When fans are ready to explore the wide world of advanced building, they usually look to iconic buildings for inspiration. They are highly recognizable and often a challenge to recreate. It all comes down to detail. You can make an enormous building with tons of detail or small models that simulate the major features of a building like the LEGO Architecture line.

Both big and small models have their own charm. The larger ones are more impressive, but they come at the cost of a fan’s budget. A great way for kids and adults to start is by experimenting with smaller versions. The LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Manchester puts out a regular video series with tutorials on how to build various sculptures. Here is the Blackpool Tower in a more manageable scale.

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Blackpool Tower

In order to appreciate the small version, it’s good to look at a larger model. It is easy to see that due to the increased size, the creator was able to capture a lot more detail on than the mini version featured above. Ideally, this is what your child or yourself will want to work up to in time. Picture credit: Mark Hebden on Flickr.

Giant Sydney Opera House

Officially, there have been already two models of the Sydney Opera House. Both are scaled to varying degrees. However, Ryan McNaut (theBrickMan) has created an even larger version. This model uses over 75,000 pieces and is made to be minifigure scale. That means LEGO minifigs can walk into the building as if it were the real place and everything is the correct size.

Roman Coliseum

Typically what you don’t see in any LEGO building is rounded shapes. Arthur Gugick has gone one step further and created a completely round iconic building. The building uses a series of hinges that allow the structure to bend the way it does. Even knowing this, the seamless design is an impressive feat of ingenuity.

Empire State Building

When you hear about some of these amazing buildings, you usually hear about them after the fact. Well, here’s Kevin, a.k.a. The Original Minifig, who is currently working on his version of the Empire State building. You can subscribe to his channel to follow along with his progress and see the building reach its completion over the next months.

Tower of Orthanc

When talking about iconic buildings, you don’t really think about the fictional ones. However, they are just as recognizable as any national landmark. The group OneLug has constructed a 7-foot tall version of this iconic fictional tower. It is the centerpiece of their display entitled “Last March of the Ents.” The base of the display features a massive battle and covers an 8-foot diameter circular space. The group estimates at least 22,000 pieces were used in its construction.

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Author:
Carlo Pandian is an adult fan of LEGO and freelance writer, and has previously published on The Brick Blogger, Bricks of The Death, and The Rock Father. Connect with him on Twitter @carlopandian.