LEGO ARCHITECTURE BIG BEN - LEGO Architecture in the 1960 s

ThehistoryofcurrentLEGOArchitectureseriescanbe
tracedbacktothebeginningoftheswhentheLEGO
brick’spopularitywasstillsteadilyincreasingGodtfred
KirkChristiansenthethenownerofthecompanybegan
looking for ways to further expand the LEGO system
andaskedhisdesignerstocomeupwithasetofnew
componentsthatwouldaddanewdimensiontoLEGO
building

Theiranswerwasassimpleasitwasrevolutionaryfive
elementsthatmatchedtheexistingbricksbutwereonly
onethirdtheheightThesenewbuilding‘plates’madeit
possibletoconstructmoredetailedmodelsthanbefore
ThisgreaterLEGOflexibilityseemedtomatchthespirit
oftheagewheremodernistarchitectswereredefining
howhouseslookedand people weretakinganactive
interestinthedesignoftheirdreamhomeItwasfrom
thesetrendsthattheLEGO‘ScaleModel’linewasborn
inearly
Thenameitselfwasadirectlinktothewayarchitectsand
engineersworkedanditwashopedthattheyandothers
wouldbuildtheirprojects‘toscale’inLEGOelements
AswithLEGOArchitecturetodaytheoriginalsetswere
designedtobedifferentfromthenormalbrightlycoloured
LEGOboxesandalsoincluded‘AnArchitecturalBook’
forinspiration
Though the five elements remain an integral part of
theLEGObuildingsystemtodaythe‘ScaleModel’line
phasedoutin–it
wouldbeoveryears
before its principles
would be revived in
the LEGO Architecture
seriesweknowtoday
The‘ScaleModel’line–LEGOArchitectureinthes
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21013_BI_NA.indd 64 20/01/12 12.41