LEGO’s 2015 line of Architecture sets introduced a skyline format which has become quite popular amoung fan builders from Paris to Tokyo. Simon NH takes a brand new approach to creating skylines, building a one-of-a-kind evolution of construction. No matter how much building experience you have, each of these tiny structures features some crazy solutions, like the Colosseum’s walls built from light bluish gray 1×1 tiles with 1/2 circle (aka Stadium tiles).
We’ve featured the marvelous structures of master LEGO architect Rocco Buttliere quite frequently here at The Brothers Brick, from downtown Chicago to his recent 12-foot Golden Gate Bridge. Rocco’s latest LEGO build captures the heart of the sprawling Westminster World Heritage Site in the City of London, centered (or centred, if you prefer) on Westminster Abbey, the Church of St Margaret, and the Palace of Westminster where the UK Parliament meets.
See more of this iconic London location
Chinese city walls were built for defense, to protect towns and cities in China. Part of those walls included towers and gates which typically served as entry points. This particular Gate Tower built by Prince Jiang is astounding in size and amazing in architecture. I’m always in awe of how a structure meant to be a defence mechanism can also be made to look so appealing even in real life structures you see around historic China.
Here is another beautiful build made for the Guilds of Historica by the always amazing John Snyder. His Katoren Monastery was built “just for fun to mess around with the dark blue / white color scheme”. The rock formation is very organic and the flora accents it beautifully. I love the angled cobbled path, patchwork rock walls, and the staging and design of the minifigs.
As well as another angle of the build showcasing the wonderful interiors and cheese slope mosaic walls, John has also included a little back story: “Located on the Eastern outskirts of Katoren, this monastery survived the Kaliphlin civil war better than most. A natural spring was the reason for the monastery’s location, and the spring continues to provide fresh water for all the inhabitants, as well as make the surrounding area very lush compared to much of the Kaliphlin landscape.”
Chris Eyerly has built an excellent model of the Laurent House, a lesser-known work by Frank Lloyd Wright, built in 1951 for Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent. Chris has used some unorthodox techniques to capture the flowing curves of the house, particularly “brick bending”, in which many 1×2 plates are connected to form a wall, then the wall is bent into a curve, taking advantage of the tiny gaps between each piece.
It can be challenging to capture curves with a system based on squares, much less integrate the curves with the square sections without ugly gaps between the bricks, but Chris has done a perfect job here, all while staying true to the original design.
In 1983, UNESCO designated the legendary Peruvian citadel of Machu Picchu as a World Heritage Site. Located in the Sacred Valley, 50 miles northwest of Cusco, the city was constructed around 1450 at the height of the Inca empire and was abandoned just over 100 years later. At time of writing, the LEGO Architecture theme has yet to feature a South American structure or building. This omission prompted Diego Baca to build his own microscale version of this historic site.
Diego has captured all the key features including Huayna Picchu as the mountainous backdrop, the blue of the Urubamba River glistening on the left, and la piedra sagrada [tr. the sacred rock] represented by a single 1×1 round plate sitting on high. Also note the wandering llama in the middle of the site!
Diego has kindly created PDF instructions for this model in the same style as the official LEGO Architecture instructions, with a few pages of photographs, historical information, and step-by-step building plans.
You there! Stop smashing those clay pots. Stop riling up those cuccos. Stop everything and check out this breathtaking LEGO creation by Jonas Kramm. Even if you don’t spend your weekends taming wild horses and searching for spirit orbs, you still have to admit that Kramm’s rendition of Impa’s House from Breath of the Wild is pretty amazing.
Kramm says it took him a month and 10,000 LEGO pieces to recreate the Sheikah character’s home. And the end result is instantly recognizable. The color palette, roof shaping, rockwork, and all the tiny details are spot on. The building has a fully-built interior and custom Link and Impa minifigs. There are even a couple of apples out front that you can pick up on your way through the village. After all, you never know when you might need to refuel.
This modular-style home has a nice architectural design and feel. Consisting of four tiered floors, this build by Eric Yang, with a garage on the ground floor and a spa on the roof, is almost your stereotypical yuppie home. There are some very unique brick-like tiling techniques used in the garage level.
See more of this modern home
The latest Chinese architectural wonder by qian yj depicts an old residential building in the city of Huizhou. The tall white walls enclose an intimate courtyard surrounded by ornate two-storey wooden houses. The scene is set amidst narrow canals interlaced with quaint sidewalks. Who wouldn’t want to take a vacation in such a poetic destination?
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a theater on the Acropolis in Athens, which still hosts concerts, plays, and other events today. George Panteleon has recreated this ancient Greek structure in LEGO, with a central stage, a ring of seating, and the original backdrop against which both modern and ancient artists wowed the crowd.
The technique George used for the sloped seating is quite interesting, and worth a closer look. Clips connect slopes set on their side to achieve the classic bowl shape of theaters.
A kampung is the definition of a village in parts of Southeast Asia. Malaysian builder Ng Wen Yeh recreates an astounding and accurate dwelling frequently seen in rural communities, with some inspiration from life and memories of yesteryears. This beautiful build shares a typical day around a family and community life in simpler times.
Click to see more of this wonderful build
If you’ve ever strolled through the streets of downtown Cleveland, you’ll definitely recognize Spencer Rezkalla‘s most recent microscale creation. It’s Key Tower, the tallest building in Ohio! This build is chock full of amazing building techniques like SNOT and some weird, half-plate offsettings. Spencer even included the Marriott and Society for Savings buildings, making his tiny city block match the original one perfectly.
If you happen to be within driving distance of “The Land,” you can see Spencer’s creation in person at the Great Lakes Science Center’s Build it! exhibit going on right now. You’ll also see other amazing LEGO creations that we’ve featured in the past such as Tyler Halliwell’s Monkey King, Adrian Drake’s life-sized Bender and Matt De Lanoy’s Springfield layout, just to name a few.
