Lego Architecture
 | |
| Sub‑themes | Landmark series Architect series Skyline series |
|---|---|
| Subject | Buildings |
| Licensed from | The Lego Group |
| Availability | 2008–present |
| Total sets | 66[1] |
| Official website | |
Lego Architecture (stylized as LEGO Architecture) is a Lego theme that aims to "celebrate the past, present and future of architecture through the Lego Brick".[2] The brand includes a series of Lego sets designed by "Architectural Artist" Adam Reed Tucker, and each contain the pieces and instructions to build a model of a famous architectural building or city skyline in micro-scale.
Development
[edit]Adam Reed Tucker earned a degree in architecture at Kansas State University in 1996.[3] While there, he sought a method to join his two passions of art and architecture, and hit upon the idea of using Lego bricks. From this, he founded Brickstructures, Inc., and began to design and build models of famous landmarks. His work was noticed by The Lego Group, and together they formed a partnership to release some of his models as commercially available Lego sets under the Lego Architecture brand.
Architecture sets
[edit]According to BrickLink, The Lego Group has released 64 playsets as part of the Lego Architecture theme.[1]
Sets in the product line contain a premium booklet, that – besides the build instructions – also includes various information and pictures of the building itself.
By the beginning of 2009, six sets had been released in the range, under two 'series'. Within the 'Landmark Series' are models of the Sears Tower (21000), John Hancock Center (21001), the Empire State Building (21002), and the Space Needle (21003). Within the 'Architect Series' are models of the Guggenheim Museum (21004) and Fallingwater (21005).
In the beginning of July 2010, a seventh set, the White House (21006), was released. An eighth set (21007) was released in November 2010: New York's Rockefeller Center. The ninth set (21009), Farnsworth House (Plano, Illinois), was released in April 2011. A tenth set (21008), The Burj Khalifa, was released in June 2011. The Willis Tower (21000) was also released in 2011, this kit was a re-issue of the original Sears Tower kit; the only change was the printed tile to reflect the building's renaming.
An eleventh and twelfth set, the Robie House (21010) and the Brandenburg Gate (21011) were released in September 2011.[4][5]
In January 2012, it was announced that the next Architecture set would be 21012 Sydney Opera House. The set was released in March 2012.
In June 2012, Big Ben (21013) was released. In July 2012, the Namdaemun Gate (renamed Sungnyemun Gate) (21016) was released. In September 2012, the Villa Savoye (21014) was released. The Eames House (21015) and Glass House were scheduled and then canceled, as it never came out as a set. The company tried to add the Eames House in again with set number (21025), but nothing could be done to put it in production.
In June 2013, the Leaning Tower of Pisa (21015) was announced for the Lego Architecture series. Its set number (21015) replaced the original Eames House after it was canceled. United Nations Headquarters (21018) came out next. In October 2013, Marina Bay Sands and the Eiffel Tower were both announced.
| Set | Series | Name | Location | Released | Number of pieces | Retired | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21000 | Landmark | Sears Tower[6] |  Chicago |
2008 | 69 | 2014 | |
| Willis Tower | 2011 | .jpg)
| |||||
| 21001 | Landmark | John Hancock Center | Chicago |
2008 | 69 | 2012 | 
|
| 21002 | Landmark | Empire State Building | New York City |
2009 | 77 | 2015 | .jpg)
|
| 21003 | Landmark | Seattle Space Needle | Seattle |
2009 | 57 | 2016 | |
| 21004 | Architect | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum[7] | New York City |
2009 | 208 | 2014 | |
| 21005 | Architect | Fallingwater[7] | Mill Run, Pennsylvania |
