Modular Building 10211 Grand Emporium

[Follows Closely]

...I'm going to do my share and add at least one Fire Brigade and one Emporium to the sales figures... in a couple of months probably

Same here.

[jamieberard]

Can you share with us how many Cafe Corners were sold worldwide? And how many Green Grocers and Fire brigades sofar.

It is interesting to find out what would be considdered a succes at Lego for these kind of sets. I have no idea, is that a coule of thousands, 10.000s or 100.000s?

One more thing my son wants to know: where do those super-builders (like yourself) work, is that all in Denmark or are there builders everywhere around the world? I am sure some more people here would appreciate a few pictures of your workspace..... i

Hi Henri,

Some of the others are correct in answering that I cannot comment about sales or volumes of the sets.

All the designers who work on retail & Shope@Home exclusive sets are here in Billund. The company works very hard to make sure we're all on the same 'campus' in order to promote innovation and knowledge-sharing.

In addition to the Billund team, we also have concept designers around the world who are helping dream up ideas for future of LEGO. Plus we have amazing model builders and designers in Enfield, CT USA, the LEGOLAND parks, and model shops here in Europe who make amazing sculptures and special models used around the world to promote the brand or selective partnerships. Designers in Enfield are the ones who often create the giveaways for brand retail store openings plus they handle alternative model and inspiration model designs shown in the Brickmaster & LEGO Club magazines. The physical models given with a Brickmaster sumbscription, however, are designed here in Billund.

Sorry, but I am not allowed to show images of my work desk/area due to the fact that I'm surrounded by many things which have not yet been released to the market. If you've seen the video announcing the launch of the Emerald Night, that show's a glimpse of where I work. In particular, starting at around 1:12 you can see our new element shelves:

What's even better than that is a video done with Markus. It gives a very fun overview of some of our design process.

Cheers,

jamie

[Rick]

If you've seen the video announcing the launch of the Emerald Night, that show's a glimpse of where I work. In particular, starting at around 1:12 you can see our new element shelves:

Looks like you cleaned up for the occasion.

I like that you're commenting quite frequently lately. I hope that's not just because of the 'appreciation week', or you'll force us to have a 'Jamie Berard appreciation year'.

[GRogall]

Hi Henri,

Some of the others are correct in answering that I cannot comment about sales or volumes of the sets.

All the designers who work on retail & Shope@Home exclusive sets are here in Billund. The company works very hard to make sure we're all on the same 'campus' in order to promote innovation and knowledge-sharing.

In addition to the Billund team, we also have concept designers around the world who are helping dream up ideas for future of LEGO. Plus we have amazing model builders and designers in Enfield, CT USA, the LEGOLAND parks, and model shops here in Europe who make amazing sculptures and special models used around the world to promote the brand or selective partnerships. Designers in Enfield are the ones who often create the giveaways for brand retail store openings plus they handle alternative model and inspiration model designs shown in the Brickmaster & LEGO Club magazines. The physical models given with a Brickmaster sumbscription, however, are designed here in Billund.

Sorry, but I am not allowed to show images of my work desk/area due to the fact that I'm surrounded by many things which have not yet been released to the market. If you've seen the video announcing the launch of the Emerald Night, that show's a glimpse of where I work. In particular, starting at around 1:12 you can see our new element shelves:

What's even better than that is a video done with Markus. It gives a very fun overview of some of our design process.

Cheers,

jamie

Thanks for the comments!

[MetroiD]

I like that you're commenting quite frequently lately. I hope that's not just because of the 'appreciation week', or you'll force us to have a 'Jamie Berard appreciation year'.

That's quite doable - and besides, more than deserved!

Thanks for keeping in touch with us, Jamie :)

[d00dz]

Cant wait till this set is out!

Is there an ETA for rls date?

[Holodoc]

Thank you so much, jamie for giving some insight in the bricks we love and the way they are produced.

In addition to the Billund team, we also have concept designers around the world who are helping dream up ideas for future of LEGO. Plus we have amazing model builders and designers in Enfield, CT USA, the LEGOLAND parks, and model shops here in Europe who make amazing sculptures and special models used around the world to promote the brand or selective partnerships.

We had the chance to visit the buildershop in Legoland Germany during our last event 2009.

There we were able to have a glance at what they were building and even how they planned for example the big "Villa Hügel" for the Discovery Center in Duisburg.

Here is a link to my BS-folder.

The pics named pict0149 and pict0150 are about Villa Hügel.

I would expect the building area in Billund to be at least similar to this.

There is one difference though: the park designers build for bigger outside models, the team in Billund does smaller and tabletop creations. So it could as well be all different in Billund.

[CMP]

If I'm ever going to get a modular building, it's going to be this one.

[Henri]

Hello all,

Jamie, thanks for the replies. Nice to be talking to the professional who builds the models I like so much.

Ever since the Modular houses have come to market, I got into the Lego City theme. Never before did it attrackt me so much, but now we already have a huge town. I cant wait to see the Grand Emporium lining up in my city....

