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LEGO® SET AS A TOOL ENHANCING CREATIVITY IN ARCHITECTURE, URBAN PLANNING AND DESIGN Armando Garcia Teixeira, Ján Legény, Michal Brašeň

INTRODUCTION HISTORY OF LEGO® Architecture as a discipline has the inherent The Lego® Brick is a cultural phenomenon potential of overlapping with areas that do with its own history. It was designed in not appear related to its own scope of func- Denmark during the Cold War that followed tions at first sight. Along with town plan- WWII and has since swept the world off its ning, the discipline is closely linked with feet. First patented on 28 January 1958, the mass evaluation, mutual relations of build- use and popularity of the Lego® Group (here- ings’ volumes impacting on the users’ and inafter referred to as “the LEGO Group”) has inhabitants’ everyday life. Contemporary IT grown exponentially through the decades and technologies enable architecture to “material- most likely surpassed the expectations of Ole ise” in virtual space (to be performed in silico, Kirk Christiansen, a bold carpenter of hum- i.e. on computer or via computer simulation, ble beginnings, based in Billund (Denmark). transl. note) but the creative design process In 1932, Ole founded a factory that would calls for the direct connection between the later become the house of Lego and the LEGO hand and the mind – using a “thinking hand” Group, and be led by his grandsons in the whenever one is in need of inspiration, as years to come. Taking its name originally by Juhani Pallasmaa argues.1 The idea is that, by a derivation from the Danish phrase leg godt suspending one’s critical faculties and let- (meaning “play well”), Lego® mainly produced ting one’s hand simply roam free, one’s fin- wooden toys; remarkably, the 1950s famous gers might fashion something unexpected. duck may be the most emblematic toy in the Besides sketching or modelling there exist company’s early history. Following the trend other tools which can be applied in the de- of those years, the company’s expansion into sign process. The aim of this article is to ex- the plastic toys segment took place between plain the relation between the Lego® set and 1940 and 1949. It was not before mid-1950s architecture, urban planning and design, to that the company’s production consisted pre- identify its potential for creation, creativity, dominantly of plastic while wooden toys were and design innovation, and also to justify it as discontinued in the 1960s. The generations a teaching tool. raised in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s lived in

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the creation process with the Mindstorms 2.0 and Mindstorms NXT.5 The very same could be said about the Ideas sets, where fans sub- mit a creation that is reviewed by the compa- ny after gaining ten thousand votes from the community around the globe. The latest addi- tions include the Treehouse, the Steamboat Willie, Dinosaur Fossils, the Pop-Up Book and the Ship in a Bottle. Over the course of writing this paper the authors encountered numerous astonishing original MOCs that could very well summarize the current state of brick-built inventions better than words (→ 1). The LEGO Group hysteria did not go un- noticed in the mainstream media when Bloomberg dedicated an article entitled The Hot New Asset Class Is Lego® Sets and Newsweek released two special editions (Newsweek 2018 and 2019) celebrating 60 years of the Lego® brick as we know it and 40 years of Lego® minifigures “minifigs”( with their fixed scale of 1:48) in the following year, respectively.6 By 2019, the LEGO Group an- nounced there are more minifigures than 1 Left to right actual human beings in the world. Another Pablo Sánchez Jiménez interesting fact is that as a widespread con- (creator of the approved Lego® Ideas’ Pirate Bay) rendered in the software Stud.io; the memorable time of classic space, castle struction toy in the world it reaches the error The recreation of Erwin Govaerts’ and pirate lines of sets, causing commotion rate in manufacturing of 5 pieces per 1 mil- Raf & Otje’s playground in Turnhout (Belgium) and nostalgia while prompting the reissuance lion bricks. with 50 thousand bricks; of many of the classics in later years. Nowadays, the Lego® Architecture’s and the cyberpunk favela by Sebastien Bachorzewski. Source: Courtesy of the creators who allowed Today, the LEGO Group has developed Edition is very popular mainly among archi- the reproduction of their work in this paper. a worldwide community of enthusiasts tects and architecture lovers. These minimal- from a diverse set of age groups and back- ist sets aim to “celebrate the past, present and grounds. AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego®) and future of architecture through the Lego® Brick”.7 youngsters organize fairs where they display The brand includes a series of Lego® sets de- their Lego® MOCs (my own creation)2. Some signed by Adam Reed Tucker (CEO of the are accepted as ambassadors by the com- Brickstructures, Inc.), and each contains the pany and voluntarily promote the hobby via pieces and instructions to build a model of a social media and events such as the Brick famous architectural building in micro-scale. Universe Fan Convention and Brickfair Lego® The buildings are further categorised into Fan Expo (US), Festibriques (FR) or Lego® three smaller series: TheLandmark Series, the Fanwelt (DE). The brick experience is guar- Architect Series, and the Skyline Series. From anteed in several thematic parks around the the beginning of 2009 until 2019, 45 sets globe where exclusive sets are available for with 10 special editions were released, includ- purchase. The AFOL romance was well de- ing the Villa Savoye, Empire State Building, picted in the book Lego®: a Love Story.3 Jeff Sears Tower, Sydney Opera House, the Friesen narrates a tour of the U.S.A. overplay- Leaning Tower of Pisa, Guggenheim Museum ing the stereotypes of the visited locations in and many others. every state with brick built sceneries.4 The latest edition –Lego® Architecture After diversifying its portfolio in the late Studio – comprises white block sets, using 1990s and early 2000s, the LEGO Group dealt primarily the smaller “plate” pieces rather with a setback in profits. In response, the than the larger “brick” pieces. „This allows company involved and encouraged users in creating very compact, yet highly detailed

