Lego burj khalifa - 21008 User Guide

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As an Architectural Artist my desire is to capture the essence 
of a particular architectural landmark into its pure sculptural 
form. I fi rst and foremost do not view my models as literal 
replicas, but rather my own artistic interpretations through 
the use of LEGO
®
 bricks as a medium. The LEGO brick is 
not initially thought of as a material typically used in creating 
art or used as an artist’s medium. I quickly discovered the 
LEGO brick was lending itself as naturally to my applications 
as paint to a painter or metal to a blacksmith. As I explore 
how to capture these buildings with the basic shapes of the 
bricks and plates, I fi nd the possibilities and challenges they 
off er almost magical.
Burj Khalifa
This model has two unique details surrounding its launch. It 
is the fi rst International model to be showcased in the LEGO 
Architecture line and it is also the latest skyscraper since the 
Seattle Space Needle in continuing the Landmark theme. In 
terms or design challenges this model really only had a few. 
As impressive as the real structure is, when captured in its 
smaller LEGO form the only discernable form is its 3-spoke 
geometry. Y-shapes & triangular shapes can be tricky to 
construct using square bricks. However, in this case the use 
of a single Technic 3-bladed rotor propeller establishes the 
basis of the entire model. From there I was able to have 9 
points and 1 in the central core totaling 10 nodes from which 
to build upward vertically, while expanding the propeller to 
add 2 downward vertical points from each blade totaling an 
additional 6 nodes. So, that single propeller piece anchors all 
16 radial nodes and thus capturing the essence of the entire 
design. 
– Adam Reed Tucker
A Word from the Artist
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08/03/2011   6:30 PM