As a lifelong LEGO enthusiast who has spent countless hours constructing and deconstructing countless bricks, I can confidently say that visiting the LEGO House was nothing short of an immersive, awe-inspiring journey. The four immersive zones on the first and second floors were thoughtfully designed to stimulate various aspects of one’s mind and creativity.
Have you ever wondered that over 915 million unique structures can be built using just six standard 2×4 LEGO bricks? That’s a staggering number, calculated by Danish mathematician Søren Eilers in 2004 and showcased at the entrance of LEGO House – known as the “Home of the Brick” located in Billund, Denmark.
In 2024, much like the previous year, LEGO continues to lead the toy industry as the most valuable company globally, surpassing its nearest competitor by a factor of five. Between collaborations with Pharrell Williams, licensing agreements with Star Wars and Nintendo, and a forthcoming partnership with Nike, LEGO manages to resonate with contemporary culture more effectively than any other corporation. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that some of the world’s most impressive engineering projects owe a debt of gratitude to LEGO. From intricate personal builds of houses and entire towns to outer space and beyond, the vibrant, recognizable, interlocking plastic bricks have fueled creativity and nurtured the imaginations of children (and adults) since 1949. However, in Billund, a small Danish town where The LEGO Group resides, there is only one house that truly stands out – a unique museum-gallery experience that serves as the spiritual hub for LEGO enthusiasts worldwide. This remarkable structure goes by the name of LEGO House.
Since its opening in 2017, the LEGO House has been a hub for the inquisitive and creatively-minded, offering an expansive 12,000-square-meter (129,000-square-foot) space that soars 23 meters (75.5 feet) high. Home to over 25 million LEGO bricks scattered across four interactive zones, guests are encouraged to engage and play with most of these colorful building blocks. Conveniently situated in the heart of Billund, LEGO House is a stone’s throw away from The LEGO Group’s global headquarters, just a short walk from the original LEGOLAND Billund Resort, which opened its doors in 1968. If one were to compare LEGO House to the company’s beating heart – a place that embodies the passion for LEGO bricks – then nearby offices would likely be considered the brain, a network of office buildings where business operations are carried out. And it is indeed big business, with LEGO reporting a 13% increase in revenue and a 26% rise in operating profit for the first half of 2024 compared to the same period last year. The company’s annual revenue for the previous fiscal year amounted to 65.9 billion Danish kroner (approximately $9.7 billion USD), with a net profit of 13.11 billion Danish kroner (approximately $1.94 billion USD). It is noteworthy that LEGO has achieved these impressive figures during a period of rising living costs and a struggling global toy industry, as stated by LEGO’s CEO, Niels B. Christiansen.
The architecturally fascinating LEGO House, built by Bjarke Ingels Group (a renowned Danish firm led by Bjarke Ingels, named “Innovator of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal in 2011 and one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2016), resembles a pile of LEGO bricks. It features a unique staircase that spans across larger platforms, each step-height platform arranged evenly from the bottom to the top, creating an infinite geometric design. The building is divided into 21 interconnected blocks, similar to a three-dimensional village where you can explore various buildings and spaces either in a continuous flow or as independent realms. This structure embodies LEGO’s philosophy of endless possibilities offered by its bricks.
Every individual area can be customized and utilized independently, offering unique lighting, dimensions, and still contributing to a versatile whole. Each compartment boasts its own distinct light setting and size, yet they all fit seamlessly into a larger design. Additionally, numerous areas provide access to an outdoor space, allowing for an extension of the LEGO experience beyond the building’s walls. The LEGO House aims to be both aesthetically pleasing and logical in design, showcasing innovation and systematic organization, much like the Guggenheim Museum with its collection of white cubes, where functionality meets sculptural beauty.
At LEGO House, the main attraction lies in its four vibrant areas spread across the first and second floors, each tailored to stimulate distinct aspects of visitors’ minds. These zones, identified by different colors (red, green, yellow, blue), are designed to foster learning through play, a fundamental principle of The LEGO Group.
Atop LEGO House resides the Masterpiece Gallery, a spectacular exhibition of intricate LEGO constructions that fall short of being fully captured by photographs. Many of these masterpieces are fan-created and temporarily loaned from the most passionate and skillful builders within LEGO’s international community, with the collection frequently updated to keep visitors engaged. Recently, LEGO unveiled a fresh batch of contributors to the Masterpiece Gallery, featuring 15 fans hailing from nine countries, one being Donny Chen, an Australian piano teacher who took up LEGO building as an adult 13 years ago, also known as an “adult fan of LEGO” or an “AFOL”. Amongst his latest creations on display at LEGO House (he has three) is a 7,000-piece golden dragon he built to celebrate the Lunar Year of the Dragon, reflecting his Chinese heritage that significantly influences his work. Another is Roldan Grace, an 19-year-old American who has been playing with LEGO since age four and is exhibiting his 11,000-piece Knight on Horseback model.
Right in the heart of LEGO House, you’ll encounter the Tree of Creativity – one of the most renowned LEGO constructions globally. Towering over 15-meters (approximately 50 feet), it spans multiple floors within the structure, and from afar, it could be mistaken for a real tree. A testament to LEGO engineering, it’s built with more than six million LEGO blocks, serving as an ideal focal point that ties everything together.
If you’re still pondering the fact shared in the opening line above, we don’t blame you. That just six bricks can open up so many possibilities, in a way, speaks to the core of what the LEGO brand stands for. From a tiny town in Denmark to becoming one of the world’s most recognizable brands, LEGO’s appeal seems to transcend time. LEGO House brings together all of the tenets the brand stands for – play, design, creativity, possibility, fun – and is an experience every fan of LEGO should have. You can find more information on LEGO House via its website.
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2024-10-03 16:56