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replicas of buildings designed to scale.“The limiting.10 The increase in the variability of main aim of this edition is to get young and shapes, angles and the number of pieces does old bricksmiths across the world over to allow for an expansion in the possibility of thinking about the core concepts of archi- creation with the parts included in a set. After tectural design. Using the white colour actu- all, even sets that follow strict guidelines on ally creates natural lines and shadows that how to build or play with them can be seen as can represent architectural shapes and forms boxes packed with interesting/useful pieces more accurately. This edition has another for one’s MOC (My Own Creation). advantage, too. “With every Lego® Architecture In 2014, Mark J.P. Wolf as an editor ana- Studio, Lego® has included a vividly designed lysed, with other authors, the media phenom- 268-page book that illustrates real-world case enon of the LEGO brand and its potential studies of six different professional forms (REX for media studies within the volume of his- Architecture, Sou Fujimoto, SOM, MAD toric studies of the bricks.11 In his study, Mr. Architects, Tham & Videgård, and Safdie Giddings highlights a gap in the actual play- Architects) trying to seriously explain the princi- ing with Lego®, where a distinction needs ples of the original architectural design by show- to be drawn between a world of narrative in ing how you can do it all in Lego®.”8 It includes unthemed sets, meaning the proto-architec- theories on architecture and construction, tural bricks, before the themed Lego® Space where authors get their inspirations from or was released in the 1970s, and the newer sets how their design process works. (→ 2) where the imaginative aspect may be hin- The Lego® Company also supports many dered by strict guidelines, and a prefabricated other projects and competitions, such as the phantasmagorical world such as in the Star Inspireli Awards, the world’s biggest global Wars, Harry Potter or Marvel themed sets.12 student contest in architecture, urban de- However, in the same book, there is a detailed 2 Top to bottom sign, landscape and interior design, involv- account of the LEGO Group’s timeless suc- Model of Villa Savoye. ing 136 countries around the world. This cess through different epochs from a national Author: Blipken; Available at: https://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego®_Architecture_21014_Villa_ year was a very special one for the Faculty to a global product. From this perspective, Savoye.jpg of Architecture of the Slovak University of Koncazk describes this development as influ- Model of Guggenheim Museum. Technology (FA SUT), Bratislava, Slovakia, enced by the 19th century National Romantic Author: Blipken; Available at: https://commons. after two students won the special section – Movement and the Biedermeier culture – re- wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego®_Architecture_21035_ Solomon_R._Guggenheim_Museum.jpg “Design a real project” in October 2019. Their spect for family, church values and close ties Model of Lincoln Memorial. design of the Czech Embassy in Addis Ababa to the local community – from national to ro- Author: Blipken; Available at: https:// was transformed into a unique Lego® model mantic and transmedial.13 commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego®_ Architecture_21022_Lincoln_Memorial.jpg in a special Powered by Lego® Architecture Furthermore, it is important to highlight box. This limited Lego® set edition – only that although there was a clear shift from un- three sets were produced – has mainly collec- themed sets to story-driven ones e.g. Ninjago, tor’s value. (→ 3) the increase of space and pirate-related sets such as Nasa Apollo Saturn V, Nasa Apollo 11 POTENTIALS AND LIMITS Lunar Lander, Ship in a Bottle and the upcom- OF THE LEGO® SET ing Pirate Bay may indicate a potential return The consideration of plastic bricks as objects to the classics.14 (Tab → 1) beyond mere children toys has made a rela- tively recent debut within the academic realm, LEGO® FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES and we would like to briefly discuss it before When speaking of the advantages of the Lego® moving towards the main topic of this paper. set, its use in medical treatment must also The building blocks seem to have encountered be mentioned. Although it is not primar- a critical standpoint according to two recent ily linked with architectural education, the studies, where the number and diversification Lego® set is also applied to treat communica- of bricks was the focus.9 It is plausible to ar- tion disorders of autistic children. TheLego® ®- gue that if there were limitations concerning based therapy (also known as Lego® therapy) the possibility of creation within the LEGO was originally developed by US psycholo- Group products with regard to the shift from gist Daniel LeGoff15 followed by Professor simple bricks to complex, more structured Simon Baron-Cohen, and Dr. Gina Gómez de sets, the process of creation can be seen as la Cuesta from the University of Cambridge

