Do you remember playing with Lego as a child? Recently the firms Atmos Studio, Make, Foster + Partners, AOC, Adjaye Associates, FAT and DSDHA took some time out from designing real buildings to create their own interpretation of some of the world’s most notable architectural icons in the form of Lego for an Icon Eye initiative.
Each firm used a stock architectural Lego kit of their chosen building and reinterpreted it in a quick model building session, resulting in unique and playful creations. Atmos Studio chose Frank Llyod Wright’s Fallingwater, and chose to bake their final construction for 20 minutes until it began to melt back into its native state. Foster + Partners chose the Empire State Building in addition to the Fallingwater kit. In a mix-mash creation, they turned the Empire State building upside down to create shadowed spaces with hanging gardens, and managed to utilize all the Lego pieces from both kits. Other interesting interpretations included Adjaye Associate’s reinterpretation of the White House. They retained the iconic façade, relocated all government activity underground, and opened up the ground level for the public.
These sketch models are reminiscent of the playfulness and simplicity that many of us experienced as children as we played with Lego, unconfined by the boundaries of building codes and convention.
