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john_mclark Mar 6, 2007 5:07 AM

LEGO Skylines
 
I was wondering if anyone has pictures of building models made from legos?
p.s I hope I’m not copying someone else’s thread.

fflint Mar 6, 2007 5:13 AM

Kevin is THE man when it comes to lego cities. Wait for it...

KevinFromTexas Mar 6, 2007 5:44 AM

You rang?

Here are two shots from last week. I updated the model at the request of a local developer who is planning a 400 foot residential highrise in downtown. He bought the Legos, I did the model, he photographed it, and the photos were on the City of Austin's access channel. The photos were included in the developer's presentation for the building before City Council. The building was approved. They'll break ground in 5 months.

Let me know if these photos work.

Here's an "aerial" view. Me up on a 6 foot step ladder looking over the model.
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/2...829editsh4.jpg

KevinFromTexas Mar 6, 2007 5:45 AM

>>>>Scroll>>>>

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/594...egopanosl4.jpg

john_mclark Mar 6, 2007 6:10 AM

Thanks Kevin this is exactly what I was wanting.

john_mclark Mar 6, 2007 6:11 AM

kevin do you have any more?

Tanster Mar 6, 2007 6:34 AM

Must of had lots of fun. Nice real cool

KevinFromTexas Mar 6, 2007 7:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_mclark (Post 2668358)
kevin do you have any more?


Yes, I do. What are you needing them for? What are you looking for?

Here are a few more. Let me know what you're looking for and what you need them for.

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5...648editcp4.jpg

Frost Bank Tower view.
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/4...875edittv8.jpg

vid Mar 6, 2007 7:50 AM

Those new towers make Frost Tower look not-as-good. :(

It should have been built taller in the first place.

john_mclark Mar 6, 2007 7:45 PM

kevin i'm hoping to become a developer in abilene and i was hoping if this actually works in gettimg an idea across.

DecoJim Mar 7, 2007 8:12 PM

What Kevin is doing is trying to create an entire downtown in Lego bricks.

I have taken a different approach. By building in what is called "minifig" scale (about 1/48 scale - based on the height of the chubby little Lego people), I can show details such as the individual windows and doors. Unfortunately unless someone pays me and lets me use a space the size of a stadium (for free), I will not be able to build an entire downtown. Dispite this, I am hoping to build many of the significant structures of Detroit.

Since I started building about 3 years ago, I have built one large structure a year (plus several small to medium size buildings).

2005: The 28 story Fisher Building:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/3...2c6fa2a6_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/decojim/398371952/

2006: The 37 story David Stott Building:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/3...a992e275_o.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/decojim/324881171/

2007: The 47 story Penobscot Building (still under construction):
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/3...5facf517_o.jpg

After I completed the Fisher Building model, I found out about the Michigan Lego Train Club (MichLUG.org) and I joined it. This gives me the opportunity to display my Lego buildings as part of a complete city.

This is a picture from a show MichLTC did on March 3-4, 2007 at the Rock Financial Center in Novi, Michigan (a Detroit suburb):
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/4...6088f519b5.jpg
(the buiding in the right-center foreground is a scaled-down replica of New York's Flatiron building by another club member).

Slugbelch Mar 7, 2007 9:40 PM

A 600+ storey supertall that went all the way as high as I could stretch until I just gave out.
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/9995/91626888ki9.jpg

We didn't have all the fancy shapes and colors like you guys do now. We had to tough it out. We were the pioneers :D

Then I tried with Tinker Toys, but couldn't buld those too tall
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/184/80179741xc0.jpg http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9553/60907076fp9.jpg

Tanster Mar 7, 2007 11:55 PM

woow!! how did you get those type of legos?
i dont think you can buy those type of legos at a local store

foxmtbr Mar 8, 2007 12:03 AM

I have a few buildings right now that I have had for a while, and I plan on building a good sized city this summer, at which time I will most likely create a thread with pics. (No use posting anything right now, there's nothing special or amazing, just a few big squares.)

john_mclark Mar 8, 2007 12:06 AM

i've seen an e-mail where someone built a church and it was scale to the lego people. thanks DecoJim for the pics.