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3 Left to right Students Jana Hájková and Kristína Boháčová from the Faculty of Architecture STU in Bratislava won the Inspireli Awards special section – “Design the real project”. Their design of the Czech Embassy in Addis Ababa was transformed into a unique Lego® model in a special Powered by Lego® Architecture box. Photo: ČVUT Prague. Design of the embassy. Photo: Kristína Boháčová.

Tabuľka 1 Comparison of potentials and limitations of Pros (+) the Lego® set in architectural and design education. Item Description

Time modular bricks enable users to create design very quickly and easily

Variability 2,350 elements in approx. 50 colours

bricks & pieces can be acquired based on demand via PAB (Pick a Brick) online, PAB wall at Availability stores or marketplaces e.g. Bricklink

Modularity assemble and disassemble

Cons (-)

Item Description

the kit is quite expensive, especially some specific bricks (the Architecture Studio set costs Price approx. £150)

the LEGO Group moves further away from proto-architectural bricks to specific constructs Instructions which, due to their complexity, include colourful bricks to ease the process for a variety of builders while emphasizing the building experience by following the instructions

Commodity the commodification of the bricks turning into an economic asset

Autism Research Centre. Nowadays, it is an education. Participants/children mostly take increasingly popular social skills programme on different roles which need to be fulfilled – for children and young people with social including the role of an Engineer, who has the communication problems such as autism instructions and uses plans to describe the spectrum disorders (ASD). The recipients construction needed and bricks, a Supplier of this therapy work together to build Lego® who finds the correct bricks as described by models, allowing them to develop social skills the Engineer and gives them to the Builder, such as turn taking, collaboration and social and the Builder who uses the verbal instruc- communication. The key to this approach tions given by the Engineer to put the bricks lies in its engaging and enjoyable form of / model together. Within this therapy, all

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4 The bricks have the same number of studs as are used for individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/04/26/ Lego®-braille-bricks-blind-children/

persons involved take turns to play these dif- general, whether one talks about town plan- ferent roles and immediately have a joint fo- ning or design, are an essential element of cus on the same thing. As a result, children building with Lego®. Numerous examples work together, interact one with another and the authors presented in the pictures above – can learn without fear or anxiety. This access built with bricks or other materials – requires to stress-free social opportunities provides deliberate thinking about space and phys- guidelines for parents and supports vital re- ics and finally, creativity and innovation in search in the field of autism, too. producing these works or replicas. In other Brynjar Karl Birgisson, a 15-year old words, there exists a great conceptual tool at Icelandic boy with autism, built a Titanic rep- one’s disposal, which perhaps may be down- lica with sixty-five thousand Lego® bricks. The played due to its simplicity and straightfor- LEGO Group subsidized his work, affording wardness. Needless to say, one does not need him a discount when acquiring the pieces to hold a degree in architecture, urbanism or needed for his project. The model, which now design to plan and craft a brick built structure resides at the Titanic Museum in Tennessee that may – more or less – check the boxes of (USA), was previously displayed in Iceland, what a professional in the area would regard Sweden, Norway and Germany. Brynjar, who as quintessential features of an architectural would like to become a captain one day, has creation. Notwithstanding, the intrinsic po- now turned his interests towards exploring tentiality and practicality of deploying bricks the history of ships in general and recognizes in the service of architecture should not be that Lego® played an essential role in building overlooked. The aspect of playfulness in the his confidence.16 process breaks away from stringency and se- The fact that in 2019 the LEGO Group de- riousness by intertwining the act of bringing veloped a brick version with printed letters a new idea into existence with the sound of and numbers from the Braille alphabet and bricks clicking, alluding to childhood memo- with standard symbols – numbers and letters ries, while prompting joyfulness, fun and which are compatible with Lego®’s wider col- humour from the outset. It also welcomes any lection – is very inspiring from the medical novice to the process of creation. aspect. Therefore, blind and partially sighted TheSuperkilen public park in Nørrebro, children can learn to read while playing with Copenhagen is an example of playful inter- the Lego® set. There are 250 bricks in total in action with the landscape. By integrating this unique set covering the full alphabet, the components of diverse social and cultural numbers between zero and nine and a selec- backgrounds, the project aims to represent, tion of mathematical symbols. It is expected acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of that the interactive nature of the design will the neighbourhood. Other examples are the give the children with visual impairment an Dortheavej low-income affordable housing opportunity to develop new skills, enhance and the three-dimensional perimeter block of their abilities and give them a fighting chance 8 House also located in Copenhagen. Instead in the labour market. (→ 4) of simply standing for architectural objects, they in fact explore new ways of co-existing. LEGO® IN ARCHITECTURE DESIGN Both of these constructions carry the name The basics of structural engineering and of the Bjarke Ingels Group, or BIG. The group the forethought required in architecture in also developed projects such as the dazzling