I still owe you all the pictures of the Lego-Shop / Starbucks building but I want to wait just a week or so with that......You'll understand why when I do reveil the close-ups. The building is in the picture I posted here , next to the Grand Carrousel.

I hope my account gives me rights to post the pictures I want. I still have to go through some tutorials on that. I'll post a message when I get my pictures in there.

Is there a more suitable place to upload pictures perhaps, and link that in a posting here? Only free sites will be nice, I need to save money for my set of 10211.

Carpe Lego (pick a brick)

Henri

Edited January 25, 2010 by Henri

[WesternOutlaw]

Thanks for keeping in touch with us, Jamie :)

Yes, I'll second that Jamie. It is great to see you taking time to visit these topics on EB. We appreciate it.

This is another spectacular set that I will certainly buy once released. I love the overall color combination, and it will provide a nice addition to "cap" or "corner-off" the other modular sets. I'm really looking forward to adding to my collection.

[jamieberard]

Looks like you cleaned up for the occasion.

I like that you're commenting quite frequently lately. I hope that's not just because of the 'appreciation week', or you'll force us to have a 'Jamie Berard appreciation year'.

How could I not take advantage of this special week??

But it is true that I'm putting an extra effort this week to respond as much as possible. I'll likely be a bit more quiet soon in order not to take away from the next designer's week

[MetroiD]

OK, I guess that's all the answer we needed.

Jamie Berard appreciation year, anyone?

[richb]

But it is true that I'm putting an extra effort this week to respond as much as possible. I'll likely be a bit more quiet soon in order not to take away from the next designer's week

It would be nice if there were credits on the box or in the build manual so that we could know who designed what! It's the 21st century, TLG should allow all you hard working designers some attribution.

At the least this is something that should be done after the fact within the large AFoL community maintained Internet databases; places such as BrickSet. I would have never guessed the same person that created the Fast Flyer also did Cafe Corner were it not for this forum.

[Rick]

Jamie Berard appreciation year, anyone?

Cutlass Iz will be thrilled.

[peterab]

Cutlass Iz will be thrilled.

I see you've joined up too Rick. Up to this point Jamie was pretty safe given all his stalkers were in Australia

[Svelte]

I see you've joined up too Rick. Up to this point Jamie was pretty safe given all his stalkers were in Australia

Odd yet disturbingly true Australia is the new Billund

I think the Grand Emporium will tie for me as best modular building along with Cafe Corner

Jamie, I hope that when it is released you may be able to share with us some pictures of your earlier builds or concepts of the Grand Emporium, as you did in Brickjournal with the alt-10182s that were shown. I'd be interested to know if your original plans for the interior were different. For example, obviously with a detailed interior we aren't getting the beautifully tiled floor of the Green Grocer, for example, so it would be nice to know if there was a 'designer's own MOD' that we could glimpse which might include this extra level of perfection

[Izzy]

How could I not take advantage of this special week??

But it is true that I'm putting an extra effort this week to respond as much as possible. I'll likely be a bit more quiet soon in order not to take away from the next designer's week

But will the next designer will make the effort to come on here and be constantly pestered by all of us and our silly questions. They can't all be as nice as you have been about stalker Appreciation week. Haha!

Seriously though, it has been really good to have you on here more often. Anyone you would recommend for next week (or year, depending if the others will let you go!)

[MetroiD]

Cutlass Iz will be thrilled.

I've always known you'd make a great partner in crime mate!!!

The Jamie Berard appreciation week is coming to an end... Let's all participate in the Jamie Berard appreciation YEAR!

(I can't even begin to imagine how much harder this is going to make Jamie's everyday life... EBbers = obsessive pesky stalkers )

[merman]

hey Jamie. A couple of questions:

- where do you get your inspiration from?

- would you ever consider a 64x32 modular building?

- I have a feeling the modular building exclusives are a little less economical when it comes to the different parts. Like: more different parts than in regular sets. Are you allowed to confirm?

- how long does it take from first concept to release to develop a modular building?

- what concessions did you have to make with previous modular buildings you are allowed to share q

with us?

[ACCURATEin]

Dear Mr. Berard,

I would like to thank you for bringing me back to the LEGO addiction. It was in part due to the first sight of The Green Grocer sitting in one of the vitrines in the Orlando store. I remember telling myself...whomever designed that did a fantastic job. After browsing the store for a bit, i then grabbed the box and made the purchase. Once i returned to the hotel room, I immediately opened the kit and began building. It was such an awesome build that I decided to return to the store and purchase the Cafe Corner and Market Street as well.

As of fall 09, i've been working at the new concept store in North Carolina. I'm one of the facilitators in the Education Center. Customers are always telling me ..."you do know you have pretty much the coolest job ever"?...and my response is..."Of course!...i'm very much aware of that" haha. But then I think to myself, 'but only if i were a LEGO set designer!' ...then maybe i would have THE coolest job ever. haha

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoy selling your designs and inspiring the builders of tomorrow. Keep up the excellent designing, and myself and many others look forward to your future finished products.

