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.

The austere beauty of pure geometry

Although LEGO bricks and plates are regular symmetrical figures, rarely do we come across creations based on perfect geometry. Hanging Gardens by Letranger Absurde is a modest architectural masterpiece built around harmony and symmetry. Because of the fact that the model was photographed at 45 degrees angle and all the surfaces are carefully tiled, it looks totally like a level from the Monument Valley video game. Bonus points are for falling water: the building technique is brilliant, especially the use of Mixels tooth bricks as water foam.

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LEGO Vianen City Hall is steeped in history

The City Hall of Vianen sits within the small historical city of Vianen in the province Utrecht in the Netherlands. Sebastian Arts has managed to capture so many details of this beautiful old building that we simply had to share it. The ancient stonework is very well done and the whole design is accurate to the actual building in Vianen, right down to the position of the bench.

The turret at the rear of the hall is equally impressive, the builder’s use of different bricks and earthy tones has really brought the old stonework to life in LEGO. The windows are cleverly crafted from fences rotated 90°. The rear view also show a nice contrast between the old and new buildings side by side.

Leipzig Opera House in LEGO bricks

The opera house in Leipzig is the third oldest functional venue in Europe, and it also happens to be a simple yet beautiful building. LEGO enthusiast Invader01Y is attracted by the delicate lines of the house and decided to recreate it with 11.804 LEGO bricks. The large model features a very smooth surface while successfully capturing all the fine details. It took nearly three years for Invader01Y to build this model with actual LEGO bricks, and he shared a digital render of the opera house early in the project. The prolonged dedication is also worth a note!

Konnichiwa from a modern Japanese home

Japanese style of building are a thing of wonder. I love their style and proper functionality — not a single bit of space is wasted, and this build by Gzu is a perfect example of this.

You can see the attention the builder has paid to all the details, like the little sandals at the door, and admire the functional sliding doors, smart toilet, tea table, small bed, and even the tiny bath. But if you choose, you can always go for something bigger:

So, who is ready for a vacation to Japan?

Weather forecast for tonight: dark

A snow-white plain background is taken by many builders as an essential part of presentation. However, Ryan McBryde uses artistic light to create the dismal mood of a dark night hour for his weather station tower.

Coupled with a good perspective, such a lightning scheme makes this fairly straightforward model look especially impressive. Of course, the sand green bricks and rocky tower base have no small share in creating the menacing atmosphere in this picture. Moreover, we have no idea what is inside the tower, so perhaps we’ll wait until dawn before revealing all the secrets of this creepy place…

The procession: an elegant church edifice

We recently featured a wonderful mosque from brickbink, and now he has come up with an amazing church! Although the diorama only presents the façade of the structure, it is so full of simple details that you don’t even notice the overall smaller footprint. The grand clock, stained glass, worn-out stucco, and pilasters all add up to an impressive build. The roof work, stairs, and floor tiles are simple yet effective additions to the scene and the result is made very charming with carefully selected minifigures.

There’s no arch in architecture

Air, light, work, sports, hygiene, comfort and efficiency: these are the guidelines that governed the design of Villa Cavrois. This massive home in France was built by Robert Mallet-Stevens between 1929 and 1932, and is considered part of the International Style of architecture. The mansion has a storied past: it was occupied by the German Army during World War II, and most of the custom-built furniture was sold off in the 1980s. But now it’s a historical monument, open to the public for viewing. If you can’t make it all the way to northern France, at least you can ogle this model from Swedish builder o0ger, whose rendition is reminiscent of the LEGO Architecture theme.

Cleveland’s Harkness Chapel recreated in LEGO

Ohio builder Zachary Lewis is known for creating incredibly detailed and accurate LEGO models of real-life buildings, such as the suburban house we highlighted last fall. His most recent build, the interior of Cleveland’s Florence Harkness Memorial Chapel, is a prime example. Zachary has perfectly captured this historic landmark’s neo-Gothic interior. I can’t get over the beautiful wood paneling surrounding the stage. And of course, everything from the wooden rafters down to the carpet on the floor is spot on. Don’t believe me? Check out photos of the actual building on Flickr and see for yourself.

I love livin’ in the city

I’ve got nothing against the classic brick and brownstone facades of yesteryear. But I am a sucker for the hyper-modern apartment buildings that are springing up in urban areas all across America. This model by lisqr hits all the right notes: assymetrical design, complex vertical plane, and surprising color choices. Each minifig-scale balcony is individually detailed, firmly linking the form to a human cityscape. Plus, cats. Just one question: how much is the rent?

Rooftop chase across an Eastern marketplace

Maarten W‘s diorama brings us a fabulous slice of Middle Eastern market life, with an added dash of adventure. There’s a great sense of activity and the hustle and bustle of commerce at the base, and then an exciting rooftop chase going on above. I wonder what treasure the stolen map will lead our intrepid thief to discover?

That wall behind the snake charmer is a lovely detail and there’s just enough texture on the fortifications to avoid “big tan wall” syndrome. This is the latest in the recent spate of Middle Eastern-themed creations we’ve covered, including this beautiful mosque, also built by Maarten. I hope this trend continues.

Amazing LEGO Arc de Triomphe in French tricolor

The famous monument Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile stands in Paris as an iconic memorial to French soldiers, and LEGO builder Brian Yu has recreated it splendidly in brick, awash in the French tricolor. Brian’s model makes great use of greebling and the undersides of basic plates to mimic the relief sculpting on the arch, and the result beautifully tricks the eye into seeing finely sculpted details.

Still planning your vacation? Go visit the Riviera!

Inspired by the cover of a book about a South European town, Andrew Tate created this very pearl of Mediterranean architecture. A mixture of European and Oriental elements and colors, a beautifully designed wedding shop and a careful cast of minifigures deserve the highest mark. With some minor changes one could even imagine this diorama as part of LEGO’s modular building series, providing city center residents with a view of the bay and a small yet neat quay.