January 27, 2021

Happy Birthday, LEGO

by AIA New Jersey president, Joshua Zinder, AIA

Ole Kirk Kristiansen and his sons patented the familiar Lego bricks in January 28 1958, 63 years ago today.  The brand name for the ubiquitous colorful, interlocking plastic blocks is a shortened form of the Danish words Leg godt, meaning “play well.” And more than eight decades after the founding of the Lego company, generations of creative young people have indeed done just that: played well, and often.

In December 1973 I received my first three Lego sets at the age of four: a biplane (16 pieces), a rescue helicopter (62 pieces), and a Basic Building set with well over 300 pieces. My siblings claim that I completed the plane and helicopter in record time, but what I remember is that I promptly dismantled them after they were done and tossed the loose bricks into a giant bin with all the basic building set pieces. The look of bewilderment on my siblings’ faces will stay with me forever. In the years to come, my room would be overrun with cities of Legos – skyscrapers, helipads, spaceships, vehicles, and entire worlds in colorful bricks – helping to inspire me to become an architect.

Today you can purchase Lego sets of famous architecture, from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water to Moshe Safdie’s Marina Bay Sands. One wonders if these sets and others still provide inspiration for more young people to become architects, but my guess is that they will. Legos engage us to express what our imagination conceives, like a musical instrument or a pen and paper. Regrettably, cost sometimes presents a barrier to putting more bricks in the hands of more kids. The price point for this wonderful toy often puts it out of reach for families facing financial constraints or living in low-income environments. One can imagine programs devised to see more and more children of all backgrounds having access to Legos, and being inspired to become architects, designers, contractors, engineers and building scientists.

I would dare to say that there is no architecture professor or practitioner that has done more to inspire young people to pursue our profession than the colorful creation of the Kristiansens. What’s more, Legos have nurtured creativity in children who went on to become critical thinkers and innovative minds across a range of career paths. The immeasurable stimulation provided by these little plastic bricks makes this an anniversary worth celebrating.

In celebration of LEGO Day, CLICK HERE for a lesson in how to Bygge hygge, or build cozily, just the thing for a winter’s day! 

By Stacey Ruhle Kliesch, AIA, AIA NJ Advocacy Consultant | Posted in AIA-NJ News | Tagged: #JoshuaZinderAIA, #LEGO, #LEGODay, #OleKirkKristiansen | Comments (0)