![]() It involves attaching 1 x 1 bricks with studs on 2 adjacent sides to 1 x 1 technic bricks with holes. It would be considered illegal (strictly speaking) but works well enough. When I originally designed this model, I decided to focus on finding a solution for the corners, and here is the technique I came up with. It is still not clear what we can do about the corners where we will need tall stacks of 1 x 1 bricks with no easy way to attach them to the main structure. But if we were to make our walls two studs thick, we can have bricks or plates placed horizontally in the inner layer that is hidden from view. ![]() These would span the entire height of the tower and there would be no way to add any tan horizontal cross-members (needed to hold the model together) at least in the outer layer of bricks. In LEGO terms, if we were to use tan for the wall color, we would only see tall stacks of tan bricks that are 1-stud wide between the banks of windows on the outside of the model. Looking at pictures of the Empire State Building, we see that the windows alternating with the gray accent panels form unbroken vertical lines on the exterior of the building. Next, we look at how the walls of the main tower are actually built. We had determined the scale ( 1/230) we were going to be using for the model and what that translated to, in terms of LEGO dimensions for the main tower ( 30 x 22 studs). This is done more out of necessity than anything else, because the small scale they are using doesn’t allow for regular walls created by stacking bricks.Ĭontinuing with my process for designing LEGO models of skyscrapers, we return to the example I was using in Part I – the “main tower” of the Empire State State Building. They have internal structures usually built out of technic elements, wrapped with external facades that are composed of plates and other elements like 1 x 2 grille tiles. The 1/650 scale models of skyscrapers built by Spencer Rezkalla and Rocco Buttliere hew closer to real skyscrapers in terms of how they are built. The reason of course, is that it is a lot easier with LEGO to simply stack bricks, than it is to try to mimic the structure of a real skyscraper. The models are hollow for the most part, with no internal framework to support the walls. Ironically, my LEGO models of skyscrapers are built very much like conventional masonry structures with walls created by stacking bricks. These exterior walls form the facade of the building but don’t actually support any weight. Instead, they have a steel framework to which “curtain walls” made of brick, stone or glass are attached. Michigan Avenue (John Hancock Center)ĭo you know how modern skyscrapers are different from the tall buildings that preceded them (like the Philadelphia City Hall which was the tallest building in the world from 1894 to 1908) ? Unlike masonry-built tall buildings, skyscrapers don’t have load-bearing walls. Different versions of Empire State Building.I have tried to create (what I hope will be) the definitive LEGO versions of some of the most iconic American skyscrapers and this website intends to not only showcase these models but also provide some insights into my design process, the challenges I have encountered, interesting building techniques I have used, etc. A number of other considerations also come into play when designing a LEGO model – picking the right scale, ensuring the structural integrity and portability of the model, optimizing the use of LEGO pieces based on their cost and availability, etc. A significant amount of research and planning is required in order to translate the dimensions of a real building to LEGO bricks (while preserving its overall shape and proportions). However, building LEGO models (or MOCs as AFOLs such as myself like to call them) that represent real skyscrapers with a high degree of accuracy involves much more than just stacking bricks. After all, what kid playing with LEGO hasn’t stacked these bricks as high as they could to try to create their own skyscrapers ? Using LEGO (the colorful plastic bricks that we all know and love) to build models of skyscrapers (which are among the pinnacles of human achievement – quite literally!) may seem like a no-brainer.
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