Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO Sets

We got word today of the official announcement of the new line of licensed Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO sets! Created in conjunction with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Brickstructures, Inc. and the LEGO Architecture brand, the first two sets in the series are The Guggenheim and Fallingwater. Read more after the jump...

Here are the detail via the press release we received:

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES NEW LICENSEE

The LEGO Group and Brickstructures, Inc. to produce and distribute Frank Lloyd Wright Collection® LEGO® Architecture Building Sets

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced today that The LEGO Group is now the exclusive licensed manufacturer of Frank Lloyd Wright Collection® LEGO Architecture sets.

The LEGO Group and Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures, Inc. officially introduced the LEGO Architecture line in 2008. The line currently consists of six buildings – now including two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous and recognizable buildings, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and “Fallingwater.”

With models developed in collaboration with architects, LEGO Architecture works to inspire future architects, engineers and designers as well as architecture fans around the world with the LEGO brick as a medium. Builders of all ages can now collect and construct their favorite worldwide architectural sites through these artistic replicas.

Both exclusive Frank Lloyd Wright LEGO Architecture sets contain booklets that feature traditional building instructions along with exclusive archival historical material and photographs of each iconic building.

The LEGO Group will release the first of the LEGO Architecture Frank Lloyd Wright Collection® sets at the opening of the Frank Lloyd Wright Exhibit: From Within Outward at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on May 15, 2009.

Doug Volker of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation:
According to Director of Licensing and Product Development, Doug Volker, “The LEGO product was one that the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation had considered pursuing for several years. It was the vision, passion and creative desire of Adam Reed Tucker to capture the essence of Mr. Wright’s most famous buildings using the medium of the LEGO brick that brought this partnership into being.”

Another exciting aspect of the Architecture Series is the capability to use them for education, team building, or other formats that make the LEGO Architecture series more than just a toy.

“The LEGO Group is known for its creative approach to brick models and now, with its Architecture Series, it will reach even further, to individuals of all ages,” Volker concluded. 

Adam Reed Tucker of Brickstructures and the LEGO Group:
“Mr. Wright’s buildings are a treasure trove of possibilities,” says Adam Reed Tucker, innovator of the Architecture Series for The LEGO Group.  “I wanted to create these marvelous buildings for years, so I’m thrilled to be working with the Foundation in order to include Mr. Wright’s timeless buildings in this series, which conceptualizes the very essence of each building in LEGO bricks.”

As is well known to PrairieMod readers, I have a great love of LEGOs, so merging both Wright and LEGO together is a dream come true. So, what do you think of the new sets? What future buildings would you like to see? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Images copyright LEGO, Brickstructures and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

Comments

[ZackLegomaniac]

I'm sorry but I couldn't disagree more with these statements. The current Lego sets allow for you to chop and change the sets around with the only limit being your child's imagination. My boys have made literally hundreds of creations out of the various sets they've collected--mixing and matching them up in extremely imaginative ways. We usually follow the plan the first go at the set, then they play with it, and within a few days it starts to morph into whatever they want.

If you're "locking" your kids into only using the set as per the plan... you're really missing the point.

From MaeEast (above): "Instead of various building block sets, like the original versions, and allowing (even encouraging) a kid's creativity, current Lego products are designed to be put together in one specific configuration -- and only that configuration. It's a paint-by-numbers (and not in a good way)."

[Kevin]

The main reason that the sets are smaller is because the best target market for these sets are at the actual monuments themselves, in their gift shops, as well as other souvenir stands. When you have the option to get your kid a a model of the Sears Tower out of pewter or get them the LEGO kit instead for the same price, I don't know many kids that would be all about the metal model over the brick built one. Also, at a $20 price point, it's affordable for most families to give it to buy. The larger architectural kits like the Taj Mahal and the Eiffel Tower are hundreds of dollars each. Most people, unless they have a large passion for LEGO or architecture, would frankly see those as simply too expensive and pass on them. But if it's detail that you seek, those larger kits are definitely the ones to look for.

[John Yong]

Robie House or Taliesen would be nice. Seems like the scale needs to be larger to warrant the right massing and cleaner lines. I would still buy Fallingwater.

