Were you one of those kids who loved playing with LEGO bricks? I sure was, so when I heard about this amazing attraction, I definitely added it to my bucket list.
In Denmark, they’ve built a LEGO house, designed by Bjarke Ingels’ architecture firm BIG, in the town of Billund, the birthplace of LEGO.
The house isn’t built of real LEGO bricks, of course, but it’s designed to look very much like it was. The building is constructed from 21 interlocking blocks, each with a roof of a different color. Atop the whole structure is a large keystone that has been designed to the exact proportions and style of a 2×4 LEGO brick
Ingels described the opportunity to design the building as “a childhood dream” in an interview with Dezeen in 2014. “If BIG had been founded with the purpose of building only one single building, it would be the LEGO house,” said Ingels.
The LEGO house features a large store, three different restaurants, conference facilities, and a huge space open to the public in the outer area. You can learn about the history behind the company if you visit the basement, and see some fan creations in the Masterpiece Gallery at the top of the building.
Not only is the building a tourist attraction, but the LEGO house also has Experience Zones for developing an array of competencies. The Green Zone is designed for exploring social competencies through activities like directing movies; the Blue Zone helps visitors train their cognitive competencies through exercises such as building robots and designing cities; the Yellow Zone will help visitors explore their emotional competencies; and the Red Zone is designed to encourage creativity.
Naturally, LEGO has a kit, also designed by BIG, of the LEGO house. Containing 774 pieces, it’s sure to be a challenge. The kit is part of the toy company’s LEGO Architecture series that features Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum, and a set of monochrome building bricks designed to give architects the opportunity to create buildings of their own.
The grand opening of the LEGO house will take place on September 28, 2017.
Admission to the LEGO house’s Experience Zones is 199 DK—about $32 US—for adults and children ages 3 to 12 (children up to 2 years of age get free admission), although you can visit the house itself for free.
For more information, visit the facility’s website. You can also watch a video on the making of LEGO House.
Photo: A miniature European city made from LEGO bricks. Credit: Irina Rogova / Shutterstock.com