71 replies to this topic

[GRogall]

The First Architecture set for 2013 will be:

21017 Imperial Hotel

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1916-1922, the Imperial Hotel of Tokyo, Japan was commissioned to bridge the divide
between the Western and Eastern worlds. This modern masterpiece exemplifies Frank Lloyd Wright's imagination and genius,
designed in the shape of it’s own monogram logo and strong enough to withstand Japan’s frequent and devastating earthquakes.
Today, the main entrance and lobby are all that remains of this icon, displayed in the Meiji Museum in Nogoya, Japan. This highly
detailed LEGO® model, co-developed and designed by LEGO architects, captures all of the distinctive features that made the
Imperial Hotel an architectural landmark for generations. The assembled Imperial Hotel model stands over 11" (28cm) wide
on a base with printed name label. Set includes a booklet with facts about the building, its construction and its history.

• Replica of real-world architectural landmark
• Booklet included with details on design and history (English language only)
• Explore advanced building techniques
• Collect all of the LEGO® Architecture series models
• Measures over 4" (10cm) tall, 11" (28cm) wide and 9" (24cm) deep

Pictures link to HR images 2500+ .pxl!

















1188 pcs. and range in the $90-$100

I can only think this will be Frank Lloyd Wright hotel in Tokyo which has been sadly demolished!



21015 The Leaning Tower of Pisa  (From TLG official website) March 15th. 2013







The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa) took almost 200 years to complete and has stood beside the Cathedral of Pisa
for over 600 years. Thanks to its famous tilt, it has become one of the world's most recognizable architectural landmarks.
The story behind the bell tower spans over 800 years of European history and provides a fascinating glimpse into a miracle of medieval engineering.  
While the Tower of Pisa is most known for ”leaning”, it would still be a remarkable architectural structure without this famous feature.
Constructed at a time when there was very little building of this kind being carried out in Europe, the intelligent use of columns and
arches demonstrates an in-depth understanding of weight and load characteristics that was way ahead of its time.
What the architect overlooked however, was the clay-based soil and the need for a foundation capable of supporting a bell tower
that would eventually weigh 16.000 tons (14.500 metric tons).  The eight-story tower was built with limestone and lime mortar, with
an exterior covering of marble. Interestingly, the limestone is probably why the tower has not cracked and collapsed –
the rock is flexible enough to withstand the pressures placed on it by the tilt. The bottom story of the tower is an arcade of 15 closed
marble arches. Each of the following six stories contains 30 arches, while the final story, or bell-chamber, has 16 arches.

Facts

Location .....................................................................................................Pisa, Italy
Architect .....................................................................................................Various
Date ............................................................................................................Started 1173 – Completed 1399
Construction type .....................................................................................Bell Tower
Architectural style .....................................................................................Romanesque Tower/Gothic Bell Chamber
Materials ....................................................................................................Limestone, Lime mortar, Marble exterior
Height .........................................................................................................8 stories, 185 ft. (56.4 m)
Diameter of base ......................................................................................50 ft. 9.6 in. (15.484 m)
Weight ........................................................................................................16,000 tons (14,500 metric tons)
Angle of tilt .................................................................................................3.97 degrees 12 ft. 10 in. (3.9 m) from vertical

Designing the Model

As an Architectural Artist, my desire is to capture the essence of a particular architectural landmark into its pure sculptural form.
I first 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.  In an attempt to appeal to the vast admirers of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, our specific aim was to ensure that
it could be both afforded and constructed by anyone looking to enjoy displaying a miniature Pisa they can call their own. To do so,
I needed to adhere to a minimal element/part pallet, which would affect the model’s scale, level of detail and construction techniques
while maintaining structural integrity.'

Adam Reed Tucker

21018 United Nations Headquarters

Not much info on this yet! but........



at least it looks better then the leaning tower of Pisa...............

Edited by GRogall, 10 May 2013 - 10:23 AM.
Tags Adjusted; Indexed

[CM4S]

I'm not a big Architecture fan, but this sounds interesting. Looks like a cool building. I might pick it up.