2009 | 811 | 2015 | .jpg)
|
| 21006 | Architect | The White House | Washington, D.C. |
2010 | 560 | 2017 | |
| 21007 | Architect | Rockefeller Center | New York City |
2010 | 240 | 2014 | |
| 21008 | Landmark | Burj Khalifa[8] |  Dubai |
2011 | 208 | 2014 | |
| 21009 | Architect | Farnsworth House[9] | Plano, Illinois |
2011 | 546 | 2015 | 
|
| 21010 | Architect | Robie House[10] | Chicago |
2011 | 2,276 | 2014 | 
|
| 21011 | Landmark | Brandenburg Gate |  Berlin |
2011 | 363 | 2016 | |
| 21012 | Architect | Sydney Opera House[11] |  Sydney |
2012 | 270 | 2015 | |
| 21013 | Landmark | Big Ben[12] |  London |
2012 | 346 | 2017 | |
| 21014 | Architect | Villa Savoye[13] |  Paris |
2012 | 660 | 2016 | |
| 21015 | Landmark | The Leaning Tower of Pisa |  Pisa |
2013 | 345 | 2016 | |
| 21016 | Landmark | Sungnyemun[14] |  Seoul |
2012 | 325 | 2014 | |
| 21017 | Architect | Imperial Hotel[15] |  Tokyo |
2013 | 1,188 | 2016 | |
| 21018 | Landmark | United Nations Headquarters[16] | New York City |
2013 | 597 | 2016 | |
| 21019 | Landmark | The Eiffel Tower[17] | Paris |
2014 | 321 | 2019 | |
| 21020 | Landmark | Trevi Fountain[18] | Rome |
2014 | 731 | 2017 | |
| 21021 (limited edition) | Landmark | Marina Bay Sands |  Singapore |
2014 | 602 | 2016 | 
|
| 21022 | Landmark | Lincoln Memorial[19] | Washington, D.C. |
2015 | 274 | 2017 | 
|
| 21023 | Landmark | Flatiron Building | New York City |
2015 | 471 | 2017 | 
|
| 21024 | Landmark | Louvre | Paris |
2015 | 695 | 2019 | |
| 21026 | Skyline | Venice | Italy |
2016 | 212 | 2018 | |
| 21027 | Skyline | Berlin | Germany |
2016 | 289 | 2018 | |
| 21028 | Skyline | New York City | United States |
2016 | 598 | - | |
| 21029 | Landmark | Buckingham Palace | London |
2016 | 780 | 2019 | 
|
| 21030 | Landmark | United States Capitol | Washington, D.C. |
2016 | 1,032 | 2020 | |
| 21031 | Landmark | Burj Khalifa | Dubai |
2016 | 333 | 2018 | |
| 21032 | Skyline | Sydney[20] | Australia |
2017 | 361 | 2019 | |
| 21033 | Skyline | Chicago[20] | United States |
2017 | 444 | 2019 | |
| 21034 | Skyline | London[20] | United Kingdom |
2017 | 468 | - | |
| 21035 | Landmark | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum | New York City |
2017 | 744 | 2019 | 
|
| 21036 | Landmark | Arc de Triomphe | Paris |
2017 | 386 | 2019 | 
|
| 21037 (Lego House exclusive) |
Landmark | Lego House |  Billund, Denmark |
2017 | 774 | - | |
| 21038 | Skyline | Las Vegas | United States |
2018 | 487 | Replaced[a] | |
| 21039 | Skyline | Shanghai |  China |
2018 | 597 | 2021 | |
| 21041 | Landmark | Great Wall of China | China |
2018 | 551 | 2020 | |
| 21042 | Landmark | Statue of Liberty | New York City |
2018 | 1,685 | - | |
| 21043 | Skyline | San Francisco | United States |
2019 | 565 | 2021 | |
| 21044 | Skyline | Paris | France |
2019 | 649 | - | |
| 21045 | Landmark | Trafalgar Square | London |
2019 | 1,197 | 2022 | |
| 21046 | Landmark | Empire State Building | New York City |
2019 | 1,767 | 2022 | |
| 21047 | Skyline | Las Vegas | United States |
2018 | 501 | 2021 | |
| 21050 | Studio[21] | — | 2013 | 1,210 | 2019 | ||
| 21051 | Skyline | Tokyo | Japan |
2020 | 547 | 2022 | |
| 21052 | Skyline | Dubai | United Arab Emirates |
2020 | 740 | 2022 | |
| 21054 | Landmark | The White House | Washington, D.C. |
2020 | 1,483 | 2023 | |
| 21055 (European markets only) | Landmark | Burj Khalifa | Dubai |
2019 | 333 | 2022[b] | |
| 21056 | Landmark | Taj Mahal |  Agra |
2021 | 2,022 | - | |
| 21057 | Skyline[22] | Singapore | Singapore |
2022 | 827 | - | 
|
| 21058 | Landmark[23] | Great Pyramid of Giza |  Cairo |
2022 | 1,476 | - | |
| 21060 | Landmark[24] | Himeji Castle | Himeji |
2023 | 2,125 | - | |
| 21061 | Landmark[25] | Notre-Dame de Paris | Paris |
2024 | 4,383 | - |
- ^ Due to the 2017 Mandalay Bay hotel massacre, the Mandalay Bay was replaced by Bellagio and released as set #21047.
