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.

Taking the micro out of microscale

This here is a microscale LEGO CN Tower, as built by Flickr user q_159. Now microscale builds are usually small, right? It is in the name after all. And this is built to a miniscule 1:400 scale, which makes the cars at its base barely two studs long. But the thing you need to remember about the CN Tower is that it’s really frickin’ tall – over half a kilometre. And as a result, this tiny LEGO model is not that tiny at all, clocking in at 3,000 pieces and nearly 1.4 m (four-and-a-half feet)! Small but mighty, indeed.

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The Castle of the Sword stands at the ready

Despite being named Castle of LEGO Sword, most of the knights defending this fortress are armed with literally anything else. Luckily for them, this build by Yujie Jiang is instead named after the giant stone sword mounted inside the keep. This build has character as big as its gigantic sword. For starters, said giant sword is an outstanding up-sized replica of the classic LEGO sword that was produced in multiple forms between 1978 – 2016. This sword makes excellent use of 4×4 round bricks and is studded with neat little gems. The tower’s design is effective as well, with a door made of tiles mounted inside a 1×6 arch, and the general structure using 1×2 profile bricks, chisled pentagonal shields, and the extra touch of the carved lion head above the door.

That sword, though, is a thing of beauty. It’s approximately human-sized and can be pulled out by any friendly giants passing by that would be willing to offer a hand to defend the kingdom. Would you be worthy of pulling the sword from the stone tower?

Barcelona’s most iconic casa is anything but gaudy

Nearly 100 years after his passing, Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi remains one of the most singular voices in design. No trip to Barcelona is complete without stopping to appreciate his iconic buildings, especially the Casa Batlló, which Toltomeja thoughtfully recreates in LEGO for the Marchitecture building challenge. Gaudi decorated the façade of Casa Batlló with a colorful mosaic meant to evoke lilies on a pond, here recreated with clever SNOT brickwork in pastel shades. Building such an organic-inspired design at micro scale couldn’t have been easy, but Toltomeja pulls it off, capturing the many bone-like balconies with inverted goggles and using a mix of horns and boomerangs to assemble the distinctive curvaceous windows on the lower floors. Look carefully at the colorful dragon-spine roofline and you can glimpse the frosting swirls doubling as chimney stacks. Gaudi’s amazing buildings are certified UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but sadly have never been released as official LEGO architecture sets. For now, we have builders like Toltomeja and others paying tribute with amazing micro creations.

Mid-century Modern Megapalooza

Here at TBB we’ve long admired Paul Hetherington‘s vivid, vivacious LEGO celebrations of pop culture and Americana. Following his “Bricktacular West Coast Modern Show” at the Vancouver Art Museum, Paul has been sharing out more detailed pics of his architectural series on Mid-century Modern buildings from the Vancouver area. Each model is a faithful recreation, capturing the minimalist design, sleek lines, multiple levels, and seamless blending with the environment associated with the movement. Paul said he was inspired to take this deep dive into Mid-century Modern during the pandemic, a style more modest in scale and perfectly suited for LEGO bricks.

Click to see more from this collection!

Miniature architecture for the discerning multi-millionaire

Are you the owner of a successful tech conglomerate looking for somewhere to live? Do you have a penchant for being a superhero in your spare time? And are you barely more than a LEGO plate in height? Then ABrickDreamer has just built exactly what you may be looking for! It’s a stylish architectural piece, featuring excellent use of flex cables to accentuate the Avengers’ tower’s curves. Everything the discerning millionaire – nay, billionaire – superhero could need is there, from city views from the penthouse to parking for your tiny Quinjet. And all it costs is a few LEGO pieces!

Prefer something a little less ‘only-exists-in-comic-books’? Then lucky you, this builder has you sorted there too! This is a microscale rendition of the Interlace condo in Singapore. Check out those trees! I doff my cap to you, ABrickDreamer, and then I can put it on one of your trees.

Tiny LEGO trailer is some prime real estate

LEGO has given us many great profile bricks perfect for building architecture, but sometimes the best results come from using basic parts like tiles to create the look of construction materials like wood and metal. This charming trailer house by Daniel Barwegen is a perfect example. The trailer arms in front are very realistic, and the simple tile exterior combined with a bunch of black rail plates gives the appearance of panels made from corrugated metal. The narrow row of windows along the top would let in some welcome natural light. I imagine the inside would be quite cozy.

