It's been a long time coming, but BIG's wonderfully whimsical Lego House (aka Home of the Brick) is finally open for business. Serving as the Danish toymaker's flagship building, the eye-catching premises looks like it was constructed from oversized Lego bricks and is chock-full of play zones and impressive Lego displays.
On paper, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) always seemed a perfect match for Lego, and this has indeed proved to be the case. The firm has brought a real sense of fun to the project.
Rising to a height of 23 m (75 ft), the Lego House measures a total of 12,000 sq m (129,166 sq ft) and is located on the site of a former City Hall in Billund, Denmark. The building is structurally complex and consists of 21 large overlapping concrete blocks covered in brightly colored clay tiles to lend the impression that they're oversized plastic bricks.
Steel supports enabled the creation of an impressively large central square without any visible columns. This square is open to the public, as are some of the terraces, which can be accessed via pixelated staircases. A Lego store, restaurants and cafes and conference rooms are also on-site.
Inside the Lego House, a gigantic tree comprising more than six million Lego bricks and rising to 15 m (50 ft) tall takes center stage. A total of four play zones are arranged by color to represent a particular style of play or learning. So, red is creative, blue is cognitive, green is social, and yellow is emotional.
The lower levels include an exhibit of Lego's history, in addition to the first edition of almost every Lego set manufactured.
Pride of place at the top of the Lego House is given to the "Masterpiece Gallery," a curated collection of Lego fans' best creations. The gallery's proportions match that of a Lego brick and it also includes eight circular skylights that match a Lego brick's studs.
Around 250,000 visitors a year are expected to visit the Lego House. Those who make the trip can purchase an exclusive Lego House architecture kit that's available only in store.
Sources: BIG, Lego House
