throughout the scene for just a splash of sparkle.

There’s not a cloud in the sky…

Well, okay, there’s that pesky mushroom cloud off in the distance. But that’s not going to put a damper on our day, is it gang? Paul Hetherington has delivered a payload of nostalgia with this look at idyllic family life in an era when the worry of nuclear annihilation was as ever-present a threat as a neighborhood HOA violation. Paul says he was inspired for this LEGO creation by the style magazine Atomic Ranch, which focuses on Mid-Century style. And it shows. From the car in the driveway, to the architecture of the home, and even the furnishings inside, Paul has captured a snapshot of the era beautifully.

Click here to take a closer look!

Ancient garage door pillars

This creation by Eli Willsea may or may not be inspired by the LEGO 10276 Colosseum. They are similar when it comes to architecture, color scheme, the lovely foliage and last but not least, columns! The columns in Eli’s creation are made of garage doors. There are three orders of Greek architecture (Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian). To these the Romans the Tuscan and the Composite. Since these columns look quite simple my guess is they are either Doric or Tuscan. Next to the exquisite part usage on the columns, the color scheme of this creation is quite remarkable. Most of the colors are earthy tones except for the yellow tree foliage which really pops!

Rocco Buttliere builds 1st-century Jerusalem in microscale from 114,000 LEGO bricks

Master LEGO architect Rocco Buttliere is no stranger to recreating massive landmarks in LEGO form. In the past he’s built Mount Rushmore, Vatican City, and even ancient Rome. But now he’s managed to top himself with what may be his largest project to date, a 1:650 scale city of Jerusalem as it appeared in the first century. Consisting of 114,000 pieces, this massive LEGO build is the result of over 500 hours of design time and 400 hours of build time.

This is a work you could truly get lost in, so let’s dive right into the details, starting with the Second Temple on Temple Mount in the center of the city.

Click through for a guided tour of some of the city’s highlights

Living atop the wave-worn coastal rocks

Grant Davis never ceases to inspire with his exceptional LEGO creations. This adorable cottage is far from some craggy shack. The color combos and shape set the stage for visions of a quaint ocean hideaway. But it’s tough to decide if the best details come from the sand blue spoilers used for clapboard siding, or the magnificent rocky outcropping upon which it sits. The seamless transition from the smooth boulder foundation to the building is excellent. One can also appreciate the conical hat used as a barrel lid, and skates used as door handles.

While you’re here you should check out some of Grant’s other work. Also, take a peek at some other excellent cottages and all sorts of landscape techniques.

A study worth studying

One of my guilty pleasures is spending too much time on Zillow. I’m not really looking to buy a home, I’m just curious about what they look like inside. But if I was browsing the site and saw anything as modern and cozy as this build by Grant Davis, I might start trying to convince my wife we need to move. The modern stairway grabs your immediate attention, but there’s so much here to love, from the beautiful bay window to the hardwood floors (look closely, they’re not just long tiles). And that steamboat on the top shelf cleverly uses sideways radiator grilles for its windows. I hope the steamboat comes with the house, because I’m ready to make an offer on this place.

Jazz to your next trip to the bank

This latest creation by Andrew Tate brings some 1920s style to a staple modular of any LEGO city. Standing at four stories tall and topped with a clock tower, Andrew’s Art Deco bank has both the perfect color scheme and expertly designed architectural details. The light bluish gray concrete facade flaunts a variety of textures and geometric patterns, ranging from your standard 1×2 grille and log bricks to 1×1 pyramids and angled tiles. The use of SNOT with tiles achieves a sturdy look fit for a bank, while techniques like the slightly offset dark green cheese slope detailing and gold accents around the windows break that monotony.

Click here to see get a closer look at the details of this Art Deco beauty

It was a lovely day in paradise, but it was about to go horribly wrong

If you live in the oasis city of Kaligem, safe behind the sturdy walls, nestled among white towers and golden spires you might count yourself fortunate. But your good fortune is coming to a swift end in this scene by Andreas Lenander which depicts the final moments of a city that has brought down the wrath of the gods in the form of a giant wall of sand that would give the Coriolis storms of Arrakis a run for its money.

I hate sleeping in hotels!

I’ve met a few people who prefer staying at hotels to being in their own house and bed, but they seem to be a strange minority. I mean, who really wants to sleep in a bed where the night before some strangers did something not fit to be described in an upright publication, rather than their own comfortable and familiar bed back home? Eww! Anyways, my own stays at hotels have never been as bad as the terrified LEGO minifigure’s night in this build by Jarek Książczyk. If I saw an eerily-lit giant hand outside the window of my Marriott room, I’d be huddled on the bed, too.

Jarek has captured everything one would expect to see in a hotel room, down to the horrid vertically striped beige wall paper, but then you see that there’s a piano in the corner. What hotel has a piano in the rooms? None that I know of. So perhaps this isn’t a hotel after all, but the minifigure’s own comfortable and familiar bed…in which case I might go stay in a hotel. Even soiled bed linens would be better than that hand. Then again, maybe it was just a nightmare. Things do look much brighter in the morning light.

A miniature modernist maze

Monochrome geometric shapes descending into infinity – this is the only way to describe Simon Liu’s amazing “Hexahedral” LEGO model which can also be referred to as “Cube City”. Surely it is an interesting architectural concept, the model itself reminds me of drawings done by M.C. Escher, with all of its interesting perspectives, spaces, nooks and crannies.

The visible city portion of the build is divided into cubicle-like zones each containing various buildings and houses, these are mostly rendered using 1×1 modified headlight bricks topped with either a double or pyramid 1×1 slope – all in light grey. Various other small pieces including a ton of 1×1 tiles, ingots, 1×2 grilles, levers, and other modified 1×1 pieces are included to create intricate designs and spaces within the cubicle zones. Any area that has not been carved into this slab of stone-colored brick is plated with 1×1 tiles in a minesweeper-like grid. This build is just wonderful to look at especially with the visual contrast Simon creates between empty space and grey plastic.