Doctor Octoroc

LEGO Architecture "World's Tallest" Custom Series

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Did I mention this one earlier? How about One57 in NY (realizing that you might put 432 Park on your "too boring" list despite its monolithic beauty)?

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Nice work on Torre Cespa. (It helps that it's a very unique building with aesthetically pleasing proportions.)

...and of course, CONGRATS ON GETTING FUNDED!

Sincerely,

---tom

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So while searching for a possible historical landmark to build as the final model, I came across the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, IL that I already did and something seemed off about the scale - I realized that I didn't resize the image when i pasted it into my reference diagram so it was way too large! So, I redid it at the proper scale.

24912045770_b7f3a51bd0_z.jpg

even more interesting than the insurance building is the Monadnock Building in Chicago...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monadnock_Building

It actually still maintains the title "worlds tallest" as it is the tallest load-bearing brick building ever constructed.

And unlike the Home Insurance building, it still stands today. I used to get bagels on the ground floor on my way to work, the walls are crazy thick.

Edited by droomangroup

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Did I mention this one earlier? How about One57 in NY (realizing that you might put 432 Park on your "too boring" list despite its monolithic beauty)?

That one looks cool, it would be interesting to see how many layers I could capture in this scale.

I actually love the look of the 432 Park Avenue model I did. Ironically, when I say boring most of what I'm referring to are actually really interesting buildings but in LEGO form they are quite boring due to an uninteresting build or just not looking right. But structures like 432, ADNOC, Torre Cepsa, etc. with an overall square shape that fit so nicely into the LEGO proportions tend to be among my favorites.

Nice work on Torre Cespa. (It helps that it's a very unique building with aesthetically pleasing proportions.)

...and of course, CONGRATS ON GETTING FUNDED!

Sincerely,

---tom

Absolutely - the three I mentioned above worked so nicely with the LEGO units lining up almost perfectly with the buildings various features. And thanks!

even more interesting than the insurance building is the Monadnock Building in Chicago...

https://en.wikipedia...adnock_Building

It actually still maintains the title "worlds tallest" as it is the tallest load-bearing brick building ever constructed.

And unlike the Home Insurance building, it still stands today. I used to get bagels on the ground floor on my way to work, the walls are crazy thick.

I'll check it out! Looks to be a nice variation on a similar build to the HIB but I'd have to get it into my diagram to compare to the rest.

Edited by Doctor Octoroc

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"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

You inspired me to try and build a slightly larger scale version of Torre Cepsa with more detail.

13150990_978231252225488_1245581935_n.jpg

LINK:

It's just a first draft, so feedback welcome!

---tom

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"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

You inspired me to try and build a slightly larger scale version of Torre Cepsa with more detail.

LINK: https://www.instagra.../p/BE_gbBcjjNT/

It's just a first draft, so feedback welcome!

---tom

Awesome! With every model I complete, I have an ever-growing wishlist of Architecture specific parts I'd like to see created. 1x1 curved slope, 1x3 plate with two offset studs, 2x2 modified brick with 2 studs on all four sides, etc. I certainly love the challenge of using the existing parts and as the Architecture series is still relatively young I'll cut LEGO some slack but boy it would really open up the possibilities to have additional parts created specific to the series!

I don't have much to add as it's pretty spot on - I love the extra lip on the front and back sides created along the top of the structure! The only thing I noticed is that the three inside segments are 2 wide and 3 deep on your model while on the real deal I believe they're square - I could only find one plan view in a quick Google search:

img4.jpg

Otherwise, fantastic build! Would definitely be a challenge to alter the proportions in your model while still maintaining the alternating clear and solid plates up and down the front. My build required 1x2 Technic bricks with one hole in combination with a 1/2 stud pin to hold the sides on - and in order to maintain the uniform distance of, and height between, the three middle segments, I had to use a 1x2 tile above the first iteration instead of a 1x2 plate with offset stud (the 2 bricks on the bottom side of the segment above would have no way to connect to the offset plate as the one above does). Because of this, the side assemblies are crucial in holding the top segments in place above the first.

Also, thanks for the mention on the original Instagram post!

Edited by Doctor Octoroc

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Would definitely be a challenge to alter the proportions in your model while still maintaining the alternating clear and solid plates up and down the front.

Very interesting... This was a very quick build just from photos, so I had not researched floorplans.

It's pretty clear that my choice to use a 2x3 plate for the glass floors is not very accurate, 2x2 or 3x3 would be more appropriate. That said, LEGO Architecture is an exercise in caricature, and I think the completed effect is pretty convincing. I'm excited to try some variations in my next version.

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Very interesting... This was a very quick build just from photos, so I had not researched floorplans.

It's pretty clear that my choice to use a 2x3 plate for the glass floors is not very accurate, 2x2 or 3x3 would be more appropriate. That said, LEGO Architecture is an exercise in caricature, and I think the completed effect is pretty convincing. I'm excited to try some variations in my next version.

I have been known to overthink things haha. I've probably looked for floor plans and multiple elevations for around half of the structures in the series. For many, photos and an elevation usually suffice, especially for symmetrical buildings. On occasion, I've even completely misinterpreted a building from only looking at photographs. Central Plaza, for example - the photos I referenced were taken with a wide lens so what I interpreted to be a sharp angle on a four-sided structure due to the FOV actually turned out to be a 60 degree angle edge on a three-sided building - I redesigned the entire thing on account of that.