KevinFromTexas Mar 8, 2007 2:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_mclark (Post 2669398)
kevin i'm hoping to become a developer in abilene and i was hoping if this actually works in gettimg an idea across.

Well, I think it does. I'm not sure of the exact scale of my models, but I do know they are to scale. I researched the street width information from the City of Austin. Most downtown streets in Austin are 80 feet wide, that includes 44 feet of lanes, (curb to curb), the rest is sidewalks. For the block sizes I've measured those with GoogleEarth. I'm also an editor at Emporis which is a website that catalogs skyscrapers from around the world. I work on most of Texas there. I collect building heights as a hobby so the heights of the buildings are correct. Most of the heights have come straight from the building's blueprints. In collecting the heights I also ask for building widths which further help in modeling them. To do the model I use GoogleEarth for images, Live Local Search, various other aerial photographs where I can find them. I also use books, magazines, calendars, postcards, and of course my own pictures. I also go downtown and sketch out the block that I'm planning on modeling. So when I do it I've got images of that block from all angles and levels.

I include everything in the model. Not just the skyscrapers, but also all the smaller older buildings. All the little 2-story historic buildings from as far back as the 1850s. Austin also has what we call "Moonlight Towers", these are 165 foot light towers that were bought and installed by the City of Austin back in 1895. They're national historic landmarks. There's 17 of them remaining out of 31 original towers. These are all over downtown and Central Austin, Central South Austin and Central East Austin, (near downtown). I include those to help with the realism. I'm also planning on adding light rail once it comes to downtown. Those will just show up as small "slats" on the street. Since the trains are fairly large, about ~10 to 12 feet tall and ~ 60 feet long, I want to include them.

A developer in Austin contacted me about using Legos as a visual reference for their project. He wanted to show people how the building would appear on the skyline in that area of downtown compared to other nearby highrises, and others that are also being planned nearby. The project is a 390 to 400 foot condominium tower that is planned for an area of downtown that is bounded to the north by old historic homes, (from the 1860s to 1880s), that have been restored and reused as light commercial space. Mostly law firms and other small office space. To the south and west there are a lot of restaurants and other small offices. To the east and southeast there are 2 taller towers planned by another developer, and to the east the main bulk of Austin's downtown skyline. There was some controversy about this project because area business owners, (just a handful), didn't like the height. They said it didn't fit the neighborhood and they wanted it scaled back to 120 feet. That would have meant a mid-rise tower that would have covered half the block, instead of 1/4. It also meant that a very popular restaurant, (Ranch 616), would have been demolished to make room for the tower. So the developer contacted me about doing the model for them. I agreed, and he purchased the Legos, dropped them off at my house, and I worked on the model for 4 1/2 days straight to get it done. He came and photographed it, and I got to keep the Legos. I'll also get a tour of the building during construction.

The important part is that the photos were used in the developer's presentation before city council, (the images were also on the city's tv station). The tower was approved at 400 feet tall on the 2nd & 3rd reading. They plan to break ground in 5 months after they have their permits and demolition of the site is complete.

The developer, Rick Hardin, seemed to be very pleased with the job I did on the model. He told me that I should get it put on display somewhere possibly at city hall or at a museum.

I can put you in touch with him if you'd like. He can give you his thoughts on how effective the model was.

I'm curious, is your project a highrise for Abilene's downtown area? Or elsewhere? I have a bunch more photos of the model, atleast over 200 of them. Let me know what kind of angles you're looking for, and I'll post a few more if need be.

I hope this helps.

JBinCalgary Mar 8, 2007 3:27 AM

sweet son of a whore. those are impressive

Goody Mar 8, 2007 4:00 AM

yea thats nuts... the big ones are unreal.


Kevin have you even thought of panting yours? That could be awesome. :yes:

nice work guys

john_mclark Mar 8, 2007 5:50 AM

the lego david scott building looks better than the real thing

john_mclark Mar 8, 2007 6:05 AM

Abilene is having somewhat of a banking boom; I think this because new banks are springing up all over town but not in downtown. So I’m hoping to develop south downtown into a central banking part of Abilene because there are so many old warehouses that could be remolded into offices or into a new building. I feel models give a better look at future building projects.

p.s. I started this thread because I love both legos and building. So I put to loves together and made my own city. I was just wondering in anyone else does this?


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