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.

Walking the planks of the boardwalk

Can you tell which of these LEGO buildings belongs to the now-retired Captain Redbeard? Naturally, it’s the tallest one in the this colorful scene from builder Sleepless Night. The build is full of so many incredible textures and colors, allowing each building to stand out on its own. They each have their own design too! Shapes, in general, are obviously reused (like archways), but they’re each done with different elements across the whole. Take a close look at everything present and you’ll see so many cool things. For me, the best parts usage is definitely the croissants making up the billowing sails on the ship at the top of Redbeard’s house. It’s unexpected, but the food elements translate wonderfully for the purpose.

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A marvelous multilevel mausoleum

We here at TBB are no strangers to the architectural LEGO wonders that spill forth from the mind of Pan Noda. And their latest mausoleum tower is certainly no exception. Clad only in white, the structure looks like it was hand-carved out of soapstone instead of brick-built. Details like the exposed 1×1 plate undersides and square sections of plates set in alternating vertical and horizontal configurations have become a signature of Noda’s work. And new concepts, like the stairstep roof pattern capped with a singular bar set in a hollow stud, fit in perfectly. Taken in its entirety, all of the “imperfections” – the tiny nooks and crannies intentionally added to the creation to break up the solid walls – are only heightened by the superb use of lighting in the photo.

LEGO unveils the all new 21060 Himeji Castle, the next set in their Architecture line [News]

After much anticipation, LEGO has revealed the next architectural wonder to be captured in brick form: 21060 Himeji Castle. This Japanese icon is made from 2,125 pieces, and measures 12.5″ (32 cm) wide, 10.5″ (27 cm) long, and 7.5″ tall (19 cm). Removing its ornate roof reveals an interior reminiscent of the original castle’s, but in miniature form. And the surrounding grounds include cherry trees in blossom and other ornamental plants. 21060 Himeji Castle will be available for purchase in LEGO stores and at LEGO.com starting on August 1st, and will retail for US $159.99 | CAN $209.99 | UK £139.99

LEGO Creation of the Week (#24): “Under the Two Cups” by Tomasz Bartoszek

Every week readers of the The Brothers Brick Telegram channel choose the Creation of the Week: one project that impressed all of us the most. Another vote is over, and you guys seem to like medieval builds a lot! Tomasz Bartoszek’s magnificent inn grabs the latest Creation of the Week award!

Meanwhile, the new vote is already on! Join our Telegram channel to follow all the best LEGO creations, latest news, and, of course, vote for your favorites. See you there!

A trip in the brick to Bordeaux

I’ve said it before, but I love being able to travel vicariously through LEGO models. The Architecture series has a lot of the famous landmarks covered, but for the more day-to-day infrastructure, we need to turn to people like Justus M. Having visited the town of Bordeaux in south-western France, he took it upon himself to recreate some of the old architecture. Having been to France (albeit not to Bordeaux itself) quite a lot as a kid, I think I can say he’s nailed it! You can quite easily picture someone sitting outside with a coffee and a croissant. It’s enough to make me want to go back there. Magnifique, Justus!

A LEGO tribute to some ancient architects

Sporting some of the cleanest lines I’ve ever seen, this Roman temple by Lech Kulina is a brilliant bit of LEGO architecture. Widths of a half-plate or less permeate the construction, especially on all the plinths surrounding the temple. And all angles have been cleanly cut off thanks to the use of brackets. The build is so clean that those small bits of decay stick out like a sore thumb. Each notch in the tile, each blotch of tan discoloration, each profile brick is given greater meaning by the “purity” that surrounds it. It’s quite possibly the truest representation of Roman architecture I’ve seen recreated in plastic. Make sure to check out Lech’s Flickr album to see how he pulled off such a feat!

LEGO inn-sights and inn-ovations

If there’s one thing that stands out most in this terrific LEGO inn by builder Tomasz Bartoszek, it’s the repeated creation of curved surfaces without using curved bricks. Both the sloped roof of tiles and rounded wall of the tower generate their curves through the use of 1×2 tiles, set at appropriately-varied angles. The result is a beautiful, clean look that perfectly captures a stop just off the roadway, in settings both real and fantastic. On top of that, I love the blobs of vegetation dotting the roof. But it’s the incorporation of Harry Potter wands into the eaves that adds the perfect finishing touch to those concave slopes of shingles.

A little Scala for your microscale

Every style of LEGO building has its challenges, but I think microscale stands out as one of the most difficult things to build, yet epic when done well. This piece, built by Ids de Jong, uses a pop of orange to pull you in, and some clever parts usage to keep you looking. There are things to admire such as the minifigure epaulet element for the ship, half a rock piece for an island, decorative swirls for water, and even a dome made from a pumpkin and topped with a trophy figure. But what really drew me to this build were the Scala perfume bottles. (Actually found in orange in the LEGO Orient Bazaar game.) They make excellent building toppers!

While you’re here, check out some of our other featured LEGO microscale model.

The Metropolitan is an Art Deco marvel that really swings, baby!

This breathtaking LEGO creation by Andrew Tate doesn’t hit the nostalgia feels, but rather gives me a powerful sense of anemoia. In case you haven’t memorized the entire English dictionary, anemoia is the proper term for nostalgia for a time one has never known. Still, that doesn’t stop me from wanting to don a bowtie and ring-a-ding-ding the night away in this swanky nightclub. The colors, shapes, repetition of forms, and rich Deco craftsmanship really make the heart sing. That delivery van though; mmmm, that is a beautiful thing indeed!

Just when you thought Andrew has maxed out on architectural brilliance; this swanky club has an equally posh interior where well-dressed patrons sip their hooch and listen to that lovely canary sing. Sing, baby, sing! It turns out this isn’t the first time Andrew has swept us away to another time and place. Why not hit up the Andrew Tate archives to see what I mean?

Have a cup of joe at this down-to-earth coffee house

This LEGO coffee house build comes to us from Isaac Snyder for this year’s Eurobricks event. The task? Building a house with significance to the builder. In this case, Isaac draws inspiration from a local coffee shop. Let’s take a closer look at the house, starting with the outdoor furniture. Check out the chairs with the tables! Some nice usage of brackets for the chairs’ seats and back, paired nicely with those plates with shafts. That’s something I really adore with builds of this scale–the parts usage ends up being really creative to imply/represent what the builder wants for the model. There are more techniques at work here too, like the brickwork. Using those half curved 1×1 tiles throughout the textured and plain bricks gives more depth and shaping to what would be flat walls otherwise. Excellent build all around from mine eyes.

A cottage and a Vespa to call your own

I don’t know why but I’ve had a thing for little abodes lately. This LEGO cottage built by Erek Weidner is a little slice of perfection. You have an apple tree, a wee French Bulldog, a shiny red Vespa, and a tiny cottage to call your own. The butterflies, ladybugs, and squirrels are just icing on the cozy perfection cake. What else do you need, really? I imagine a good strong Wi-Fi connection would make this place perfect. The lawn is a little bit unruly but I think the sheep will have that settled pretty soon.

There Lived a Hobbit...

To build a delightful LEGO version of something truly iconic and remarkable you got to be more than a good builder. And if you you going to do so in under 101 bricks, you got to be Mbricks. His hobbit-hole is an amazing masterclass in organic shapes. Take a closer look and you’ll notice how each and every piece either carries a specific shape or forms one along with other elements. And if you are really attentive, you might notice an alligator tail — a famous garden decoration popular with hobbits!