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5 The Lego® House in Billund Available at: https://www.Lego®.com/cs-cz/aboutus/ news/2019/september/Lego®-house-images

Vancouver House in Canada and a ski slope comprised of playgrounds resembling inter- knowledge that clicking bricks together to atop of a heat and waste-to-power plant in connected colourful bricks. The object as a form more complex objects requires just a Copenhagen. It should come as no surprise whole invites the public to inhabit the world little of artistic talent and not much of techni- that when commissioning the Lego® House of bricks, play, coexist and co-create, trans- cal knowledge. Using simple 3D blocks (8- in Billund to (proportionately) epitomise the forming reality with new shapes and forms. pin brick-like blocks), children/students can ultimate Lego® experience, the LEGO Group (→ 5) explore architecture and creation, and it can closed a deal with BIG. Lego® and the works of Bjarke Ingels evi- help them to develop a sense of spatial rela- The Lego® House is an open museum un- dently have the element of playfulness in com- tions and shapes.18 like any other where visitors are invited and mon. The architect lucidly points out that the If one speaks about the positive effects of encouraged to interact with the artefacts. The aforementioned Dortheavej project was in- Lego® related to teaching architecture design, architectural object celebrates the culture spired by the flexibility discovered while plac- some specific learning approaches have to be of the brick, displaying the adaptability (a ing bricks in slightly different orientations. A mentioned. Many pioneers of this unusual crucial factor in architecture) of the toy in a similar approach is to be found in the recent teaching procedure are of the opinion that real-life model. The designers paid attention Lego® Campus building in Billund designed through Lego® sets students are able to: to every little detail: the interior is decorated by C.F. Møller Architects. In brief, innova- • Compare the difference between towers by with pixelated objects that are or can be made tive thinking, creative and playful experience differing heights and base sizes and dis- out of Lego®, the skylights imitate the studs are the brand’s key characteristics speaking cuss other ideas to improve building stabil- on a brick and the façades are made out of about its impact on architecture.17 ity. Hence, they are learning the basics of ceramic tiles based on the 2×4 measurement Handling Lego® is appealing to many peo- architecture and engineering; of basic bricks, giving the look of a smooth, ple of all age groups and educational or so- • Construct one or more Lego® models that flat finish tile-plated facade. The variety of in- cial backgrounds. Therefore, the sets are can mimic a real-world software process stallations underline the fluidity and organic very suitable for teaching and explaining ba- that consists of many interrelated activities. shapes that can be achieved by combining a sic architectural principles in a simple way. Throughout this process, it can be said that number of very little bricks in different and Advantages and disadvantages in this mat- the pixelation of the environment occurs unusual forms. Moreover, the roofscape is ter were presented in Table 1. It is common