(Anything on the Palace Cinema?)

-Sci

Edited by CM4S, 28 November 2012 - 11:10 PM.

[just2good]

That sounds cool. Still want that White House set, though. I wish it would drop in price.

[Tragic Banjo]

Awesome, thanks for the info! Looks like it's already on Amazon (France) listed at EUR 84.40. Next year is going to get expensive for me - especially considering the cost of additional shelving since I'm running out of display space...

Pretty bummed that there's still nothing about 21015 though.

[PsyKater]

CM4S, on 28 November 2012 - 11:10 PM, said:

(Anything on the Palace Cinema?)

*blink*blink*

[Lyichir]

GRogall, on 28 November 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

The First Architecture set for 2013 will be 21017 Imperial Hotel

1188 pcs. and range in the $90-$100

I can only think this will be Frank Lloyd Wright hotel in Tokyo which has been sadly demolished!

Actually, I believe it was relocated, not demolished.

I'm in a design history class this semester in college, and it's always a treat to see buildings which I recognize from the Lego Architecture line. We went over Frank Lloyd Wright a month or so ago, and this was one of the buildings we looked at. I can't wait to see what the set looks like!

Edited by Lyichir, 29 November 2012 - 03:37 PM.

[harton]

That sound interesting, I was hoping a continuity of the Frank Lloyd Right Serie which clearly became an unique series! Hope to see some pics soon.

[Tragic Banjo]

Lyichir, on 29 November 2012 - 03:37 PM, said:

Actually, I believe it was relocated, not demolished.

I'm in a design history class this semester in college, and it's always a treat to see buildings which I recognize from the Lego Architecture line. We went over Frank Lloyd Wright a month or so ago, and this was one of the buildings we looked at. I can't wait to see what the set looks like!

It was mostly demolished, but a few parts of it - the central lobby wing and reflecting pool - were disassembled and relocated to a museum. So that makes me wonder if the set will be the whole original building or just the surviving portion.

[GRogall]

In the 2013 Lego Brand Catalog form italy on page 71 a picture of 21017 Imperial Hotel is shown!

Since this is an official catalog and not preliminary its fine to post!

The image is not the best in the world but enough to give us an impression!

picture links to HR version +2000.pxl



You can download the official catalog from TLG here!

Enjoy!

[Rufus]

Thanks for the info, Grogall!  And thanks Rick for frontpaging.

I suspect that price range is a little optimistic for what looks like quite a large set, but we'll see...

[Tragic Banjo]

Excellent find, GRogall, thanks! Hard to discern much detail, but I like what I can see. Looks like a lot of SNOT work for the windows. It's just a shame Sand Red isn't around anymore; I think that would have been the perfect color for this.

[Hobbit]

What happened to 21015 Eames house?

Grogall!!!!!!!

[Ceroknight]

The architecture sets continue to amaze me...it's a shame they're so expensive..

[ZO6]

Agreed about the lack of sand red.  That or maybe even dark orange.  Anyways, I'm not too concerned about the colour as it looks pretty good as is (just be nice to give it a different colour to help differentiatie it from other sets in the line).

I've fallen in love with the Architecture line once again.  I picked up some of the smallest sets when they first came out, but then when Rufus reviewed Villa Savoye, I went out and grabbed Fallingwater.  Then it was Big Ben, then Robbie House, then Villa Savoye, and then the whole line.  Funny enough, it was just this morning that I picked up the final set that I needed, as now we finally have a picture of the Imperial Hotel.  I think that the building looks really neat, and I would have loved for another super detailed set to reproduce it, but I'm satisfied enough with the 1000+ piece set that we're getting.  I know the price will be pretty steep, but the whole package for these architecture sets - from box, to manual, to finished model is always so impressive that I don't feel like I'm being cheated.  I may avoid more detailed pictures of this set and just pick it up when it hits store shelves so that I can discover all the little details on my own as I build it.

