From the Editor
Build me a Building

I am intrigued by LEGOs. Yes, LEGOs. As the mother of a 3-year-old boy I have, on more than one occasion, simply found myself too close for comfort with the little blocks when they find themselves under my bare foot. Not a pleasant feeling, but perhaps a rite of passage in raising a boy fascinated with blocks, towers, buildings and pretty much anything that makes noise.

What perhaps strikes a little closer to home—that’s home in the design and construction industry—is the brand’s architectural series. You can now purchase LEGO kits to re-create for yourself some of the world’s most recognizable architectural masterpieces, from the Sydney Opera House to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, but the thought of re-building it with LEGOs is daunting.Beautiful, yes; just not something I want to tackle. And not cheap—the Falling Water set was priced at $99.99 on the shop LEGO site.

Still, it made me think. You may have heard about or may yourself be using 3D printing technology, which can allow you to, for example, print a model of anything from a widget to a window. But what about building models with LEGOs? The idea may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Anyone ever played around with this concept?

In 2012 LEGO produced 318 million LEGO tires, making it the world’s largest tire manufacturer. This made me wonder: how many windows did the brand produce? I reached out to LEGO to see if anyone could provide this information. Unfortunately, I was told while they track the tires and “Minifigures” they have created over the years, they have not done the same with windows. But, considering the millions of children building LEGO houses and towers every year, I wouldn’t be surprised if LEGO was up there as a top window manufacturer as well.

Architects' Guide to Glass & Metal
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