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6 High-rise buildings built of Lego® sets at the Inspireli Awards workshop in Prague, October 2019. Photos: ČVUT Prague in a fashion similar to software program- change, if needed, are intrinsically related ming but with actual plastic bricks; to and an integral part of the creating with • Focus on the trade-offs of choosing differ- the bricks. (→ 6) ent architectural styles (patterns) to design The concept of modular building com- and develop a complex system. The base- prised predominantly in the Creator Expert plate is a blank canvas, the pieces one has line sees a new set release annually. Among at his or her disposal delineate the possi- the classics are the Pet Shop, Town Hall bilities and limitations of implementing and the Grocery Shop. Matt Snelling from the idea. Within the brick world, let’s say ASLA (The American Society of Landscape e.g. I am working with Modified 1 × 2 × 1 2/3 Architecture) along with the HOK team devel- with Studs on 1 Side bricks. I can choose to oped an innovative drainage solution called create a flat plate finish on the outside, use Freno in order to tackle stormwater runoffs.19 the studs on the material for ornaments, Inspired by the architect’s childhood passion greenery, or invert the pieces indoors to for Lego®, the three-type concrete panels are reinforce curtains, furniture, or to simul- combined in a structure that can be shaped in taneously support a wall and be part of the a variety of combinations, creating rain gar- exterior façade; dens while cutting costs; they can also be eas- • Learn about the need for flexible design ily replaced or rotated if damaged. to accommodate stakeholder changes and The overlapping between architecture and needs. Just as in a real-life architectural construction toys that foster the keenness project, adaptability to the surroundings to build and create has been known for dec- and landscape as well as flexibility for ades. During 1970s, Frank Lloyd Wright, who

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7 Using the Lego® set during Building Construction I. at the Faculty of Architecture, STU in Bratislava. Photos: Tomáš Hubinský

8 GIS data is used to create “Lego®-tized,” 3-dimensional representations of existing urban areas. The model is augmented with layers of information via projection mapping. Layers: Left: mobility system; Right: Google satellite image Photo from MIT Media Lab (https://www. media.mit.edu/people/jiw/overview/)

9 GIS data is used to create “Lego®-tized,” 3-dimensional representations of existing urban areas. The model is augmented with layers of information via projection mapping. Layers: Left: solar insolation; Right: Twitter user activity Photo from MIT Media Lab (https://www. media.mit.edu/people/jiw/overview/)

would later become a renowned 20th cen- 2019, our colleague Ing. arch. Tomáš instruments which are flexible, narrative, tury architect and designed works such as Hubinský from the Institute of Structures in powerful and make this process as easy as the Fallingwater residence and the Solomon Architecture and Engineering Buildings, start- possible. R. Guggenheim Museum, used to play with ed to use this Lego® set to teach basic struc- In this regard, one can mention the the Fröbelgaben (in English: Fröbel gifts) as tural principles in the Building Construction I CityScope project developed by MIT’s a child. So did Walter Gropius who is con- course. By means of the Lego® bricks of vari- MediaLab, which uses augmented reality sidered to be one of the forerunners of mod- ous colours, he introduces essential methods (Augmented Reality Decision Support Systems – ernist architecture, along with Alvar Aalto of how to build a brick wall by applying differ- ARDSS) to quickly and simply model the ef- and Frank Lloyd Wright. The Fröbel gifts are ent bricklaying and binding techniques. (→ 7) fects of large-scale urban-planning decisions, named after their inventor Friedrich Fröbel, allowing urban planning to be more accessib- a German pedagogue considered to be the LEGO® AND TOWN-PLANNING le. The technology employs TIM Tangible-( creator of the concept of kindergarten. His aim Urban design is a very complex process in- Interactive Mapping), a tangible-interactive was to design an educational material that volving a lot of analyses (e. g. solar poten- rapid prototyping environment for matrices would focus on the individual child’s apti- tial, shadow ratio, heat islands, intensity of of data. “TIM uses an array of optically tagged tude while triggering their creative instincts. transport, etc.) and inputs that urban plan- Lego® bricks on the tabletop with overhead pro- Mike Davies, the architect behind the Centre ners have to consider. A specific feature of jectors that beam color-coded metrics onto each Georges Pompidou and the Lloyd’s building, architectural design is the constant need for brick. Every Lego® piece has a special chip that was inspired by Meccano sets. seeking, deciding on, displaying and evaluat- communicates with overhead projectors, which In fact, these blocks and products present ing alternative solutions. Model representa- beam metrics affected by each decision onto the a hands-on opportunity to learn the basics of tion of architectural or urban concepts is the new configuration. Chips of each brick are as- structural engineering, which involves un- basis of an efficient and creative method that signed user-determined variables such as walka- derstanding of physics and creativity. Experts supports the decision-making process by in- bility, access to jobs, housing or open space and in this field examine similar questions while teractive visual validation of the work model. can easily be evaluated in the following way: once crafting buildings, bridges, cars, dams, stadi- Therefore, respecting the developments in assembled on the tabletop, the objects can repre- ums and other large structures. In September IT tools, architects search for methods and sent an existing neighbourhood, city or region,

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10 Projections of layers on the plate with Lego® urban structure. Photo by Eszter Dávida, KÉK - Contemporary Architecture Centre in Budapest, June 2018.

