Build Me a Building - Architects' Guide to Glass & Metal
Lite Notes by Ellen Rogers
by Ellen Rogers
March 14th, 2014

Build Me a Building

I am intrigued by LEGOs. Yes, LEGOs. As the mother of a 3-year old boy I have, on more than one occasion, simply found myself too close for comfort with the little blocks when they find themselves under my bare foot. Not a pleasant feeling, but perhaps a rite of passage in raising a boy fascinated with blocks, towers, buildings and pretty much anything that makes noise.

My fascination with LEGOs also lies in their architectural ability. Last year while visiting Downtown Disney in Orlando, which of course required a visit to the LEGO store, I was in awe over a LEGO sculpture of the Loch Ness Monster. The sculpture’s head stands approximately 20 feet high above the lake, and is approximately 60 feet long. Think about the number of hours that had too have gone in to constructing it.

lochness

That’s just one project. What perhaps strikes a little closer to home—that’s our home in the glass industry—is the brand’s architectural series. You can now purchase LEGO kits to re-create for yourself some of the world’s most recognizable architectural masterpieces, from the Sydney Opera House to the Soloman R. Guggenheim Museum. I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, but the thought of re-building it with LEGOs is daunting (remember, I spend all my non-work hours chasing round a 3-year old boy).Beautiful, yes; just not something I want to tackle. And not cheap—the Falling Water set was priced at $99.99 on the shop LEGO site.

Still, it made me think. You may have heard about or may yourself be using 3D printing technology, which can allow you to, for example, print a model of anything from a widget to a window. But what about building models with LEGOs? The idea may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Anyone ever played around with this concept?

New in 2014: the LEGO Police Station. LEGO, the LEGO logo, and the Minifigure are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group.  © 2014 The LEGO Group.  All rights reserved.

New in 2014: Look at all the windows in the LEGO Police Station. LEGO, the LEGO logo, and the Minifigure are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. © 2014 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.

In 2012 LEGO produced 318 million LEGO tires, making it the world’s largest tire manufacturer. This made me wonder: how many windows did the brand produce? I reached out to LEGO to see if anyone could provide this information. Unfortunately, I was told while they track the tires and “Minifigures” they have created over the years, they have not done the same with windows. But, considering the millions of children building LEGO houses and towers every year, I wouldn’t be surprised if LEGO was up there as a top window manufacturer as well.

 

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