But I will say, if it weren't for the distinct seam between the three tiles on the top of the third segment, I probably wouldn't have noticed. There are times that I favor suggestion over accuracy for certain details as it does suit the Architecture series better in many cases. One thing I love about the TV towers, even though they're simple builds with really low part counts, is the creativity of figuring out which wheel, gear, rod or axle to use for various portions. Part choice and arrangement are equally crucial to an aesthetically pleasing model. Aesthetically, your Torre Cepsa is beautiful - and for better or worse, I have an attention to detail that led me to create a simpler overall texture to the model in order to maintain the more precise proportions. At such a small scale there will always be sacrifices and which ones we choose to make inform not just the design but the unique take on the original subject. That's what's great about it, a lot of people can try the same form and get very different results.

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So while I wait for the Kickstarter to run its course I've been thinking about a possible next project - 1:300 scale famous architectural residences. Of course Falling Water, Robie House and other Frank Lloyd Wright designs in the official LEGO series will be done but I want to expand that further and include Le Corbusier, Frank Gehry, etc. Just did a mock up for Fallingwater and I like the look but may opt for a more simplistic color scheme - all white or something along those lines. Thoughts? Is it worth exploring for a series like this one or would it be better to just stick with a few models?

26844039565_0f8e3a8ba6_c.jpg

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Only one day left in the Kickstarter campaign! We've hit all the stretch goals resulting in 15 more models added to the series and a comprehensive video tutorial series but there can still be more models! I've decided to get a jump on the first five of the stretch goal models as well.

By request here, I did the Monadnock Building and One57; by request elsewhere, I did Angkor Wat; and the other two are my own choosing, Salufa Tower in Dubai and K11 in Shanghai!

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I love the Fallingwater and Angkor Wat designs. Have you made a mock up of fallingwater in all white as well ?

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I love the Fallingwater and Angkor Wat designs. Have you made a mock up of fallingwater in all white as well ?

Thanks! No mockup yet - the Kickstarter just finished up so the majority of funds from that will be going towards fulfilling rewards and building models from that series. If I have some extra funds I may supplement my stock of white and clear pieces to build Fallingwater. I'm actually still working on it. I like it but it looks too much like the official model (albeit at a much smaller scale) so I'd like to try something a bit more creative like have the waterfall be a single supporting column and have the whole thing hovering - something like that.

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It's been a week since I completed the first 5 extra models so I decided it was time to get back to it. Here's #106, Gama Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia!

27082612306_1a295ecf1b_z.jpg

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Two more models added to the series - now only five left until I'm completely finished! Franklin Center in Chicago, IL United States and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Both were fun models but I especially like the way that the Pantheon turned out. It's officially the shortest structure in the entire series.

26754644124_aafcfba7e3_z.jpg 27328738086_7d72d9675b_z.jpg

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And another one - only three left! This is the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh, PA United States. It's not the most interesting build but I like how the tiers build out towards the base around the center column.

27420106395_3cd8b752b5_z.jpg

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Cathedral of Learning is a classic building with a mix of Skyscraper Gothic & Art Deco era design with an attractive series of setbacks as the building gets taller. It's a great addition to your series!

---tom

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Cathedral of Learning is a classic building with a mix of Skyscraper Gothic & Art Deco era design with an attractive series of setbacks as the building gets taller. It's a great addition to your series!

---tom

Thanks, Tom! Any suggestions for the last three in the series?

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Here are some ideas, good or otherwise...

> Boeing factory in Everett, WA. Not interesting architecturally, but it is the largest or second largest building in the world based on square footage. Neat to see it in contrast to the others which focus on being tall instead of wide.

> CCTV building in Beijing.

> Hearst Tower, NYC - I like juxtaposition of architecture of base and tower. The triangular forms may not be possible in the scale.

---tom

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Here are some ideas, good or otherwise...

> Boeing factory in Everett, WA. Not interesting architecturally, but it is the largest or second largest building in the world based on square footage. Neat to see it in contrast to the others which focus on being tall instead of wide.

> CCTV building in Beijing.

> Hearst Tower, NYC - I like juxtaposition of architecture of base and tower. The triangular forms may not be possible in the scale.

---tom

Some nice prospects!

The Boeing factory is cool but unlike the VAB, which is a great model for the fact that it has a large footprint compared to the others, the BF doesn't have a lot of defining features like the VAB (plus no tiny rocket, although a bunch of small planes would be fun to put together so might be worth it for them). It's also very uniform in height so it would just be a stack of plates in the layout configuration basically. The footprint might actually be too large for the instructions format. If I had to guess off hand, I'd say it would be at least three times the size of the VAB base which would be too large to fit on a page in the instructions. The VAB barely fits as is.

CCTV Building would be cool, I've taken a look at that before. The real challenge there would certainly be trying to capture not just the shape but the finer points of the actual angles it takes. It would be simple enough to make a more suggestive model with 90 degree angles but representing it more accurately could be a fun challenge.

Hearst Tower would be doable with more suggestive features. Obviously there isn't much room to work in the intricate design with flat faces made of triangles and insets along the corners but some combination of slopes could achieve a good looking model that does the form some justice!

Edited by Doctor Octoroc

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So here's what I came up with for the CCTV Headquarters thus far. I'm not terribly fond of it since it's stepped but due to the fact that the overall form tapers on all sides simultaneously, I couldn't figure out a way to properly represent it otherwise without leaving gaps between sections built up by angled plates and the such. It's a shame that there aren't more shallow angled slopes - I've been having the same issues with trying to recreate the Leadenhall Building in London.

27512339735_d2d599ca7b_z.jpg

Edited by Doctor Octoroc

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By request, here's Hearst Tower in New York, NY United States. This is more suggestive than accurate as at such a small scale there was no sound method to represent the angular insets on just the corners of the structure as they are on the real deal. Instead it's a more exaggerated representation to give an overall impression of the appearance.

27268437330_4eb90a489d_z.jpg

Edited by Doctor Octoroc

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