11 Technology of projection. Photo by Eszter Dávida, KÉK - Contemporary Architecture Centre in Budapest, June 2018. and users are able to pick up and insert, move or development, computation, data analytics, remove individual components while these chan- and digital geography try to develop a tangi- ges to the city are visually revealed in real-time by ble city simulator monitoring the potential changing color-codes projected onto the pieces. changes of the building’s functions and their It is a combination of computer vision and 3D resultant effects in this urban area. This con- projection mapping. Such systems blend hard- temporary device enhances teamwork and ware, software, human interface design, cloud intervention design using data-based physical computation, and variants of so-called big data.” and digital tools. (→ 10, 11) 20 (→ 8, 9) At the Bratislava’s Faculty of Architecture, Such methodology is currently being de- we usually follow the traditional route of ur- veloped by the faculty’s project partner ban design, the staple of most architecture KÉK - Contemporary Architecture Centre in practices, meaning the use of cutters – a hot Budapest, Hungary. Supported and spon- wire and polystyrene foam or laser cutters. sored by the U.S. Embassy in Budapest and Students cut out the building volumes and elaborated within the Shared Cities Creative put them on a plate while simulating their Momentum and Architectural Model Festival various specific positions and relations. This series projects, this research platform fo- process requires much more time than using cuses on future development scenarios for Lego® bricks and, another disadvantage is the Csepel Plant area, the city’s most signifi- the production of unpleasant and unhealthy cant industrial heritage, and one of its most vapours during the cutting process. Other important brownfield zones. By mobilizing more contemporary practices include digi- the data collected on the area during a 2-year tal software or a 3D printer, which are time- research project by KÉK while using the saving. Several years ago, the Faculty had the CityScope framework, stakeholders in urban Laboratory of model simulation, which used

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12 Opto-electronic simulation device with graphic output on a PC monitor or data projector; Recording of the testing of urban atmosphere in the (professional) design model of Bratislava Podhradie location; Endoscope interaction in model, scale M 1:200. Photo: Assoc. Prof. Ing. arch. Peter Kardoš, PhD. Available at: https://www.stuba.sk/sk/vyskume/dalsie- laboratoria-a-vyskumne-pracoviska-stu/laboratorium- modelovej-simulacie.html?page_id=7836

the analogue and analogue-digital model producing small artefacts such as tables and simulations based on architectural endosco- divider screens or in a few ambitious projects py. It was equipped with an opto-electronic of fairly large dimensions. For instance, the simulation device, which allowed for the per- Lego® team spent more than 13,000 hours formance of an interactive situational survey working on a non-glued, fully-functional and in the environment of a physical (artificial) self-propelled Lego® Technic model of the urban, architectural model or artefact with Bugatti Chiron which can hit the speeds of a graphic output displayed on the monitor. 20 mph. The LEGO Group’s first ever large- Unfortunately, the Faculty’s lab no longer ex- scale mobile construction is packed with ists, and we do not currently have a substitute 2,304 motors and 4,032 technic gear wheels. for it. (→ 12) One can also list many street art installa- tions and artwork such as the Lego® bridge, LEGO® AND DESIGN a 250 square meters painting in Wuppertal, With the exception of architects, town-plan- awarded by the Deutscher Fassadenpreis ners and researchers in medicine, this in- Advancement Prize in 2012 or one of the most novative and trendsetting company has had recognizable Lego® sculptures, the “Yellow” by profound and unparalleled influence on de- Nathan Sawaya which can be seen at “The Art signers and their inventiveness and creativity. of the Brick” at the Denver Museum of Nature Thetoy design in itself can manifest its poten- & Science in June 2020. (→ 13, 14, 15, 16) tial as a final product, an element of interior In the era of climate change and the issue design or as a conceptual tool in street art. of how to mitigate the environmental impact The LEGO Group’s most famous slogan“It’s A of plastics, the LEGO Group as a partner of New Toy Every Day” endorses this concept. In World Wildlife Fund (WWF) came up with design, the Lego® bricks are mainly used for a range of botanical elements made from

