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Lego’s secret of success hides in the detail
Lego has given the world a dive into the secrets behind the construction sets that have revived the brick-builder – and given it new appeal among adults. By ARTHUR GOLDSTUCK
He then took over from the originator of the Architecture series, Adam Tucker, an architect who had come to Lego’s attention through highly detailed constructions using available Lego kits. Big Ben was practically his audition.
“I didn’t go through the regular selection criteria for designers,” he confesses. “I came in through the side door, because I was drafted for my freelance expertise in architecture in general. At the time the Lego Architecture studio was a big box of white bricks, which had a book explaining architectural principles and how they relate to Lego. I was in academia, I was doing my PhD at the university at that time, so I had a really good insight into the theoretical part of the architecture. I was running my own firmwith my wife at that time, but I was also a fan of Lego.”
And there was one further element, which has been at the heart of Lego thriving for much of this decade: a massive focus on innovation.
“Just like architecture in the real world, they tend to push the limits of what’s feasible, construction-wise and material wise all the time,” says Kobe. “We have our own internal committees which preside over what is legal, but we tend to push the envelope all the time within Lego architecture.
“Every Lego architecture set has something special in the way it is built. For example, in the Shanghai skyline, we have the twisting tower, where we have just used projecting brick that’s being repeated 60-odd times. And then it is just twisted and it’s held internally by a flex cable. So the whole structure, top to bottom, is held together by an internal element. But we were able to achieve these curves which we wouldn’t be able to achieve by just stacking regular Lego bricks.”
Kobe’s enthusiasm grows as he talks through various iconic models. The New York skyline in particular hides many tricks of the Lego trade. Aside from miniature models of structures, separate “giant” models of the likes of the Empire State Building have also been created. This has allowed Kobe to explore the architecture of these buildings in ways not previously possible.
“A big Empire State Building was able to capture a lot of the original traits of the original architects and the original structure of the building. The inside of the building is not simply constructed out of varying bricks, but it actually has a purpose. It showcases the original building so that the actual substructure of the building is really good steel, just like on the original. I hope that, for people who are building thatmodel, it creates a stronger connection with the original building.”
Read more about other iconic buildings available in Lego.
