LEGO is quickly becoming an increasingly popular medium among the artisan community, with the likes of Adam Reed Tucker, Tom Alphin and others using LEGO blocks to form landmark works of architecture. Now, Arndt Schlaudraff has entered the fray with a selection of Brutalist LEGO buildings set make Modernists drool.
Surprisingly, there are only 11 official LEGO Certified Professionals in the world but that hasn’t stopped Berlin-based “MOC” (a popular phrase in the LEGO lexicon meaning “my own creation”) artist, Arndt Schlaudraff (who hails from advertising, not architecture) from building.
Schlaudraff, it seems, has a taste for Brutalist-style blocks as he has created numerous replicas of Modernist masterpieces, most notably Louis Kahn‘s Salk Institute (above). Using only white bricks (unlike fellow creator Tom Alphin) and aided by their orthogonal nature, Schlaudraff is able to perfect the clean finishes, crisp lines, and massing often found in Brutalist architecture.
While his work (or rather, hobby) is predominantly LEGO-based, other slightly more realistic elements do enter the fray. This can be seen in the form of model motorcars and scale people being included in the photographs; however, few LEGO aficionados are likely to approve of this. That said, it could also be argued that the models intentionally detract from the LEGO-style and at times it can be very easy to forget you are looking at a LEGO building because of this.
If you fancy getting your hands on a copy, think again. The shelf-life of Schlaudraff’s creations is virtually non-existent as he only takes the time to photograph the models before dismantling them and starting from scratch on a new design.
Despite not having an architectural background, the Berlin resident commented on how his city was once used as a playground for Modernists, something which has fed his imagination. “Someone once said that Berlin is the city where the best architects of the world build their worst buildings, which I think is really funny and also a bit true,” he said in a recent interview.
Speaking of architecture, Schlaudraff went on to say how Mies van der Rohe’s rejuvenated National Gallery in Berlin was one of his favorite buildings. “I recently followed Bjarke Ingels on Instagram. I think his projects are super interesting,” he said, adding, that Herzog and de Meuron were his “all-time favorites.”
Speaking of his admiration of Brutalism, Schlaudraff said he enjoyed the “sculptural aspect of Brutalist architecture.”
“If it’s a good Brutalist building it’s like a piece of art, a big sculpture. You can walk around and always see new views and sights which look like art. Many people just see an ugly piece of rotten concrete, but it’s so much more,” he continued.
“As for Modernist architecture, I like that it’s so clean. The ideas of Modernist architecture are over 80 years old, but still look recent.”
More examples of Schlaudraff’s work can be found on his Instagram feed at @lego_tonic.