[EL]

The Sydney Opera House of course :-)

[Paul]

A nice follow up to Wright would be one of Paolo Soleri's proposed arcologies - the original vision of Arcosanti for instance... It would at least be interesting to look at...:D

[J.]

i think they should make The Ennis-BRown House and donate all the proceeds to the renovation of the house.

it was where angel stayed in buffy and i believe its in Blade Runner.

the house is in disrepair, and they cant seem to raise the funds to renovate it. within a few years its going to fall down the hill it was built on.

i say, LEGO, use that for a set, and donate all the proceeds to restoring the house before it doesnt exist anymore!!!

[Kent Stephan Jensen]

Unlimited cool. I want this.
Hoping they will add some Richard Neutra houses to this series.

Kent Stephan Jensen [kentnottheband]
http://workworkwork.tumblr.com

[Mark Tidman]

Thanks for the templates. Your tiny guggenheim has laid down the gauntlet for us to upscale and show on our layout next year. As you can see from our site, I have no trouble with curved structures, except it's going to have to be big to look right, and I'll need to make some stickers. At the conclusion of our show next weekend a rumored play doh asteroid storm should provide the necessary rubble!

[Jennifer Saber]

I would love to see Gaudi or Gehry represented by Lego someday! =)

[Daniel]

The Pompidou! Or something Gehry

[Kobus]

Nice,
I'm wondering if Lego can do this realtime? Cost of structures would then become so much cheaper and just emagine the implecations to greendesign one can achieve...Just a thought, use it don't use it..

kobus

[William Sutton]

Mmm...can’t tell you whether I'm pumped or having flashbacks of childhood when father would inevitably step on the Lego while walking through the house at night (the scream would rouse the neighbors).

Makes for great opp to educate the family on America's greatest architecture.

[shameless plug: architectural wood trim? thousand of choices...online.]

[Camila]

It is easy for Lego to do it with Modern movement architecture XD

[Tony Martini]

I want these!!! Mommy, mommy...I WANT THESE!!!! Waaaaaaaaa.

[Narukami]

Yet another reason why Lego was chosen as "The Toy of the Millennium."

While some may think the real "fun" was had by the set designers (and there is some truth to this) it is best not to underestimate the creativity of kids. Once they have built these they could well look at their Death Star or Bat Cave and consider a "make over" for them.

Imagine the Death Star as designed by Frank Lloyd Wright... Now that would be a sight.

[Postal]

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Sorry, but I'm Dutch and I love Rietveld

[Paolo Soleri]

Lego Arcosanti

[Cody]

Plain and simple...

OMG! WANT!!!!

[jimnogood]

I think the "Architecture" sets are meant for adults as a desktop tchotchkes, hence their mini stature. Build it, set on desk, never touch it again. I, too, was disappointed in their lack of detail, but they are what they are.

[sush grl]

last year i went to FAO schwartz to look for architectual legos and all they had were starwars! i'm so excited about the lego company finaly coming to their sences, it's like a dream come true!

[iREV]

This is ironic. Work just celebrated my bday by giveing me the Lego Architecture Space Needle yesterday. This is a fun Lego experence.

[t]

I heard the robie house will be available in the fall.

[Christian Huygen]

The combination of Lego and architectural masterpieces makes me dizzy with joy.

Go to Lego.com and check out their Taj Mahal set, which I believe is the largest Lego set that's ever been marketed. I have no idea whether it's selling well. If it is, that could open up a market for larger and more detailed architectural wonders.

But you can already custom design your own Lego sets. Lego makes it possible to purchase the exact bricks and pieces that anybody wants, and they *give away* software so you can design your creations in 3D and then, if you want to, buy the parts to make them real. In other words, anyone can have all the fun that a product designer gets to have. You can even share the designs you've created.

There are many sites where people post their original Lego creations. It sounds like a lot of smart inspired people have been posting on this forum... I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

[Sydney Head]

Next Le Corbusier: la Ville Savoie and Ronchamp! Please, please! Can't wait to ge my hands on the Fallingwater set. Have you guys thought about getting subscriptions for those sets and upcoming ones?

[Mike]

How about the Martin House!!!