Brickstructures has added two more models to their series of architectural LEGO microscale models, both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: The Guggenheim Museum and Falling Water. The Gugg is $55, shipped, within the U.S.; it doesn’t actually appear that Falling Water is on sale yet. [via Prairie Mod]
Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO: The Guggenheim and Falling Water
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35 Responses to Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO: The Guggenheim and Falling Water
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These are the kinds of set that I’ve wished LEGO made for a long, long time. Far too expensive on a per-part basis for my taste, but I appreciate the expense that goes into the limited production.
I’m with Sehlat, in that I don’t understand the fascination with Wright’s work. Whenever I’m in one of his buildings I can perceive that he was a brilliant designer, but a terrible architect and builder.
if all you care about is whether your roof leaks you don’t need an architect. the idea that somehow Wright wasn’t a great architect because his bldgs have defects is idiotic.
Maybe I’ve just never seen the Guggenheim from the air, but this looks nothing like it, except for the dumb 90′s addition, which is easy to make with legos. I guess it’s too hard to make a spiral with legos that would make the main building look remotely accurate. Fallingwater looks dead on though.
There were leaky roofs in Wright’s architecture – that’s true. Check out the problems that have been encountered with Gehry’s work as well.
When you push the envelope and use materials in new ways that’s bound to happen. I think that you would find few architects who agree with the assertion that leaky roofs are an architectural issue.
Ooh, I really want a set that lets me build one of Paolo Soleri’s Arcologies!
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&um=1&sa=1&q=arcology+soleri&btnG=Search+Images&aq=f&oq=
Pretty buildings with roof leaks? I believe the fault for that lies with the structural engineers, not the architect. Wright pushed the envelope. It’s up to others to seal it. Genius can’t be troubled with the mundane.
This is pretty much everything I love in this world, combined into one!
I bought the Sears Tower. I liked it a lot more than i thought. As a Chicago native who works a few blocks from it, it gave me a new perspective on it.
Could someone tell me where to buy this?
I would really like to purchase FallingwatersLego.
Krgds Jerry
The Gugenheim model DOES look awesome, but…is it just me, or is 55 bucks WAAAAAY expensive for a model of that complexity?
Really don’t get why people don’t like custom parts in Lego. All custom parts do is result in more options!
The Gugenheim is so tiny, and their Fallingwater is pretty skimpy too; sheesh! Sometimes LEGO phones it in.
This Fallingwater is much nicer.
OK – so where do I go to buy Lego Falling Water?
I’m seriously curious about the fascination with Wright’s work. The buildings are pretty, sure, but they are also notorious for roof leaks. By any definition, that’s BAD architecture.
#3
indeed. this looks like only slightly more pieces than you’d get with a happymeal.
I want to decry the use of specialized pieces in the Guggenheim model, but really I’m too starstruck to do so. I’ve found some good presents for people.
Yes, the sets in the architectural series are small/tiny, but they’re meant to be ornamental pieces that could sit as a desk accessory, not take over the desk like a Star Destroyer. As a result, the pricing is indeed out of whack for a toy, but not for a museum gift.
@#17
Hate to tell you, but water infiltration is an architectural issue, it has nothing to do with how the building is supported (what a structural engineer ACTUALLY does). The architect is liable for 10 years with regards to this type of problem. Bad detailing or bad construction administration, both of which are under the purview of the architect.
This is what happens when you make your stable of boys do all of your work for you like FLW did.
This pic makes it look a little less appetizing…
http://theworldsbestever.com/2009/05/20/first-look-at-the-frank-lloyd-wright-lego-guggenheim/
Anon19 is right – the architect specs the roof shape, material, etc. A mechanical engineer might be involved for complex roofs, but usually they just handle ventilation and such. A leaky roof is a sign of bad decisions on the architect’s part.
Wright was a genius, design-wise, but his ego was out of control and he wasn’t that good of an architect. Fallingwater had insuffifient steel reinforcements in the concrete, meaning millions in restoration work. The Unity Temple roof was flat glass panes and leaked like nothing else. But they were still beautiful, groundbreaking buildings and were not a mistake to build. It’s just a shame that nobody managed to get his ego in check enough to make the buildings right the first time.
Fallingwater was built relatively early in the reinforced concrete revolution, but they still knew it needed more steel. Wright argued copiously with the contractor, telling him that no, it didn’t. Well, guess what, Wright was wrong.
@9
How much you want to bet that that figure of 208 includes the background wall? I did a quick count and that’s 90ish pieces.
Still worth it?
Mmm…can’t tell you whether I’m pumped or having flashbacks of childhood when father would inevitably step on the Lego while walking through the house at night (the scream would rouse the neighbors).
Makes for great opp to educate the family on America’s greatest architecture.
[shameless plug: architectural wood trim? thousand of choices...online.]
It’s worth clicking on the link provided by #15 Ben. It’s… really tiny. Not so cool, sez I.
Waaaaay too small. How is my legoman Frank Lloyd Wright supposed to live in this? The Guggenheim looks to be about 3 inches tall.
@3 4 and 5
the Guggenheim model is 208 pieces. Tiny sure, but I hardly call that “phoning it in” or slightly more than a happy meal.
While the price point may be high for just a bunch of Lego, they also come with the instruction book that includes architecture, engineering and construction information and facts about the real building. Also information about the artist.
These are also limited edition sets with only a small number produced to also raise the price.
The new Timex Expedition WS4 is a lot of watch: altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph, alarm and compass. It even tells time! It’s also unapologetically macho which not venturing too far into the land of overwrought wrist weights.
teaching degree AND Science School
Its got the standard stuff you’d expect for other Timex sport watches, making it water resistant to 50 meters and lit completely by Indiglo. The default strap is rubber, but it can also be mounted to a fabric strap so it can be worn on the outside of heavy gear.
Bachelors degree AND associate degree business
It also comes in colors other than EMS Orange, so you might even be able to wear yours when you’re not on a mountain. Available pretty much everywhere by May, the Expedition WS4 will cost you $200.
biology degree
yeah it’s overpriced but hey this is museum giftshop LEGO not something you are buying for your eight year old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmMjlhOr-3w&feature=related
I’ve been trying to sort this point out, but – as far as I can tell, BrickStructures *uses* Lego, but is not part of Lego. In particular, that might entitle them to use the Lego logo – which Lego would likely support – even though they aren’t corporate.
That might very well mean that they don’t get access to the internal pricing on Legos, either.
For comparison, I tried loading the pick list for the Empire State Building. That is part of a set of two buildings that goes for $50. The bricks alone for the Empire State Building go for about $14.50. Now add the cost of the box, the printed manual, and the pick and load time. That could easily get you to another $5. Allow for $5 composed partly profit and partly overhead, and I can see how they don’t make much on these.
These would likely cost less if Lego did them directly – but it wouldn’t make sense for Lego the company to do stuff with small order runs like this.
The Lego fan response: “Hey, just what I need for my giant, transforming robot.”
великолепно! вот какой конÑтруктор Ñ Ð±Ñ‹ Ñебе купил!
детÑм рано, а Ñ Ð±Ñ‹ такое lego поÑобирал!
What a long way lego has come since I was a kid. These creations are incredible.
It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it appears that the LEGO Guggenheim is composed of parallel levels. The brilliance of Wright’s design was that it allowed the viewer in the space to have a continuous spiral in which to view the artwork–there’s a slight angle to the levels to facilitate the spiral:
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Guggenheim_Museum.html
I’d expect more attention to detail from LEGO, especially for that price.
Why didn’t they do this sooner? This is genius!