Regards,

Eric

[Jasper Joppe Geers]

When it comes to celebrating Jamie Berard year i was wondering:

Where can i get the original Jamie Berard sneakers?

Let's all wear them!

[Younge]

I just had another look at the high-res pics of the Grand Emporium that are currently available, and it looks like on the brick-built "SHOP" sign, the top tiles on the 'S', 'O' and 'P' are a single 3 length tile piece. Is it just me, or is that a new piece? I always thought they only came in 1x1, 1x2 or 1x4, etc.

Would love a second opinion on this...

[jamieberard]

hey Jamie. A couple of questions:

- where do you get your inspiration from?

- would you ever consider a 64x32 modular building?

- I have a feeling the modular building exclusives are a little less economical when it comes to the different parts. Like: more different parts than in regular sets. Are you allowed to confirm?

- how long does it take from first concept to release to develop a modular building?

- what concessions did you have to make with previous modular buildings you are allowed to share q

with us?

Hi Merman,

Our inspiration often comes from the ambassadors, fans & from within our own department. We work in teams (I'm based in the CREATOR team) where is is very common for us to have brain storms or idea boosts. Once a bunch of potential ideas are agreed upon, most of our reference material comes from searching the internet, checking through our own library of books and sometimes (albeit rarely) through going off-site to actually see the thing we are trying to replicate/get inspiration from. The CREATOR team has visited a local zoo to get inspiration on animals. When creating the 10187 VW Beetle, our designer got to visit the VW museum in Germany in order to get the most accurate reference possible.

The Modular buildings can grow as big as our consumers would like (and afford )

I'm not sure I fully understand your third question. Yes I can confirm that the modular buildings often utilize several pieces which you would be less likely to see in a standard retail set. We intentionally add these rare and often expensive elements because we know they mean a lot to our adult consumer.

From initial concept to box, our development times can vary from 1 to up to 3 years. Of course, keep in mind that there are many more things which go into selling a model beyond just designing it. We also have element design, building instruction development, packaging, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, etc. The modulars average about one year from concept to box.

In order to get the inside scoop on each of the modulars, I would recommend reading some of the articles we've contributed to in previous issues of Brickjournal.

Here are some headlines for concessions:

10182 Cafe Corner - No interior due to concerns that our main consumer (males) would not want a 'doll house' experience. CREATOR houses traditionally have limited/no interior.

10190 Market Street - Limitations with the LEGO Factory brick palette restricted design choices we had with the model.

10185 Green Grocer - Limited interior on upper floors to maintain attractive price point. Also a compromise with those who were still reluctant for us to add details (costs) which the consumer could not see on the box shot.

10197 Fire Brigade - Limited use of dark tan color due to availability of elements in that color

As of fall 09, i've been working at the new concept store in North Carolina. I'm one of the facilitators in the Education Center. Customers are always telling me ..."you do know you have pretty much the coolest job ever"?...and my response is..."Of course!...i'm very much aware of that" haha. But then I think to myself, 'but only if i were a LEGO set designer!' ...then maybe i would have THE coolest job ever. haha

Thanks for the kind words, Eric! I think we're both pretty darn lucky to have such fun jobs!

When it comes to celebrating Jamie Berard year i was wondering:

Where can i get the original Jamie Berard sneakers?

Let's all wear them!

Target for $30

Cheers!

jamie

Edited January 23, 2010 by jamieberard

[astra]

Hello Jamie,

Thank you for al your answers so far! Really nice to see some facts from a Lego employee perspective!

Although it isn't the right topic to ask, but can you tell us if there are other Exclusive sets (besides the Grand Emporium) in the planning? I know you can't reveal anything about what kind of items, but it is just my curiosity. The last couple of months I've noticed a lot of Exclusive sets are being discontinued (Eiffel Tower, Cafe Corner, VW Beetle etc) without any replacements. This caught me wondering if Lego was closing the Exclusive range or is it just not the right time of the year for some new (exclusive) sets?

And again thanks for al your answers!

[Fugazi]

10182 Cafe Corner - No interior due to concerns that our main consumer (males) would not want a 'doll house' experience. CREATOR houses traditionally have limited/no interior.

10190 Market Street - Limitations with the LEGO Factory brick palette restricted design choices we had with the model.

10185 Green Grocer - Limited interior on upper floors to maintain attractive price point. Also a compromise with those who were still reluctant for us to add details (costs) which the consumer could not see on the box shot.

10197 Fire Brigade - Limited use of dark tan color due to availability of elements in that color

If I can add my $0.02 here... I wholly approve of the concept of limiting interiors details in order to maintain reasonable prices for the CC sets. Don't get me wrong, I love detailed interiors as much as anyone. But I think the current format is a good compromise between set price and interior decoration, and I'd rather be able to afford the sets as they are now rather than turning them down in the future if they become super-duper-deluxe-extra-detailed-collectors buildings at $400 each! As it is, the Grand Emporium looks like it has great detail on the ground floor, and less detailed upper floors, and that's quite fine with me!

Edited January 23, 2010 by space6901