Welcome To Kahuka Koffee

There's so many things to love about this marvelous multi-level building by builder snaillad that I don't know where to start. The architecture is of course the stand-out feature. It's got the weightiness and stature of a baroque revival, without all the unnecessary ornateness. Just a strong, confident style with loads of character. I also really dig that retro delivery van. And as for the coffee shop, I'll just invite you to click through and look at the high res photos, it's packed with detail and just lovely.

House On Striped Pillars

Builder betweenbrickwalls is back with another gorgeous house with a modern flair, welcome to House on Striped Pillars. Like the other two houses in this series, it is incorporated directly into a rocky cliffside, and those rock forms are integral into the design. With all the windows and open air spaces, I have to imagine the views would be stunning.

Green Rock House

There's really no description or details about this gorgeous house from builder betweenbrickwalls, so I'm left to speculate. It's based on a real house built in 1968 from renown architect Mitchell McAlester. Built directly into the cliffs above Santa Fe New Mexico, what isn't as well known is it was built for eccentric artist Buddy Clifton, who was actually a secret agent working for an undisclosed government agency. The house actually serves as a facade to the underground bunker that extends some 300 meters into solid rock. Today it's a popular tourist attraction and exceptionally profitable Airbnb. I made all that up. But seriously, it's a fantastic build and there's plenty more pictures after the jump, including some amazing furnishings inside.

Rotterdam Skyline

This super clean and expertly constructed skyline of the city of Rotterdam by builder Swan Dutchman is so well done it could be an official set. All it's missing is the printed tile and I would not be surprised to learn it's real. It was built for ReBrick's Dream Skylines contest going on right now.

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge

Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge spans the Trinity river in Dallas, Texas.  And that's what I thought I was looking at until I figured out Lia Chan had built a replica out of LEGO.  I suppose it was due to the tricky ground-level angles of the photos, in addition to the dizzying array of white flex tubes.  Impressive!

BrickNerd LiveBuild - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Join me and Mrs BrickNerd live from BrickNerd Studios as we build the latest LEGO Architecture set, 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Building starts at 1pm PST and doesn't end until it's done, join us!

UPDATE: technical difficulties, please stand by... 

LiveBuild Tomorrow!

Yes, you're right, it has been a long time since we've built live. But tomorrow me and Mrs. BrickNerd are going to break the dry spell and build LEGO 21035 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Join us at 1pm PST for some brick clicking, architecture building action. Guaranteed 19% more exciting than organizing receipts. See you then!

Venice 1486

Inspired by the game Assassins Creed II, Jonas Kramm and Brick Vader have created this charming diorama of everyone's favorite City of Water.  Beyond the major landmarks depicted in the LEGO Architecture set, there's a lot to appreciate about Venice.  That's exactly what they captured in this scene of ordinary life during the fifteenth century.  Before it was a tourist trap, Venice was a hub of commerce and economic power.  But it also had its moments of tranquility, as you can see from the boy fishing on the pier to the gondolier rowing along the canal.  That guy on the roof, though, I think he's up to something... 

Rosenwald Apartments

Rocco Buttliere is known for his amazingly detailed skyscrapers featured in books such as The LEGO Architect,  and winning the coveted Brickworld Master Award this year.   But taking something as mundane as a public housing project from Chicago's South Side and making it beautiful takes that extra level of skill. 

Ciudad de Andalusia

I've never been to Spain, but this lovely build by Toltomeja makes me want to catch a flight there sometime. This build beautifully recreates the "pueblos blancos" (white houses), a particularly charming style of architecture that you just can't find here in the USA. Even though the roof technique has been done before, this one really stands out because of the dark orange used. Most of the time, this technique is used with red and dark red, but the dark orange is really nice here. I also quite like the use of olive green; it works really nicely with the rest of the color scheme.

Esso Gas Station

1950's design and top-notch building come together in this exquisitely detailed Esso gas station by Norton74. Designed by famed Dutch architect Willem Marinus Dudok, these modernist gas stations dotted the Dutch landscape. Now we can all marvel at this brick-built version. The attention to detail is beyond reproach, with stylistic and realistic touches everywhere you look. 

OCP Headquarters (Pre Visual Effects)

Welcome to OCP Headquarters, or should I say Dallas City Hall? Yes, that towering symbol of corporate greed is actually a government building, and not even in Detroit. That's the magic of visual effects. And while I'm sure plenty of Dallasites went "heyyyy..." when they saw RoboCop, but the rest of us were just thinking "cool building". Just like you LEGO fans might be looking at this MOC by Grantmasters and thinking "where's the top of the building?"

Residence Fit For A King

Baroque architecture is not easy to do. By definition it's bold, ornate and a bit over the top, and so many builders confuse complexity with detail, and end up with something that's just to busy. Not so with this lovely facade by builder Jonas Wide. The use of color, detailing, ornate decoration and architectural balance of this building is just perfect. I highly recommend clicking through and scrolling over the large image, it's whole minutes of eye candy waiting to be had.

Desert Architexture

The amount of texture on this amazing MOC by Luis Baixinho is staggering! Described as Byblios, the house of knowledge at the centre of the Ahridus Desert in Elgarvel, it really oozes mysticism. I can imagine weary pilgrims traveling miles through sandstorms to reach this place. I hope it has a decent cafe inside!

Architectural Blues

To me, some modern buildings look like they were designed on a Friday afternoon, in the dark,  just before the rush out the door and down the road to the pub! Some, on the other hand have style, grace and presence. This Modern Apartment block by Lisqr has a lot of style indeed. lots of shiny blue walls and neat details such as the railings, but realistic and simple too. This wouldn't look out of place in an Architects studio

Welcome Foolish Mortals

You all know what a Disneyland nerd I am, and no trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without a visit to our favorite spooky attraction, the Haunted Mansion. This MOC by kjm161 not only captures the look and feel of the exterior of my favorite residence of New Orleans Square, but it has a fully detailed interior. The inside is absolutely packed with details and homages to the attraction, from madame Leota to the hitchhiking ghosts, to the rest of the 999 happy haunts. Now, look alive, and click through for many more pictures.

Cyberpunk Tripartite

I learned a new term today, "tripartite". It's an architectural term relating to the use of rougher and inferior building materials on lower floors (where the peasants can touch them, ew!) and becoming more refined as you build up. Combine this fascinating concept with steampunk and you've got this awesome MOC by Groovybones.