University in Legos

There will be no knitting, no yarn, no needles or hooks, nothing that has anything to do with knitting involved in this post. But having said that, the post will make up for this flaw in outright creativity, quirkiness and fun.

Legos are those colourful interlocking plastic bricks many of us used to build simple stuff as kids. The newer versions of Legos sets include gears, minifigures and various other parts so that vehicles, buildings and even working robots can be built. They seem to have become an obsession for some adults as well. You may have already seen some in people's homes or during competitions, but just in case you missed the work created by grownups, check this out.

To bring this closer to home at the start of last year we decided to use over 400 pieces of Legos to help in developing camaraderie, team building and problem solving. And to tie the year together, at the end of the year, we used those Legos pieces as center pieces, name tag holders and awards for a celebratory dinner.

So today when someone posted a photo of my university's Academic Quadrangle, Convocation Mall and Library, I had to share. What you see below was made digitally with Legos. (The Legos version is on the left and a photo of the real thing on the right.)

From Covocation Mall made in Legos

Photo from above Convocation Mall

The Legos AQ

The Google Map photo of the AQ

Apparently, there is a program called LDraw specifically designed to allow an interested probably adult user the opportunity to create a Legos structure virtually. (According to the creator this would have been far too large to be placed in a home.)

The designer of the Academic Quadrangle (AQ) stated the "brutalist architecture" called out to be built with Legos. If nothing else you have to admit the likenesses are very good. The reflecting pond just right of center above with the path through it and the terracotta-coloured bricks that make up the walking surface are spot on. The designer states over 62,500 Legos pieces were used to build this model and that it contains over 3,450 windows.

Additionally, there are over 1,000 minifigures found throughout the entire thing. I have to say as someone who has walked around and through the buildings represented here for years, this is a very good replica.

If you haven't had enough yet, click here to find over 30 photos of all the buildings, a 360-view of the AQ and more about the digital Legos design. My hats off to this unnamed designer, your interests are as quirky if not more quirky as mine own. Who knew a simple childhood toy could be so much fun.

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