Photos: Reuters

LEGOs function as an analog for architecture, their plastic “bricks” corresponding to their full-scale clay or cement counterparts, the “snap” and “click” that enjoins them mimicking the mortar that adheres entire walls. But rarely do the little toy modules add up to anything remotely close to actual architecture, despite the claims of parents that divine prodigious talents from the vaguely “archetypal” towers and “pomo” houses cobbled together by their would be archi-tykes. Yet, architecture–taking Adolf Loos’s stringent definition–is perhaps an accurate signifier for the 31.9 meter (105 feet) tall LEGO tower constructed in South Korea over the weekend.

The televised build, sponsored by LEGO Korea for the celebration of the toy company’s 80th birthday, was overseen by some 4,000 children who handled over 50,000 bricks over a 5-day period to erect the tower. The child-construction crew consisted of lucky contest winners who had entered a lottery pool to participate in the event, which attracted more than 30,000 visitors, reports China Daily. The plastic skyscraper stands just outside Seoul’s Olympic City complex, foregrounding a drab stadium emblazoned with the Olympic insignia. Last night, visiting premier the Crown Prince of Denmark topped off the “structure” with the record-breaking brick that edged out the previous tallest tower by just 30 centimeters in a race for height that began in 1988, when the first of the Lego architectures was built in London. Since then, 30 different records have been set and broken, so don’t expect Seoul to hold the title for too long.

by Samuel Medina

posted in Uncategorized

tagged LEGO, plastic, plastic skyscraper, Play, record, record-breaking, Seoul, South Korea, tower, toy

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