LEGO Architecture Burj Khalifa, Building Instructions, Page: 32 / 36

As an Architectural Artist my desire is to capture the essence
of a particular architectural landmark into its pure sculptural
form. I fi rst and foremost do not view my models as literal
replicas, but rather my own artistic interpretations through
the use of LEGO
®
bricks as a medium. The LEGO brick is
not initially thought of as a material typically used in creating
art or used as an artist’s medium. I quickly discovered the
LEGO brick was lending itself as naturally to my applications
as paint to a painter or metal to a blacksmith. As I explore
how to capture these buildings with the basic shapes of the
bricks and plates, I fi nd the possibilities and challenges they
off er almost magical.
Burj Khalifa
This model has two unique details surrounding its launch. It
is the fi rst International model to be showcased in the LEGO
Architecture line and it is also the latest skyscraper since the
Seattle Space Needle in continuing the Landmark theme. In
terms or design challenges this model really only had a few.
As impressive as the real structure is, when captured in its
smaller LEGO form the only discernable form is its 3-spoke
geometry. Y-shapes & triangular shapes can be tricky to
construct using square bricks. However, in this case the use
of a single Technic 3-bladed rotor propeller establishes the
basis of the entire model. From there I was able to have 9
points and 1 in the central core totaling 10 nodes from which
to build upward vertically, while expanding the propeller to
add 2 downward vertical points from each blade totaling an
additional 6 nodes. So, that single propeller piece anchors all
16 radial nodes and thus capturing the essence of the entire
design.
– Adam Reed Tucker
A Word from the Artist
32
21008_BI.indd 32 08/03/2011 6:30 PM