Humanity’s greatest achievements in engineering are beloved but can be perceived as daunting in scale and complexity. The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago sought to make the ideas behind these structures more accessible through a common, relatable medium: LEGO. “Brick by Brick,” a new exhibition at the museum, emphasizes the aspects of play at work in some of the world’s most renowned structures—including SOM’s One World Trade Center and the Burj Khalifa—through models created by LEGO Certified Professional Adam Reed Tucker.
In addition to showcasing Tucker’s models, the Museum asked architectural practices and educational institutions to imagine new models for sustainable building. Envisioned as an abstract structural network of bricks capable of being scaled to an array of building typologies, SOM’s LEGO model, titled More with Less, builds on the firm’s core tenets of simplicity, structural clarity, and sustainability—challenging accepted notions of structure to provide a flexible, beautiful, and durable model for urban design. The project was realized by SOM Design Partner Brian Lee with Associate Neil Katz, Assistant Project Manager Michael Jividen, and Architectural Professional Joel Putnam. SOM also led a team of students from the Illinois Institute of Technology College of Architecture for the school’s contribution.
Tickets are available at msichicago.org.?
Brick by Brick
March 10, 2016 – January 3, 2018
Museum of Science and Industry
5700 South Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, Illinois