A bewitching build of spooky Salem

Jeff Chapman has been sharing his bewitching LEGO creations for less than a year, but we’ve already fallen under his spell. His latest build, a 17th-century Salem farmhouse, is uncannily accurate to the historical reference, and utterly haunting. Jeff uses an impressive assortment of printed planks for a slick finish that photographs incredibly well – especially under spooky lighting with the back-lit stained glass windows. The house’s simple shape hides some clever building techniques to pull off those lovely flush corners. It’s such an elegant build that transports you back to the time of the witch trials. (This build’s real-life inspiration is briefly seen in the film Hocus Pocus!)

More than a marvelous builder, Jeff brings his creations to life on his Spooky Brixx YouTube channel. Each short video offers a detailed build overview, photo references, and a dash of animated story and effects that bring the history and haunts to life. If you enjoyed visiting the Salem Pioneer house as much as we did, be sure to check out Jeff’s other haunting creations.

The LEGO Architectural Gem of a Castle with Three Towers

Titled simply “Castle with Three Towers,” this LEGO creation by builder Azurekingfisher is yet another stunning piece of art. The structure is predominantly colored in white and navy blue, creating a captivating contrast that immediately catches the eye. Upon closer inspection, intricate details emerge, such as stained-glass windows, water elements, and ornate building features. Each element reveals itself gradually as you spend more time studying or admiring the images. In the past, this builder has crafted intricate creations incorporating plant elements. Here, we notice a subtle integration of those elements as well. Check out the use of the use of the round plate element with clock printing, first introduced in 2016 with the release of 71040 Disney Castle.

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A tiny LEGO home to evoke cozy feelings

What makes a house a home? Mostly the people living in it, I’d argue. But if the house is too small to actually fit people inside it, outstanding architecture – like that found in Geneva Durand’s microscale LEGO home – will suffice. I’m particularly drawn to the use of various flat bricks in dark orange, dark red, and two shades of brown to evoke the rougher brickwork at the front of the house. I’m a little concerned about those dogs though; I estimate they may be over 6 feet tall. They’re liable to eat you out of house and home!

Mining for iron – and amazing detail

LEGO builder Jaka Kupina is no slouch when it comes to creating stunning architectural detail. Take this Foenwor Mine, for instance. The brick textures and snowy rooftops are a sight to behold. Not only that but it has a neat story to go with it. In Jaka’s own words; “In Mitgardia, deep in the Heavenly Mountains dwarves are mining. Very brave men who spend most of their time deep under a dangerous mountain. The mines are rich in iron ore and attract blacksmiths from distant lands. Their mined ore makes the best iron from which they make powerfull weapons for fearless warriors and strong pickaxes for hardworking miners. A real treasure of Mitgardia.” I never considered a career in ore mining but if I can call this intricate structure my workplace, I may reconsider. But alas, for once in my life, I just may be too tall for the job.

An enthralling exercise in eccentric edifice excellence

There are many fantastic LEGO architects out there – just look through our archives. But if you like your structures a little more unconventional, then there are few better at that than Pan Noda. What I love the most about their buildings isn’t their odd designs, fascinating as they are. It’s how they deploy repeating motifs and detailed textures to create something as visually interesting up close as it is as a whole! In this instance, that involves the undersides of 1×1 clips, alternating horizontal and vertical portions of the wall, and a whole lotta cheese slopes. That extends beyond the building and into the base as well, which replicates the hexagonal shape of the tower. Finally, the climbing trees and vines add the perfect splash of colour to break things up even further!

900 years to wear down a temple, 7 days to build it out of LEGO

The proficiency of LEGO builders never ceases to amaze me. Timothy Shortell (AKA Classical Bricks) tells a story of coming across a photo of the Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia. A week goes by, and boom – we get this amazing model at the end of it. That’s no time at all! Just the careful positioning of the roof tiles for that jungle-weathered temple look must have taken a good while. In fact, all the weathering is very well judged, and the tree roots winding their way down to the ground – very nicely done. It’s almost unfair how quickly this was all achieved. When I build for a week, I’m lucky if I’ve even got a half-finished model at the end of it, let alone one as good as this!