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.

Micro Taj Mahal fits in the palm of your hand.

Building a microsocale landmark is a fine art of choosing the right miniature detail that makes your model instantly recognizable. Some landmarks are so iconic that it might seem like this would be too easy. Not so! Finding the perfect detail part can be challenging. In this model of the Taj Mahal by Jay B, several recently introduced parts provide great details, but might not be the first thing that a builder would think of.

This model reminds me of one of the very first models that I posted on Flickr over 5 years ago, using a much more limited supply of parts.

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An artistic representation of a building of art

The National Gallery of Art itself is a wonderful piece of architecture all on its own. Builder wrtyler constructed a brick-built replica of the West Building that’s more than worthy of an official LEGO Architecture set and then some. It’s amazing what a little lighting can do to bring life into a simple structure.

The actual West Building has at least 3 acres of skylights covering its roof. According to wrtyler, it was a challenge to replicate that roof with LEGO transparent tiles while having the right structure in place to hold it up. At least 500 transparent cheese wedge pieces were used in total for both wings to give the intended effect.

Click to see more photos of wrtyler’s creation, including how this LEGO museum fits into his larger National Mall project

LEGO version of the LEGO House

The new LEGO House in Billund, Denmark is designed to look as if it has been built from giant LEGO pieces. Aside from the official set 21037 – LEGO House, we’ve not seen many actual brick-built versions. Lasse Vestergård is out to change all that with this wonderful 1:100 scale re-creation of the Danish original. The model does a great job of capturing the distinctive shapes and colours of the structure, and has an impressive level of detail…

Click to see more pictures of this great model

Get your minifig arms and armor at this medieval weapons house

It doesn’t take a big creation to pack in a lot of detail, and this build by Ah Ki is a great example of that! His LEGO “Medieval Weapons House” sits on a small base but has big character. It demonstrates the use of a cool patch-working technique to give it that rustic feel. There are a few neat uses of parts, like the 1x4x1 fence in the windows and wheel covers (hubcaps) for accents. It also has a fun color scheme.

My favorite part is the forge with its little awning and blacksmith at his anvil. The whole structure has a pretty nice shape to it, especially the roof, which makes a perfect little swoop. I just wish that we could get a tour inside!

Haere Mai! Come Here! Welcome!

Tēnā koe e hoa (Greetings. Hello to you, friend.) from Jed Cameron of New Zealand with his “Not 100% historically accurate” Early European Settlers arriving at a Māori Village. Inspired by a treasure trove of colonial art he found online, Jed has done a great job recreating the look and feel of a pre-colonial Māori wharenui (large communal house).

Jed used an upside down quiver as the koruru (carved head) at the apex of the meeting house to great effect. I love how the smooth tiles illustrate a well-trodden path through the village and the Pouwhenua (carved wooden posts) mark the boundary of the village. This is a lovely little build and a wonderful representation of a crucial point in New Zealand history.

Kai Pai! (Well Done!)

A terrific tower of Amsterdam

Located in Amsterdam, the A’DAM Tower is more than just a simple office block. Sitting atop of the office block is the A’DAM LOOKOUT, an observation deck featuring a restaurant and an “over the edge swing” among other attractions. Originally opened in 1971 as the headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell, the tower’s observation deck and other new features opened in 2016.

According to the builder, Flickr user Erwin te Kortschot, this LEGO model was constructed as the result of a commission by Dutch company Kawneer Netherlands. As in real life, this LEGO model places the central mass of the structure at an angle when compared to both the base and the observation deck. As any LEGO builder knows, building at angles with rectangular bricks can be a challenge. This model serves as an example of what is possible though.

A brick-built home is always in fashion

When it comes to LEGO houses, Sarah Beyer builds some of the best. We’ve taken a look at her jungle holiday home previously, and whilst this house might be less exotic in its setting, it’s no less accomplished in its construction and fit-out. The tan walls with their black detailing offer a sharp contrast to the feature wall, letting its striping really stand out. The landscaping and planting around the house create a sense of a cared-for property situated in a pleasant urban neighbourhood.

As ever, Sarah has included a detailed interior, including this stylish upstairs bedroom with its floor-to-ceiling windows. However, all that natural light comes at a cost — I notice there are no curtains, so the privacy may be somewhat lacking.

Click here to see more photos of this lovely model

Living the beautiful life at Villa Arcus

Occasionally, I’ll day-dream about winning the lottery. Usually there’s some fiscal responsibility, but then there’s always a house purchase. That house is typically on the water somewhere, and I certainly wouldn’t mind one with the inspired architecture of Villa Arcus by Jussi Koskinen.

There is a lot to love about this build: The roof line, the windows, the curved walls. My eye is drawn to the gorgeous brickwork on the upper right of the home. This creation features a full interior, too. The techniques go far beyond the outer walls, with fantastic attention to detail in each room.

Check out more pictures, both inside and out, after the jump.
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Shinmizu Village

Some of the best builders are the ones who are constantly trying to push the envelope of what LEGO can do. And arguably, some of the best builds are a tale of two parts. When you get two great builders together, there is no telling what innovative works of art they might come up with. Shinmizu Village by the brother-sister duo of Geneva (Kai NRG/Geneva) and Isaiah (Robert4168/Garmedon)is a great example of such a creation. At first glance, it’s a beautiful little village on a cliff. But there is more to the story! According to the builders, it’s a mash-up between Venice and Japanese design. And apparently, achieving the angles of the layout was quite a feat!

Click here to read more about the two halves of this collaboration!

Mad Scientist modular laboratory complete with mad interiors!

There has been a wave of custom modular LEGO buildings featured here on The Brothers Brick recently, such as the excellent Guild Hall by O Wingård. But to find a modular building with so much character, and full interior details as well was just too much to pass up. This inventor/mad scientist lab by Filip Olin has a ton of great details, so let’s jump in!

One of my favorite exterior details is the use of skeleton legs — in both black, for the railing, and tan for architectural accents on the wall. No workshop would be complete without pipes, and this model features a number of black and grey pipeworks, including one with sludge pouring on the landscaped ground level.

See more detailed pics after the jump

Mayan pyramid of El Castillo at Chichen Itza built from thousands of LEGO bricks

In the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, there’s one temple that rises above the rest as a focal point. The temple is called El Castillo, which means “The Castle,” and it was built to honor a Mayan diety called Kukulkan, or “Feathered Serpent.” Today it’s a major tourist attraction in Mexico and the subject of many pieces of art. This build by 1soko can be placed next to the others as a beautiful rendition of the temple.

The lines on the creation are incredibly impressive. If you’ve ever built something with slopes, you know just how hard it can be to get them right. (And this has slopes on slopes!) It almost looks like it could be superimposed on a picture of the real temple! The only thing that could be more detailed would be the serpent heads at the base of the stairs, but it’s understandable at this scale. Actually, it would need to be many times larger to be the scale of the minifigure standing next to it. Of course, the builder was probably using the character as a size comparison. In any case, this creation is simply outstanding!

Incredible LEGO diorama of London has everything from Parliament to the London Eye

At a glance, this view of London hardly looks like a LEGO model at all. Even though the scale is tiny, builder Rocco Buttliere has packed it with amazing details. Encompassing the famous landmarks on both sides of the Thames, the giant model features the London Eye, County Hall, Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Rocco has long been known as the master of LEGO architectural models, from downtown Chicago to the humble Rosenwald apartments, and even a 12-foot long Golden Gate Bridge, and this new architectural masterpiece easily stands with the best of them.

Click to see more of this stunning model of London