LEGO Architecture 21037 User manual

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LEGO®House
Billund, Denmark
21037

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Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen,
grandson of the founder and
current LEGO Group owner
LEGO®House
“For my family and myself, the LEGO Group has
always been much more than just a company
and our products more than just products. I am
very passionate about play and how children
learn through playing with LEGO®bricks.
This is essentially the LEGO idea and what the
LEGO House is all about.
It has been very exciting seeing this long-time
dream of having one place where everyone can
experience the LEGO idea come true.”

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Scan the QR code with your
smartphone to see a video of
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen talking
about the LEGO®House project

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For many years, LEGO
®
employees and their guests enjoyed
visiting the small museum the company had created in
the converted house of the company’s founder, Ole Kirk
Kristiansen, in the heart of Billund.
All the visitors were thrilled to learn about the history of the
company and experience the philosophy behind LEGO
play, and many expressed the wish to be able to share this
experience with a wider audience. It was this enthusiastic
interest that sparked the dream of creating an actual LEGO
experience center.
Home of the Brick
“The location here in Billund is important.
We were founded here, and we want to help
develop and create life in the town, making it
attractive to both citizens and visitors.”
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen

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From the very beginning, the ambition with LEGO
®
House
was to create a unique and inspiring, hands-on and minds-
on experience, where LEGO fans of all ages could learn all
about the company and the endless play possibilities offered
by LEGO bricks.
It was quickly agreed that the right location would be in
the center of Billund. This is where the LEGO story started
almost 90 years ago and the town still serves as the global
headquarters of the LEGO Group. Then came the task of
finding a partner who could design a distinctive building that
would become an integral part of the LEGO House experience.
The original patent certificate
for the LEGO®Brick from 1959.

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Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner of BIG-Bjarke Ingels
Group and architect of the LEGO®House, is not only a
globally renowned architect, but also an enthusiastic
LEGO fan. Before he and his team started working on the
LEGO House project, they spent some time playing and
building with LEGO bricks. They soon discovered that the
systematic creativity of LEGO play often matched the way
they approached an architectural task. They also found that
the modularity of the LEGO brick inspired them in their work
when designing the unique structure that would become
the LEGO House.
Behind the Design
“If BIG had been founded with the purpose of
building only one single building, it would be
the LEGO®House.”
Bjarke Ingels

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According to Ingels, the idea for the LEGO
®
House was
to create “a cloud of interlocking LEGO bricks... a literal
manifestation of the infinite possibilities of the LEGO brick.”
21 white bricks would be stacked on top of each other and
be crowned by the Keystone, which would be inspired by
the classic eight-knob LEGO brick.
These huge bricks will not only form internal spaces for
LEGO House activities, but also create a covered public
square and a series of interconnected terraces and
playgrounds for people to investigate and enjoy. In this
way, the LEGO House will be enjoyed both by fans who
came to experience the LEGO story and by local citizens
and visitors to the town of Billund.

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“LEGO®House gives us the opportunity to show
how children learn through LEGO play, and at the
same time we tell the LEGO history in an involving
way which reflects our values.”
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen

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The completed LEGO®House covers an area of almost
129,167 sq. ft. (12,000 m2), 91,493 sq. ft. – (8,500 m2) above
ground and 36,597 sq. ft. (3,400 m
2
) of basement – and
reaches 75.4 ft. (23 m) into the Billund skyline. It consists
of four specially themed Experience Zones that offer the
guests unique hands-on LEGO play experiences. There
is also a historic section underground that presents the
company’s heritage and relates the story of the development
of the LEGO products and Brand.
While the largest part of the building is reserved for paying
guests, almost a quarter of the above-ground area of LEGO
House – including most of the terraces, plus the café and
shop –are open to everyone.
From Idea to Reality
“LEGO®House is a super important project – not
only to BIG and myself but to millions of people all
over the world.”
Bjarke Ingels

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The lower deck of the
basement is made
up of 3,336tons
(1,390cubicmeters)
of poured concrete.

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