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.

Tlachtli: The Mesoamerican ballgame

The Mesoamerican ballgame is an ancient sport played throughout Central America starting more than three thousand years ago. While some games may have been played purely for exercise or entertainment, there is strong archaeological and historical evidence for highly ritualized games that could even end in human sacrifice for some or all of the losers. W. Navarre has captured the action of a ballgame from the Aztec era, when ballcourts included rings through which players tried to bounce the rubber ball. The builder uses forced perspective to achieve a backdrop with a stepped pyramid temple — even the blazing blue sky is built with bricks.

The microscale pyramid includes decorative elements made from cut stickers — only official LEGO stickers, of course! The cheese slopes work wonderfully for the pyramid’s steps.

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A well-planned house for a big LEGO family

Everyone can build a LEGO house, but what about a thoroughly planned one? aukbricks shares an outstanding project of a cottage featuring both a brilliant exterior and fully furnished rooms. Because of the dimensions of the LEGO bricks, building interiors in minifigure scale can be pretty challenging, but this house boasts a lot of pieces of furniture that don’t look bulky or weird.

See more photos of this gorgeous LEGO home

A skyline that fits seemlessly with your collection

There are lots of people making their own versions of the LEGO Architecture city skylines. This is especially the case with a new contest on LEGO Rebrick. One hopeful builder, Felix (saabfan2013), could certainly be a top contender with his recreation of San Francisco.

In addition to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, Felix included several other important landmarks. They are the Palace of Fine Arts, Salesforce Tower, Coit Tower, and Transamerica Pyramid. He also built an adorable row of houses with a tiny trolley car.

LEGO Architecture 21042 Statue of Liberty [Review]

The Statue of Liberty is perhaps the most recognizable American icon and has been rendered in LEGO bricks many times. From a massive version towering over the original LEGOLAND Billund to a much-sought-after collectible minifigure variant, Lady Liberty is a longstanding favorite of LEGO designers. The newest addition to the LEGO Architecture line 21042 Statue of Liberty is arguably the most complex, accurate and satisfying renditions, containing 1,685 pieces and available now for $119.99 USD.

Click to read our complete review of 21042 Statue of Liberty

Kick back and relax in this stylish loft apartment

“I would love to live there!” This was the first thought that entered my mind upon seeing this warm and welcoming loft apartment, built by Heikki M. Thanks to the iconic large open space and towering windows, this living space looks like it’s straight out of Manhattan. The composition of the entire scene is excellent, with the carpet, table and couch drawing your eyes to some impressive-looking masonry. I like how the furniture feels simple but modern, with each piece playing off of one another to form a cohesive still life. Even the portrait of Michael Jackson is well-placed; his side-turned head makes it look as if he’s admiring Heikki’s pad.

There is only one logical explanation: Aliens

If you’re wondering what a group of bikers is doing in front of a Mesoamerican temple, then I appreciate your imagination, but also recommend a closer look at this LEGO creation… Joking aside, this Alien Construct by Tirrel Brown embraces the otherworldly aesthetic of Mesoamerican architecture and takes it one small step further, onto another planet.

The trees and alien flowers deserve a bit of attention, but it is a good thing that the greenery is not too distracting, as your main focus is and should be on the alien temple in the middle. The simple yet interesting design is very futuristic, while a brick texture gives it an ancient look. An important thing to notice is what appears to be white patterns in the construct – it is actually light aqua, one of the LEGO colours closest to white. This subtle change makes the pattern almost glow.

Shanty Town: Designing a disordered way of living

Creating anything that appears haphazard and undesigned with LEGO bricks is never easy, which makes #1 Nomad’s Shanty Town all the more impressive. A tottering tower of makeshift units and containers, where each segment is crafted according to a unique aesthetic: one flying the livery of LEGO Classic Space theme, with its blue frame and yellow arrow prints, the next offering a nod to the Octan colour scheme. Nomad demonstrates his skill by orchestrating this chaos, from the precise way the detritus is scattered around the creation’s base, to the lines of snaking cables and satellite dishes that clad the building. The result is something essentially disorganised, visually fascinating and ultimately beautiful.

Behold the baroque beauty of this LEGO church

This baroque Church, created by builder Jellyeater, achieves the illusive feat of capturing an authentic sense of place. Numerous building techniques have been used to accurately capture the proportions, angles and curves of the baroque style, with the elegant dome being a stand out feature. However, when a creator gets me excited about the gradients of grey in a slate roof, I know I’m looking at something special.

This theme of exquisite detail is continued in the form of various modified plates, bricks and tiles used in the off-set courtyard tower; hinting at age, wear and centuries of repair. The oak doors, made from turntable bases layered over black bricks, completes the historical effect.

The lovely architecture of a quiet manor

It almost sounds like a realty listing, but this is indeed a fine bit of LEGO architecture. In real life, it seems they don’t make houses (or manors) like this anymore. The creator, Tammo S., is an impressive builder with a lot of specialization in nifty parts usage. While he often uses his skill to create gorgeous lines on his many spaceships, he also has a keen eye for architecture.

Some of my favorite areas are the accents and trim around the door and windows, as well as that thick trim around the top. Oh, and don’t forget those flower pots overflowing with unique plants. Truly lovely work. I can’t wait for a tour inside!

A mini sci-fi city that’s a step above the rest

I have a bit of a soft spot for builders that really build a bit of everything. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with building only spaceships, or trains, or architecture, I enjoy building in many themes/styles. I’m not always great at it, but I like being versatile, and it’s cool to see the work of others who do it really well. Micah Beideman is one of them. You may recognize the name from another recent and completely different creation we covered.

The unique sci-fi city is a mass of intriguing buildings. The architecture is designed with a clever use of a very wide range of parts, including several minifig accessories. It’s definitely one you have to zoom in on to really see and appreciate every detail. The most impressive aspect is the layering of tightly bound treads that make up the floating, stair-step groundwork for the city.

Journey to Timbuktu with Mansa Musa of the Malian Empire

A UNESCO World Heritage Site full of wonderful architecture like the University of Sankore, the city of Timbuktu in the West African country of Mali has been a center of trade and learning for nearly a thousand years. Hardly an inaccessible or mythical place, the very real, not at all mythical or inaccessible city has thrived on modern tourism for decades. Sadly, the last several years have seen strife overtake the city, with jihadist rebels occupying the city for about 8 months in 2012 and 2013. Nathan takes us back to a happier time in the city, when it was the capital of the Malian Empire. Nathan adds to his collection of world architecture creations by depicting the royal palace in the Sudano-Sahelian architecture style as it might have existed during the reign of Musa the First (r. 1312–1337).

Nathan has accurately captured the iconic architectural style, built from adobe or mud-brick, with supporting wood beams or logs that jut from the walls. He’s also given us a view into a scene described by a medieval Arab historian, showing the ruler on his throne holding an audience with his people. The large, raised throne is wonderfully detailed, and every group of people — soldiers, supplicants, royalty, and even musicians — has a unique look. From the people to the architecture, Nathan’s research into the material shows in his LEGO build.

These Danish bricks all look so Greek to me..!

Luca Di Lazzaro uses a whole lot of white bricks to recreate this magnificent piece of sunny Greece, which seems to be inspired by a place like Santorini. The local architecture there, famous for its striking mix of white walls and dark blue roofs, seems very clean and primitive. But can you notice all the tiniest details introduced by Luca? Red and blue window frames, blue and white fences, and, of course, brilliant outside decorations made with 1×4 bricks with sand green wallpaper pattern straight from the Batman Classic TV Series – Batcave set.