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14 Top to bottom Retail Interior Design – 26.25 square meters Lego® room in Silpo by Kassa, Kiyv, Ukraine Available at: http://www.kassa.org. uk/en/Lego®-room-in-silpo/

soft, durable and flexible polyethylene plas- CONCLUSION tic, manufactured using sugarcane ethanol in Architects, like all human beings, sometimes 2018, all this with the aim to reduce plastic have prejudice and tend to condemn simple waste i.e. its ecological footprint. At present, concepts related to design education. As the the plant-shaped pieces only account for a authors have already stated, nowadays stu- 13 Top to bottom small percentage of its outputs and parts of dents are distracted mainly by the emerging The Lego® Table by Yusong Zhang comprises of set pieces but the LEGO Group’s ultimate goal information technologies (information soci- 10,480 bricks. 22 Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2018/08/27/Lego®- is to produce all of its bricks from sustainably ety, net-generation). Besides, Frank Weiner coffee-table-yusong-zhang-comprises-10480-bricks/ sourced bio-based plastics which are biode- states the following about the old studio EverBlock, a new modular building system of gradable by 2030. Other measures taken by models of the modern and postmodern era: oversized bricks capable of forming fantastic life- Lego® in order to reduce its CO emissions in- (…) the monastic condition is (due to distrac- sized creations. 2 Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/everblock- clude an investment in wind power facilities tions) simply no longer possible (…) and which modular-plastic-blocks/ used in the brick manufacturing production. (…) would either question the model or cause Fully functional, life-sized version of the Bugatti The reissuance of the Vestas Wind Turbine set new models to emerge.23 Due to this fact, per- Chiron sports car made of Lego®. Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ also in 2018, underscores the company’s at- haps the Lego® set should be enthusiastically commons/5/51/Lego®_Bugatti_Chiron_-_Mondial_ tempt to move in the eco-friendly direction.21 embraced by some of us, and we can become de_l%27Automobile_de_Paris_2018_-_004.jpg This approach will hopefully be very inspiring the AAFOLs (adult architect fans of Lego®) to for designers and toy manufacturers in gen- implement this kit along with contempo- eral. (→ 13, 14, 15, 16) rary information technologies into the early stages of the architectural and town-planning LEGO® VIRTUAL MODELS education process at the SUT’s Faculty of For the steadfast loyal AFOLs, there is an Architecture. After all, Lego® bricks, together open-source IT tool entitled LeoCAD with an with other similar blocks and building brands intuitive interface that allows users to start such as Meccano, the Spanish Tente blocks or creating new virtual design models with Lego® the slightly older Exin Castillos (castle build- bricks without having to spend too much time ing blocks), have helped children (and not learning how to use the software. LeoCAD is only children) from all over the world to de- fully compatible with LDraw Standard and velop spatial vision and a love for building, related tools and reads and writes LDR and development and engineering, which repre- MPD files so that one can share and download sent crucial elements of our everyday life. models from the Internet. It uses the LDraw Parts Library which has nearly 10,000 differ- ent parts. This tool can be a stepping stone for aspiring designers and developers alike that have an avid interest in starting a career at the LEGO Group or simply would like to venture into a world of virtual brick possibili- ties. (→ 17)

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15 Left to right The Lego® bridge in Wuppertal by the street artist Megx (Martin Heuwold) revitalized in 2011. Available at: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ commons/7/75/Lego®br%C3%BCcke_Wuppertal_1.jpg The Cherry blossom tree made from over 800,000 Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/cherry-blossom- Lego® bricks originally designed in the Czech tree-legoland-japan/ Republic and created by the LEGOLAND in Japan, Street art intervention using Lego® bricks to repair 2018. a wall breakdown. Available at: https://www.isupportstreetart. com/Lego®-street-art/

17 Screenshot taken from the LeoCAD IT tool which 16 Left to right Available at: https://www.needpix.com/photo/ is optimized for large models. Picture of the Tower The Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” in Lego® bricks. download/702594/Lego®-yellow-statue-human-open- Bridge, an official set with over 4,000 pieces. Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ soul-art-installation-free-pictures-free-photos Available at: https://www.leocad.org/ mharrsch/35163396956 Nathan Sawaya’s “Yellow”, one of his most recognizable Lego® sculptures.

