Tag Archives: Brutalism

The office building that looks like an office copier

LEGO builder Milan Sekiz tells us that this is their first attempt at Brutalist architecture. I’ve seen plenty of Brutalist architecture in person, plus I’ve taken a few architecture courses in college so I know a bit about the subject but let’s consult Google as to what they say about it. Brutalism is generally characterized by its rough, unfinished surfaces (check!), unusual shapes,(check!) heavy-looking materials,(check!) straight lines,(check!) and small windows (yes!). It seems by all accounts, Milan has achieved Brutalism. I like the very orderly gardens flanking the building and the vines creeping up the middle of it are a nice touch. It adds a bit of warm nature to this otherwise cold and imposing structure. I can’t help thinking that it looks a bit like an office copier, or better yet, someone’s inbox that is chock full of…Brutalism. OK, I’ll admit that I probably should have thought that analogy through. But do you have a better one?

Council Hall

While you’re thinking that over, go ahead and check out the other stuff Milan Sekiz has built and while you’re at it take a look at our Architecture archives including some very neat Brutalist designs.

Brutalist beauty in bricks

Builder Nikita Sukhodolov refers to this great monolithic LEGO masterpiece as “The Decaying Hive.” Personally, I don’t see a sense of decay here, probably because I cannot look past its brutalist brilliance. In this build Nikita demonstrates how LEGO and boxy modern architecture are the perfect pairing.

decaying hive

The two main towers of this building feature some great tiling as well as excellent use of 1×1 slope pieces (AKA cheese slopes) in grey and translucent black to create an intricate window design. While the housing units with their carved out of concrete appearance are uniform in their shape; Nikita utilizes translucent clear bricks, 1×2 palisade bricks, as well as 1×2 profile bricks to give each unit a slight variation. The palisade bricks appear as blinds, while some minifigure inhabitants prefer shutters which are created by the profile bricks. There are some splashes of color to liven up the structure such as the pink potted plant and green umbrella on the top of the building as well as the landscape scene which the main build sits upon. Overall I think it’s safe to say that the rigid geometric look of brutalist architecture is clearly well translated into LEGO and Nikita makes this translation look easy with his expert use of some pretty common elements.