Computer Graphics World

APRIL 2010

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Architecture n n n n Building Blocks Te house was designed around the maximum space the architects could create within the limitations of the structural system, which was seven feet wide—not very big. “We had grand ambitions of creating a house where you don’t feel hemmed in by this kind of dimension. We played around with the 3D organization of it in Modo, and came up with a surprisingly spacious living room, bedroom area, big win- dows looking out to the vineyard, a kitchen, bath … all the things you need to live in it,” says Gunning. Troughout the design and construction phases, the group had to maintain an accurate count on the number of LEGO bricks being used. “We had to make the house as big as pos- sible with the limited number of LEGOs we 3000 people answered the call to assemble the bricks into components, each of which were about a foot long and half a foot wide, and eight courses of bricks high, “something young kids can put together quickly without much difficulty,” Gunning says. In a single day, 3000 components were made, “which meant that we had half the house built,” he adds. Te components were small enough to move around, yet were not especially fragile. Some components were used for the walls, some even with windows in them, while oth- ers formed the roof. Modo helped the group relay the com- plex instructions to the public. “You need to explain to people who have no knowledge cur, requiring the crew to put the blocks back together again. “And when things didn’t go right, you could just take apart a few bricks and put them together again,” he adds. In the end, the two-story house contained large windows, a huge staircase, and hinged doors, a working toilet (with basic plumb- ing), and a shower. Te rooms were furnished, down to the cutlery, plates, and pots and pans in the kitchen—all made of LEGOs. Unfor- tunately, some of the furniture fell apart when used, but the goal was achieved nevertheless. So, what was the most daunting aspect of this project? “It was that moment when I realized that three million LEGOs is a lot of LEGOs,” Gunning recalls. “Te challenge was then get- Careful planning within Modo was necessary to ensure that the crew did not run out of LEGOs. Also, the architect used the software to come up with an optimal design for the overall structure and the furnishings inside. had,” says Gunning. Often this was a delicate balancing act. Te team had to avoid making the walls too thin from a structural point of view, yet not make it too thick because too many LEGOs would be used in the process. Te tim- ber insertion, while difficult to manage, provid- ed the necessary structural depth while utilizing a single-brick layer design for the beams. Alas, after the design was completed, the group did a quick calculation and realized that at least six months of construction work would be needed to assemble the LEGOs. “We would need a lot of people, and you cannot have that on a construction site. It’s way too dangerous,” Gunning says. “We had to think about how we could create something that was clearly a LEGO building and constructible within the timeframe and still have some magic to it.” Te answer was to use components: beams and blocks would form the wall elements and could be made easily by the public and then transported to the site, while little “houses” would be used to make the large house. An announcement was made, and nearly about building how to put the components together,” he says. “It was important to gener- ate clear, concise instructions, which we did in Modo. A few times we did not do that, and we had to have them redo the sections three to four times until they got them right.” Realizing they were low on LEGOs, the group asked the public to donate bricks to the cause, and most of the donated pieces were used to augment the original number. Tough not usable for load-bearing construction, many of the tiny bricks that were donated were used to construct a striking stained-glass window at the top of the stairs. Unlike at LEGOland, the house bricks were not glued together because of the time crunch. “Te real nightmare was someone breaking things that were already made. Our risk was building the house several times over because of broken pieces,” explains Gunning. A dedicated construction team spent about six weeks assembling the various components at the building site and constructing remaining components. Indeed, some breakage did oc- ting them put together in way that you don’t end up having to do it hundreds of times.” Te house was completed in the given timeframe, and it took almost two weeks af- ter completion before May and the film crew could record the sequence, which included May spending the night in the LEGO house. While sturdy, the house was not 100 percent waterproof. “LEGOs are not ideal for long- time construction,” Gunning notes. Tat was certainly the case here. After film- ing the segment, the house was demolished, despite public outcry and a Facebook cam- paign to save it, and the bricks were donated to LEGOland for use in fundraising events for charity. Still, the project appears to be the larg- est LEGO construction to date, one for the record books. “I can say that in all my career, I have never done anything quite like this, nor am I likely to do it again,” Gunning says with a chuckle. n Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of Computer Graphics World. April 2010 35

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