- ^ not retired in UAE
| Set | Name | Location | Released | Number of pieces | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4000002 | LOM Moulding |  Monterrey |
2011 | 174 | Given to employees. |
| 4000005 | KOM Moulding | Billund, Denmark |
2012 | 315 | Given to employees. Kornmarken Factory is the first and largest LEGO moulding and production factory. |
| 4000006 | Kladno Campus |  Kladno |
2012 | 250 | Given to employees. |
| 4000009 | HMV Production | Billund, Denmark |
2013 | 285 | Given to employees. HMV is the name of the packing factory at LEGO Billund, which this set is based on. |
| 4000010 | LEGO House[26] | Billund, Denmark |
2014 | 250 | Only sold at the LEGO House in Billund. Lego House opened in Billund in 2017. |
| 4000011 | Nyíregyháza Factory |  Nyíregyháza |
2014 | 327 | Given to employees. Lego model of the Nyíregyháza Factory. |
| 4000015 | LOM Moulding B | Monterrey |
2014 | 215 | Given to employees. Additional packing building, which expands the footprint of the existing facility. |
| 4000016 | Billund Airport | Billund, Denmark |
2014 | 281 | Only sold at Billund Airport. This set was made for the 50th anniversary of the Airport. |
| 4000018 | Kladno Campus | Kladno |
2015 | 412 | Given to employees. Kladno campus is the name of building C at the Czech Lego factory, which this set is based on. |
| 4000023 | Jiaxing Factory | China |
2016 | 407 | Given to employees. Set of the Lego factory in Jiaxing, China.[27][28] |
| 40199 | Billund Airport | Billund, Denmark |
2018 | 286 | Only sold at Billund Airport. New edition from 4000016, only 10,000 units sold, no longer available. |
| 4000038 | LEGO Campus | Billund, Denmark |
2022 | 1,494 | Given to employees. Released to celebrate the grand opening of the LEGO Campus on April 5, 2022. |
Impact
[edit]The product range has been reviewed favorably by many commentators. Journalist Jenny Williams said "The scale on these kits is pretty small, though, so don't expect exquisite detail. But creating with Lego bricks is quite a fun way to pay homage to great architects".[29]
In popular media
[edit]A near-exact replica of set 21006, The White House, appears in the eight story arc of the Japanese manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJolion, where it used by the villain character Poor Tom to activate his "stand" power, "Ozon Baby".[30][31][32]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "BrickLink Reference Catalog - Sets - Category LEGO Architecture". Bricklink. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
- ^ "About Lego Architecture". Lego Group. Retrieved 29 December 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Brickstructures". Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ Official Announcement: 21010 Robie House, 13 July 2011, archived from the original on 22 July 2011, retrieved 11 August 2011
- ^ Sarah Firsheinn (8 August 2011), Lego to Eternalize the Brandenburg Gate in Architecture Series, Curbed Network, archived from the original on 2 October 2011, retrieved 11 August 2011
- ^ "Sears Tower now named Willis Tower" Archived 2010-10-09 at the Wayback Machine. CNN. July 16, 2009
- ^ a b "Release of two Frank Lloyd Wright Collection sets from LEGO Architecture" Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. May 9, 2009
- ^ "The world's tallest building in LEGO bricks". Lego.com. May 25, 2011
- ^ "Modernist architectural icon immortalised in LEGO bricks" Archived 2012-04-22 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. April 4, 2011
- ^ "Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House Joins LEGO Architecture series" Archived 2012-04-22 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. September 19, 2011
- ^ "Sydney's revered opera house immortalized in LEGO bricks" Archived 2012-03-14 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. February 21, 2012
- ^ "LEGO® Big Ben celebrates Victorian London's greatest landmark" Archived 2012-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. April 18, 2012
- ^ "Le Corbusier's French masterpiece becomes a LEGO Architecture model" Archived 2012-09-07 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. August 31, 2012
- ^ "A Korean landmark recreated as LEGO Architecture" Archived 2012-05-30 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. May 14, 2012
- ^ "Revisit the Imperial Hotel with LEGO Architecture" Archived 2013-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. Lego.com. March 1, 2013
- ^ " Archived 2014-11-02 at the Wayback Machine. BrickExtra. May 15, 2013
- ^ Lego Architecture: Der Eiffelturm – das ist Spitze Ukonio.de 14 Oktober 2014
- ^ BREAKING: Trevi-fontein wordt volgende Lego Architecture set Archived 2018-08-21 at the Wayback Machine Madpac.nl 13 January 2014
- ^ Série LEGO Architecture incluirá o Lincoln Memorial e o Edifício Flatiron Archdaily.com
- ^ a b c "Architecture | 2017". Retrieved 2016-09-11.
- ^ " Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine. Brickset. June 29, 2013
- ^ "Soar into the Singapore skyline with LEGO Architecture". Brick Fanatics. 1 January 2022.
- ^ "LEGO Architecture 21058 Great Pyramid of Giza officially revealed". Brick Fanatics. 10 May 2022.
- ^ "21060 Himeji Castle revealed!". Brickset. 26 June 2023.
- ^ "REVIEW: #21061 Notre Dame (LEGO Architecture)". Brickarchitect. 10 May 2024.
- ^ Exclusive: 4000010 LEGO House Brickset.com 17 March 2014
- ^ "Newsroom - About Us - LEGO.com". www.lego.com.
- ^ Ruijter, Michiel de (28 November 2016). "Exclusieve LEGO 4000023 Jiaxing Factory set - Bouwsteentjes.info".
- ^ Jenny Williams (23 May 2009). "Frank Lloyd Wright + Lego = Awesome". Geekdad. Wired.
- ^ Araki, Hirohiko (2017). Escape from Mount Hanarero. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-881443-8.
- ^ Araki, Hirohiko (2018). North of the Higashikata Household. The Orchard. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-881452-0.
- ^ Araki, Hirohiko (2018). Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Wu Tomoki. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-881596-1.
