BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and LEGO bring the toy scale of the classic LEGO brick to architectural scale with LEGO House, forming vast exhibition spaces and public squares that embody the culture and values at the heart of all LEGO experiences.
Designed by BIG and COWI, LEGO House is an experience hub for LEGO fans of all ages, as well as an architectural landmark and a significant step toward the city’s goal of making Billund the Capital for Children. The construction of the approximately 129,000-square-foot LEGO House commenced in 2014, replacing the former City Hall building with support from three generations of the LEGO family and Billund City Mayor Ib Kristensen.
Jesper Vilstrup, LEGO House CEO, says, “All activities in the house are related to our LEGO philosophy that learning through play promotes innovation and creativity. Play runs through the LEGO Group’s DNA, and it is really brought to life in LEGO House. Everything from experience zones and outdoor areas to our restaurant concepts is based on play and creativity, so no matter what you do in LEGO House, it will have something to do with playing.”
Due to its central location in the heart of Billund, the 820-foot-tall LEGO House is conceived as an urban space as much as an experience center. Twenty-one overlapping blocks are placed like individual buildings, framing a roughly 21,528-square-foot LEGO square that is illuminated through the cracks and gaps between the volumes. The plaza appears like an urban cave without any visible columns and is publicly accessible, allowing visitors and citizens of Billund to shortcut through the building.
The LEGO square is energized by an urban character, welcoming locals and visitors to the café, restaurant, LEGO store and conference facilities. Above the square, a cluster of galleries overlap to create a continuous sequence of exhibitions. Each gallery is color-coded in LEGO’s primary colors so wayfinding through the exhibitions becomes a journey through the color spectrum.
The first and second floors include four play zones arranged by color and programmed with activities that represent a certain aspect of a child’s learning: red is creative, blue is cognitive, green is social and yellow is emotional. Guests of all ages can have an immersive and interactive experience, express their imagination and not in the least be challenged by meeting other builders from all over the world. The top of the building is crowned by the Masterpiece Gallery, a collection of LEGO fans’ beloved creations that pay tribute to the LEGO community.
The Masterpiece Gallery is made of the iconic 2-by-4 LEGO brick and showcases art beneath eight circular skylights that resemble the studs of the brick. Like the golden ratio, the proportions of the brick are nested in the geometries of everything man-made in the building, from the glazed ceramic tiles in the steps and walls to the overall 21-block scheme. Atop the Masterpiece Gallery, citizens and visitors can get a 360 degree panoramic view of the city. Some of the rooftops can be accessed via pixelated public staircases that double as informal auditoria for people watching or seating for performances.
The History Collection at the lower level is where visitors can experience an archival immersion into the LEGO company and brand’s story. The Vault – located underneath LEGO Square – is where children and AFoLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) can witness the first edition of almost every LEGO set ever manufactured. LEGO House is expecting to attract more than 250,000 visitors annually.
LEGO released a new 774-piece, 197-step kit replicating the stacked-block formation of the LEGO House ahead of the opening last month. The set is part of the LEGO Architecture line and is sold exclusively at LEGO House.
Lego House Fact Sheet
- Size: 129,000 square feet (12,000 square meters)
- Location: Billund, Denmark
- Client: LEGO
- Collaborators: COWI, Dr. Lüchinger+Meyer Bauingenieure, Jesper Kongshaug, Gade & Mortensen Akustik, E-types
- Partners in Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Finn Nørkjær, Brian Yang
- Project Leader: Brian Yang
- Project Manager: Finn Nørkjær
- Project Architect: Snorre Nash
- Project Architect-Facades: Snorre Nash
Photos courtesy of Iwan Baan.
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