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
Mass Timber | Jul 11, 2023
5 solutions to acoustic issues in mass timber buildings
For all its advantages, mass timber also has a less-heralded quality: its acoustic challenges. Exposed wood ceilings and floors have led to issues with excessive noise. Mass timber experts offer practical solutions to the top five acoustic issues in mass timber buildings.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 11, 2023
Converting downtown office into multifamily residential: Let’s stop and think about this
Is the office-to-residential conversion really what’s best for our downtowns from a cultural, urban, economic perspective? Or is this silver bullet really a poison pill?
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 10, 2023
California updates building code for adaptive reuse of office, retail structures for housing
The California Building Standards Commission recently voted to make it easier to convert commercial properties to residential use. The commission adopted provisions of the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) that allow developers more flexibility for adaptive reuse of retail and office structures.
Laboratories | Jul 10, 2023
U.S. Department of Agriculture opens nation’s first biosafety level 4 containment facility for animal disease research
Replacing a seven-decade-old animal disease center, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility includes the nation’s first facility with biosafety containment capable of housing large livestock.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 6, 2023
The responsibility of adapting historic university buildings
Shepley Bulfinch's David Whitehill, AIA, believes the adaptive reuse of historic university buildings is not a matter of sentimentality but of practicality, progress, and preservation.
Market Data | Jul 5, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending decreased in May, its first drop in nearly a year
National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.06 trillion.
Architects | Jul 5, 2023
Niles Bolton Associates promotes Jeffrey Smith, AIA, to President and C. Cannon Reynolds, AIA, to Managing Director
Niles Bolton Associates (NBA), a leading architecture, planning and design firm, announces leadership changes as a part of its ongoing commitment to future growth. Current Executive Vice President, Jeffrey Smith, AIA, has been named President and C. Cannon Reynolds, AIA, has been named Managing Director effective June 30, 2023.
Mixed-Use | Jun 29, 2023
Massive work-live-play development opens in LA's new Cumulus District
VOX at Cumulus, a 14-acre work-live-play development in Los Angeles, offers 910 housing units and 100,000 sf of retail space anchored by a Whole Foods outlet. VOX, one of the largest mixed-use communities to open in the Los Angeles area, features apartments and townhomes with more than one dozen floorplans.
Office Buildings | Jun 28, 2023
When office-to-residential conversion works
The cost and design challenges involved with office-to-residential conversions can be daunting; designers need to devise creative uses to fully utilize the space.
Architects | Jun 28, 2023
CSHQA hires first CEO in company's 134-year history
The Board of Directors of CSHQA announced the appointment of Ryan D. Martin, AIA NCARB as Chief Executive Officer.
