An 82,000-square foot LEGO House is coming, and everything looks awesome
That's where the world's largest toy company, which had its humble beginnings in Billund, is constructing a full-sized LEGO House designed entirely in the brick-by-brick aesthetic.
LEGO has partnered with architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group to maximize the miniature world.
At nearly 82,000 square feet, the building serves a variety of functions.
It's part public art piece, tourist attraction, LEGO store, cafe, and, with roughly 20,000 square feet set aside for open space, just somewhere people can hang out, says LEGO marketing manager Hans Peter Folmann.
"We hope it will be a natural gathering point for people living in Billund as well as visitors," Folmann said in 2013, when the initial designs were released.
LEGO broke ground on the structure in June of 2014. One year later, construction has progressed from the basement to ground level. Earlier this June, the keystone - the "brick" that joins the entire structure together at the top - started construction.
The House began as a 1:100 scale model built entirely with LEGOs.
(So it's a LEGO house that isn't actually made of LEGOs but whose model isn't a real building but was made using real LEGOs? Got it.)
First, designers had to generate mock ups of the house using computer software.
LEGOOnly then could the team begin the fun part of building.
LEGOAccording to LEGO, the scale model had to be built in layers, not sections. This ensured that the replica was structurally sound.
LEGOPiece by piece, the various rooms began to take shape, including the dual staircases leading to the building's rooftop gardens.
LEGOUnlike the real LEGO House, the scale model doesn't need its keystone installed first.
LEGOStill, the layered building process guarantees the entire small-scale house is built to last.
LEGOThe final product is currently on tour in exhibitions around the world. It has already made stops in France and Switzerland, and will be visiting the BrickFair in Chantilly, Virginia, in a few weeks and BrickCon in Seattle later this fall.
Once the full-scale version is completed, it will measure nearly 100 feet high and cover a ground area of more than 26,000 square feet.