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Lego: The Building Block of Architecture

Tom Dyckhoff explores Lego's relationship with architecture, and argues that it has changed the way we think about buildings.

The Lego Movie (released 14th February) is the latest big budget incarnation of one of the world's most popular toys. Yet Lego is more than a global brand. Tom Dyckhoff explores its fascinating relationship with architecture - and argues that it's changed the way we think about buildings.
Lego's plastic yellow bricks were launched in the fifties, and resonated with new visions of rebuilding society - with ethical, imaginative children's play at its heart.
Tom meets the artists and architects reared on Lego, who are using it to reimagine our cities today, from Bjarke Ingels, 39, the leading architect of his generation, to international artist Olafur Elliasson whose Collectivity project took 3 tonnes of Lego to the citizens of Tirana, Albania.
But with Hollywood franchises and huge expansion, has Lego lost its original ethos of creativity and construction? Tom looks to Lego's successors and looks at how cult computer game Minecraft may be set to transform the cities of the future.

30 minutes

Credits

RoleContributor
PresenterTom Dyckhoff
ParticipantAlain de Botton
ParticipantPeter Molyneux
ParticipantBjarke Ingels
ParticipantMark Dudek
DirectorJude Ho
Series EditorJanet Lee

Broadcasts

  • Sat 22 Feb 201403:30GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 201416:30GMT
  • Sat 22 Feb 201422:30GMT
  • Sun 23 Feb 201410:30GMT