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.

In this giant castle, every little detail is beautiful

Whether made out of real-life bricks or LEGO bricks, castle walls can be as simple as bricks stacked one on top of the other. However, some real castles have detailed walls, as does this LEGO castle by amenk sachio. The combination of sloped and arched grey bricks make the giant stone walls appear as if they were designed to be part of the finest renaissance château.

Particularly cunning is the use of socket joints to create arches: the wider end makes them naturally curve when stacked – an effect utilized here to great success. On top of the fine masonry, this castle is adroitly adorned with golden embellishments, with plant, animal, and weapon pieces used to create architectural details. My favourite detail of all is the repeated use of Witch-King crowns throughout, tying the entire fortress together.

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Building good fortune on a rainy day

In many Asian cultures, koi ponds symbolize luck, good fortune, and abundance. They also tend to represent courage and perseverance. Perhaps that’s why, even with the abundance of rain, this geisha isn’t afraid of her makeup running!

Banter aside, this expertly photographed build by Architeclego is stunning. I personally find heavy rain beautiful and almost calming. From inside, its enveloping, rhythmic drone is even cozy. This is one of those picture that provokes those feelings.

While the photography in itself is compelling, the build is not to be overlooked! I’m a fan of the layout and recessed pool, and I especially like the inversion of the arch bricks for the roof. We certainly hope to see many more pieces of art like this in the future.

Take a stroll down a stunning brick-built street

For a Western audience, this collection of buildings by 磊耿 is a striking break from the more familiar architecture usually seen in a LEGO street scene, with a wonderful variety of styles. But regardless of where you’re from, you’re bound to be impressed by the sheer quality of the building work on display. Pagoda roofs vie with castle spires for attention, and “big” certainly doesn’t mean bland, with an impressive depth of texture and interesting colour schemes across all the structures.

See more images of these beautiful buildings

A bit of the southwest with a charming LEGO adobe home

TBB alumn Nannan Zhang wanted to do something different from not only his usual fantasy stylings, but also unique from most LEGO architectural models. That led him to try his hand at this modern adobe home, inspired by a mix of streamline art deco and the southwestern United States. The home’s smoothly plastered walls and curved lines may look simple, but don’t be fooled because this takes some real skill.

The back looks just as good as Nannan utilizes a wide variety of curved elements to mold the tan trim lines around the windows and make the iconic rounded wall corners. There’s plenty of great details to take in, too. My personal favorite is the chile ristras which hang next to the doors. They’re instantly recognizable, and something I’ve never seen done with LEGO before. The potted cacti made with green gears are just perfect, too.

Stately castle lodgings for a weary traveler

I’m a sucker for the stories behind builds. I’m also one for nicely cut lines and color choice in architecture. This build by Brother Steven displays all of those traits. Although we’ve seen it done before, the journal of an adventurer chronicled in LEGO is a fascinating concept, and done well by Steven. This particular creation is part of a series of builds, all following “Zenas Abbington” as the hero. There are so many lovely aspects to the castle: the round base, the shape of the towers, the pearl gold carriage wheel in the windows, and the accents on the front door. Let’s not forget how adorable those sheep are too!

And the flip-side is just as pretty! That tree is magnificent, with its color and angled branches. I’m also a big fan of the underside of those mushrooms! It’s no wonder that this, coupled with a few other creations, won a “Brickee” at BrickFair Alabama 2019!

Some of the details of this build are reminiscent of other creations from Steven’s magical world, such as this floating castle we featured last year.

Celebrating the off-centre

Over the last year Roanoke Handybuck has built something of a reputation for his wonky building style. Celebrating the shapes and forms of the medieval period he focuses on capturing the way wooden beams bend and walls subside. In this latest model, titled Eldford Market, he demonstrates in a tiny 16 x 16 baseplate all the LEGO techniques synonymous with his work. Everywhere you look, bricks are matched irregularly or held at off-centre angles, whether it’s in the cobbled street or as part of the weathered tower. The icing on the cake, though, has to be the way the upper floor of the main building tilts elegantly into its neighbouring sloped roof – brilliant!

A wheely great tower

Builder Sarah Beyer built this model for one of New Elementary’s fantastic parts exploration articles, which challenge builders to use newly released LEGO elements in interesting ways. The microscale tower employs the hubcap element from the James Bond Aston Martin DB5. The center stud allows the parts to be stacked neatly, and the edges of the spokes bring a fascinating texture that implies intricate detail on each level of the tower. It’s a great reminder to break outside the box of using LEGO elements for their intended purposes.

Set your sights on this Scandinavian sea house

Certain builders have a distinct flavor running through their models, certain ingredients that make every build a masterpiece. Sarah Beyer is one of those crafty LEGO creators who I’m really starting to enjoy for the tranquility imbued in each of her models. Take a look back at her Lilium eco-house, the Vanilla House, or even the Jungle Cottage: there’s a clean simplicity in the homes she’s built, and a bit of a running theme of how each unique abode is connected to the natural environment it’s been built in. Now, compare her previous models to her latest production, a Scandinavian retreat by the sea.

See more of this beautiful Scandinavian home

See Manhattan as you’ve never seen it before with this incredible LEGO model

LEGO Certified Professional Ryan McNaught sure knows how to make an impression with LEGO bricks. For the centerpiece of his current exhibition, titled Brickman Cities, Ryan designed this stunning replica of Lower Manhattan, which utilizes LEGO in a way we’ve never seen before.

Constructed of more than 210,000 entirely white bricks, the 1:600-scale city is incredibly accurate. Continue reading →

Wake up and smell the coffee

Nothing starts the day off better than a good cup of joe, and where better to get your caffeine hit than at Andy’s Café. Built by Norton 74, this coffee stand boasts a beautiful retro modernist design, with an elegant curved façade, bustling terrace and funky coffee cup signage. The iconic ‘we’re here’ arrow makes sure you don’t pass this one by.

The interior is a barista’s paradise, overflowing with coffee grinders, an espresso machine, sprinkles, syrups and pastries. In amongst it all are some lovely LEGO techniques: simple touches like the placement of white cones on single studs to suggest stacked cups. Continue reading →

A LEGO kitchen fit for a cookbook cover

Is it harder to build something purely from scratch, or based off of something already in existence? Having done both myself, I honestly can’t decide. Sometimes making LEGO resemble life-size objects is really tough. But it doesn’t seem to have been much of a challenge for Timofey Tkachev! This beautiful LEGO kitchen is based off a real one that is virtually identical. Of course, the real one does not include a human-sized penguin and a few other hidden gems.

Timofey is an incredible artist. We’ve featured many of his builds, but one of my favorites is the terrifying and thought-provoking representation of our oil consumption. Another, much lighter favorite, is his adorable and clever cockatoo. You can also learn more about him by reading more in our interview with him.

“Let your light shine” with UC’s Koenig Alumni Center

Do you call the University of Colorado Boulder (UC) your alma mater? If so, you might recognize this LEGO version of the Koenig Alumni Center, built by Imagine Rigney as a permanent display at the center. The Alumni Center hosts events like graduation ceremonies, weddings, retreats, and memorial services. Imagine Rigney did extensive research, using original photographs and blueprints to guide his build. The finished product looks both lively and colorful, packed full of fun details for CU alumni to enjoy.

See more details of this LEGO model of the Koenig Alumni Center