Brick City

Book excerpt: From New York's Empire State Building to the Eiffel Tower, Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab hotel to London's St Pancras station, this is a glorious, full colour celebration of the world's most distinctive buildings and urban icons, recreated in LEGO bricks. Brick City is a celebration of the world's favourite buildings and urban icons, recreated solely using LEGO bricks. While to many, LEGO bricks are 'just a toy,' to an ever-growing army of fans they provide a challenging and enjoyable modelling medium. These fans, calling themselves 'AFOLs' or Adult Fans of LEGO have taken it upon themselves to recreate local landmarks using just the bricks that you find at a local store. LEGO models created by adult fans though, don't resemble those that many people created as a child. Created by masters of their medium, these fabulously detailed models may contain thousands of pieces - or perhaps just a handful. Either way, the talented artists have an intimate knowledge of every piece and colour available; skilfully choosing the ideal piece to recreate a well-known landmark. Sometimes creating a model indistinguishable from the real thing, or evoking the spirit of a building in just a few small pieces. In fact, landmarks and cityscapes - from the New York skyline to the Sagrada Familia, London's St. Pancras, and the amazing towers of Beijing and Hong Kong - have long been a source of inspiration for LEGO builders. In this book, Warren Elsmore takes us on a world tour and explores more than 12 global cities and their iconic structures. Each city is examined and recreated in LEGO form. Comprising amazing artwork, exploratory photographs, and detailed breakdowns, Brick City looks at the essence of what makes an urban landscape recognisable.