
My entry is in the Architect Series category and is a London theatre two doors down from me, the Young Vic, as redeveloped by Haworth Tompkins in 2006. I have represented the theatre in micro scale; the total height is just over 5 bricks! I decided against adding a decal of Patrick Stewart


(You can’t see the orange beneath the metal mesh very well in my photo of the real theatre, so have a look at this picture. It changes dramatically according to the time of day and where you stand.)
Here is the reverse angle of the facade showing the dramatic auditorium and the workshop to the right.

The rear of the building faces a street that runs at a slight angle – so I had to use several hinges. And seeing as I was using hinges, I figured…

The model swings open to show (left to right) the interior of the main auditorium, the two-floor foyer and the second auditorium, called the Maria.

More pictures of the building and the model are on my Flickr account.
About the building and the architects
To fully appreciate the building I need to briefly explain its interesting history. The site was full of Victorian shops and houses until it was bombed in 1941, killing nearly fifty people in a shelter. Only one shop survived the destruction; a butcher’s.
In 1970 the first incarnation of Young Vic was built to temporarily house the Royal Shakespeare Company in between their move from the Old Vic (just down the road) to the Barbican. Because of limited funds and the fact that a building was only needed for 5 years, architect Bill Howell built the auditorium out of breeze blocks and used the old butcher’s shop as a foyer! But this temporary building, and the works staged in it, proved so popular it never stopped being used.
Over thirty years passed before the much needed redevelopment happened. Haworth Tompkins retained the iconic Victorian butcher’s shop (the tall narrow tan building in the centre) and the breeze block auditorium, but wrapped it in a new shell painted orange and covered in a metal mesh. Other required spaces (including two new auditoria) were designed around them, "a conglomerate order rather than a single compositional statement." All the planning was done in consultation with the various staff of the theatre, and the set builders even helped build it!
About the model
Ever since Fallingwater brought me out of my Dark Age, I've thought about modelling this theatre. The colours, the angled corners and the effect of the metal mesh all attracted me. Fallingwater contained that wonderful surprise of being able to remove the building from the landscape. I wanted to include a surprise here too and the hinged ‘dolls house’ opening grew very naturally out of the need to use hinges in the model. But was a total pain to build robustly!
I finally decided to include the random small windows at the rear of the building; it felt dull without them. They are mostly achieved with just jumpers and panels, but there is a little SNOT there too.
I really enjoyed this build and am grateful to Eurobricks for giving me the opportunity to combine my loves of LEGO, architecture and local history! Thanks for reading.
Edited by caperberry, 08 April 2012 - 07:01 PM.
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