Most people have created something out of Lego blocks at some point in their life, be it something small and simple like a Lego cottage, or large and complicated like Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon. At the very least, you have probably felt the wrath of one of your kid’s stray blocks, stepping on it as you walked barefoot through the house at midnight.
Regardless, Legos are typically thought of as toys or hobbies, but Adam Reed Tucker, a former architect whose business was decimated by the poor economy, is creating architectural mirabilia out of these colorful plastic blocks worthy of their own exhibit at one of the top museums in the country.
As The Chicago Tribune reports, Tucker has an estimated 9 million Lego bricks at his Chicago-area home that he uses to build his displays. His first creation was the product of a day sitting in Barnes & Noble thinking about what he wanted to do with his life after his firm closed. He wanted to work with his hands, and remembered he was good at making models as an architecture student.
His next stop was Toys R Us, where he purchased a Hogwarts Lego set and used the provided pieces to make a replica of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. These smaller projects grew into larger ones, such as an 8-foot-tall model of One World Trade Center (with one side left exposed to show how the building was made and why it collapsed), until, eventually, he was using tens of thousands of Lego blocks on one project alone.
Currently, Tucker has 13 pieces - and 310,000 blocks - on display at the Museum of Science and Industry as part of his “Brick by Brick” exhibit. Each piece in the exhibit shares the common theme of being an architectural wonder, such as a 60-foot-long replica of the Golden Gate Bridge created from an estimated 64,500 bricks, a Roman coliseum constructed of 22,500 bricks and shown in a cutaway to expose its manner of construction, and a Hoover Dam meant to mimic its appearance in old black and white photos.
Tucker has three more exhibits planned; one that focuses on the story of the industrial revolution, one focused on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and one that puts Walt Disney’s work on center stage.
Click here to view images from the “Brick by Brick” exhibit.
Related Stories
| Dec 5, 2013
Translating design intent from across the globe
I recently attended the Bentley User Conference in Vejle, Denmark. I attended the event primarily to get a sense for the challenges our Danish counterparts are experiencing in project delivery and digital communication. One story I heard was from a BIM manager with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark, who told me about a project she’d recently completed overseas in the Middle East. She outlined two distinct challenges and offered some interesting solutions to those challenges.
| Dec 3, 2013
‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor
Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.
| Dec 3, 2013
Creating a healthcare capital project plan: The truth behind the numbers
When setting up a capital project plan, it's one thing to have the data, but quite another to have the knowledge of the process.
| Dec 3, 2013
Architects urge government to reform design-build contracting process
Current federal contracting laws are discouraging talented architects from competing for federal contracts, depriving government and, by inference, taxpayers of the best design expertise available, according to AIA testimony presented today on Capitol Hill.
| Dec 3, 2013
Construction spending hits four-year peak after rare spike in public outlays
An unusual surge in public construction in October pushed total construction spending to its highest level since May 2009 despite a dip in both private residential and nonresidential activity.
| Nov 27, 2013
BIG's 'oil and vinegar' design wins competition for the Museum of the Human Body [slideshow]
The winning submission by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and A+ Architecture mixes urban pavement and parkland in a flowing, organic plan, like oil and vinegar, explains Bjarke Ingels.
| Nov 27, 2013
Retail renaissance: What's next?
The retail construction category, long in the doldrums, is roaring back to life. Send us your comments and projects as we prepare coverage for this exciting sector.
| Nov 27, 2013
Pediatric hospitals improve care with flexible, age-sensitive design
Pediatric hospitals face many of the same concerns as their adult counterparts. Inpatient bed demand is declining, outpatient visits are soaring, and there is a higher level of focus on prevention and reduced readmissions.
| Nov 27, 2013
Exclusive survey: Revenues increased at nearly half of AEC firms in 2013
Forty-six percent of the respondents to an exclusive BD+C survey of AEC professionals reported that revenues had increased this year compared to 2012, with another 24.2% saying cash flow had stayed the same.