Very excited for this set!

[GRogall]

Looks like some new official images have been found via Hothbricks!

I will add them to the first post!

I'm actually very disappointed in the set and here you will see why!

[Rufus]

Thanks, Grogall!  

That set is really nice!    Judging from the plan view there, you can't really have expected TLG to produce the whole building at that scale.  

[GRogall]

Rufus, on 31 December 2012 - 10:58 PM, said:

Thanks, Grogall!  

That set is really nice!    Judging from the plan view there, you can't really have expected TLG to produce the whole building at that scale.  

Sure! would have probably cost over €1000 but look what could have been done!

Also I should say I'm saddened that one of the most important building from my favorite architect has been demolished to replace it with this!

Edited by GRogall, 31 December 2012 - 11:04 PM.

[Aanchir]

GRogall, on 31 December 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

Looks like some new official images have been found via Hothbricks!

I will add them to the first post!

I'm actually very disappointed in the set and here you will see why!

Well I think TLG stands to make more money off of a set based on the part of the building that still exists. As far as I can tell, the complete building doesn't even exist in color photographs. Certainly not as iconic to the average buyer as the still-standing facade would be.

[Tragic Banjo]

GRogall, on 31 December 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

I'm actually very disappointed in the set and here you will see why!

In that case I expect to see a full-building mod from you within a week of its release.   Thanks for getting the pictures! Looking even better now; I suspected it would have the 3x3 double concave slope in sand green and I'm glad to have that confirmed.

[ZO6]

Thanks for sharing the pics, Grogall!

This looks like a really nice set!  Despite the relatively small size of the model, it's packed with details!  The architecture of the building really allows for more complex building techniques then we've typically gotten so far in the line.  I can't wait for this thing to come out!

[Shu]

as an architect, i was actually a bit disappointed with Lego Architecture theme. the only sets that captured me was the Robie House and The Farnsworth House, and possibly this. it's good to see that they released another 1000+ pieces of architecture set. i hope they make this theme within that minimum of pieces (1000+) and maintain its small scale (which is pretty unusual with lego sets, since usually 1000+ pieces sets end up real big, which is nice, don't get me wrong). but this is just me, where i want to see more detailed architectural models.

Edited by Shu, 01 January 2013 - 06:06 AM.

[harton]

I actually agreed with some of you guys, saying Imperial Hotel is becoming one of the most interesting Architecture set after Robbie House, Farnsworth House and maybe we could add Falling water, which is not much detailed as some example I saw or the new Villa Savoy. I think TLG as done a good job, they could have done better, but if we consider that what they reproduct is the only part that have been conserved, well its a good reproduction. Except the fact that they could have use some red, I think results worth it, techniques have been improve, and details are still beautifully render, but will I buy it? Not sure yet...

[-DoNe-]

It looks terrific! But I do think DK Red would have looked much better :/

[ShaydDeGrai]

I can see the Imperial Hotel taking a chunk out of my Lego budget this year.  Sure it's only a fraction of the original structure, but it looks like it will be an interesting build and a nice display model.  I have to admit I wasn't too enthusiastic about the rumored Eames House offering or scuttlebutt about Habitat 67 (I'm not too keen on the existing Farnsworth House and the Villa Savoy was okay, but nothing to write home about, just to let you know where I'm coming from) I was afraid the next offering was going to be an other glorified modernist box (or stack of boxes in the case of Habitat 67).  

I think this offering has a lot more character and sits in good company with the White House, The Robie House and other standouts in the line.

[TheLegoDr]

I like these architecture sets, but I haven't purchased any because too many other sets have called my name. I think TLG are doing a great job with the overall design though. The main problem is trying to justify spending $200 on one set (a reason I never purchased Tower Bridge or Town Hall as of yet). These little builds are detail packed and great display pieces, but it isn't my thing I guess. However, I completely understand others who do buy them and display them. I just wish I had more money (who doesn't?).