1 PALLASMAA, Juhani: The Thinking Hand: Existential and 10 WILLARD, Mary B.: Constructing Creativity. In: COOK, Roy T. 19 different ways (not taking symmetries into account); Embodied Wisdom in Architecture. Chichester UK, John - BACHARACH, Sondra: Lego® and Philosophy: Constructing with a third block, options increase to over 300, and with Wiley and Sons Ltd. 2009. reality brick by brick. Oxford, Wiley Blackwell 2017, pp. 7-9. a fourth to close to 7,000. With just 10 bricks there are more than 300 billion ways of fitting them together. Using 2 One of the co-authors of this paper, Armando Garcia 11 WOLF, Mark J.P. (ed.): Lego® Studies: Examining the Building a computer-based software, the mathematician Søren Teixeira, is an AFOL and goes by the name of CorN MaN in Blocks of a Transmedial Phenomenon. New York, Routledge Eilers states that there are 915,103,765 possible stacking the Lego® community, paying homage to the corn cob guy 2014. combinations with 6 bricks. minifigure. 12 GIDDINGS, Seth. In: WOLF, Mark J.P. (ed.): Lego® Studies: 19 HAZELRIGG, George: From Lego®s to Rain Gardens. In: 3 BENDER, Jonathan: Lego®: A Love Story. New Jersey, John Examining the Building Blocks of a Transmedial Landscape Architecture Magazine, June 2011: 38,40. Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2010. Phenomenon. New York, Routledge 2014, pp. 241-267. 20 GRAS, Jose Antonio: Open Urban Planning: CityScope, 4 FRIESEN, Jeff: United States of Lego® (R):A Brick Tour of 13 KONCAZK, Lars: The Cultural History of Lego®. In: WOLF, an interactive Lego® City by MIT’s MediaLab. In: America. New York, Skyhorse Publishing 2019. Mark J.P. (ed.): Lego® Studies: Examining the Building Blocks More than Green - the multimedia encyclopedia of of a Transmedial Phenomenon. New York, Routledge 2014, 5 LAUWAERT, Maaike: Playing Outside the Box – on Lego® ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC & CULTURAL pp. 40-41. toys and the changing world of construction play. In: SUSTAINABILITY in the urban environment. [27-10- History and Technology - An International Journal, Vol. 24, 14 RICKSET. Ten Things in Ten Years - Reduced Focus Upon 2019] Available at: http://www.morethangreen.es/en/ no. 3 (Apr 2008): 221-237. ‘Traditional’ Themes. Available at: open-urban-planning-cityscope-an-interactive-Lego®- https://brickset.com/article/47047/ten-things-in-ten-years- city-by-mits-medialab/?fbclid=IwAR2C4HrMC91rwgqr 6 POPINA, Elena: The Hot New Asset Class Is Lego® Sets. In: reduced-focus-upon-traditional-themes lj_ctlagTyjaQgvythfT8dmASW06zym63S8lLBmoYwM Bloomberg - Economics. (17.1.2019) Available at: https:// www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-17/Lego®- 15 LeGOFF, Daniel: Use of Lego® as a Therapeutic Medium for 21 The LEGO Group’s fictional oil company, Octan, which collecting-delivers-huge-and-uncorrelated-market-returns Improving Social Competence. In: Journal of Autism and made its first appearance back in 1992 has also adhered to Developmental Disorders, 34, 5, (2004), 557-571. renewable energy sources in recent sets. 7 “About Lego® Architecture”. Lego® Group. Retrieved 29 December 2009. Available at: www.Lego®.com 16 BELAM, Martin: Icelandic boy’s Titanic Lego® replica makes 22 LEGÉNY, Ján – ŠPAČEK, Robert – MORGENSTEIN, Peter. it safely across to US museum In: The Guardian (17.4.2018) Binding architectural practice with education Slovak 8 BROWNLEE, John: A Monochrome Lego® Set To Teach Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/ University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia. In: Global Tomorrow’s Architects. In: Fast Company, Available at: apr/17/icelandic-boys-titanic-Lego®-replica-us-museum- journal of engineering education. Vol. 20, Iss. 1 (2018), p. https://www.fastcompany.com/1673217/a-monochrome- worlds-biggest 6-14. Lego®-set-to-teach-tomorrows-architects 17 Available at: https://www.Lego®.com/en-us/aboutus/ 23 WEINER, Frank, Architectural education. In: ERA21, 17, 4, 7 9 BARTNECK, Christoph - MOLTCHANOVA, Elena: Lego® news/2019/october/Lego®-campus-grand-opening (2017). products have become more complex. Edited by Joel S. Bader. Vol. 13. 1 vols. PLoS ONE, 2018. 18 The possibilities offered by these blocks are limitless: just two 8-pin brick-like blocks can be fitted together in

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