Next time you happen to be in Denmark, there is now (or will be in a week) a new, interactive LEGO attraction: LEGO House! Located in Billund, Denmark, home of LEGO, this building will be a multi-use attraction, with both public spaces and paid areas. There will be themed LEGO building areas to appeal to your imagination, and there will be free-to-roam patios with different play areas. There will also be restaurant areas, other attractions, and, of course, a LEGO shop. They choose Billund for the building’s construction because of LEGO’s origins there. The company hopes that the open square in the middle of the building will become a place for visitors and Billund residents, alike, to gather.
Why LEGO House?
The grand opening of LEGO House is September 28, 2017, in conjunction with the Billund town festival. I can’t wait to hear how people like it. The building has a clean, open, and colorful interior and exterior, and looks like it’s built out of gigantic LEGO bricks. The LEGO folks decided to create such a place to give LEGO fans of all ages, not just kids, a focused LEGO experience any time of the year. LEGO specifically is inviting both kids and adults (including AFOLs) to have an immersive experience, with fun, play, and learning, including plenty of building areas and new experiences to get their creative juices flowing.
What Can I Expect?
As visitors arrive, they will see a building made out of 21 giant white bricks stacked on top of each other, with an oversized 2×4 LEGO brick, the Keystone, on the top. The facade looks like it’s made of LEGO bricks, but it is made from clay tiles. The building’s brick sections contain indoor activities, but also create some covered and sheltered space for the interconnected outdoor terraces and playgrounds. The whole thing is almost 130,000 square feet of LEGO goodness, and the building includes 1,900 tons of steel to create the building shape, allowing for the open feel without visible columns. Eight light pillars will also shine from the LEGO House, one for each pip on a 2×4 brick. You can take a tour of the outside of the building here.
If you’re in the area, be sure to stop in to LEGO House even if you don’t want to visit the paid areas. Visitors don’t need tickets to visit the ~21,500 square foot LEGO Square, to play on the terraces, to explore the LEGO Store (naturally), or to eat at one of the three LEGO-oriented eateries (I’m wondering if the food will be shaped like LEGO bricks). Non-paying visitors can also enjoy the outdoor squares and the bottom floor’s indoor public square. They can also get to the top floor to take in the view and participate in the terrace activities.
The paid areas are divided up into experience zones, with four different colored areas, a Masterpiece Gallery where fans can exhibit their creations, and a History Collection where visitors can walk through the development of LEGO over time. Sounds like the History Collection is a bit of a mini museum. The four color-coded play zones equate to four of the many different ways in which kids learn. Red is Creative, Blue is Cognitive, Green is Social, and Yellow is Emotional. The History Collection is in the basement, while the Masterpiece Gallery is on the top story.
Jesper Vilstrup, General Manager, LEGO House, describes LEGO’s thinking in creating LEGO House: “LEGO House is a manifestation of the very essence of the LEGO idea. This will be an amazing place where LEGO fans, their families, and friends can experience—or re-experience—the playfulness of the LEGO universe. All activities are related to our LEGO philosophy—the vision that creative play promotes innovation. LEGO House will enable us to offer both adult and young visitors the chance of stimulating their creativity and learning.”
If You Go
Check out the LEGO House website for more information and ticket sales. Though the grand opening isn’t until September 28th, ticket sales for LEGO House are open now, so be sure to book in advance of your visit to guarantee entry to the experience zones on the day of your visit. Tickets are 199DKK per person (about $31.75 as of this writing) but are free for kids 2 and under. Tickets include an entry time to help stagger visitors for everyone’s best experience. Though Denmark (including LEGO attractions) has been on my travel wishlist for a long time, LEGO House has merely added one more checklist item. Sounds like the perfect trip for taking the (future) grandkids.
If you’ve got a bunch of LEGO at home (and who doesn’t?), try making your own LEGO House out of the bricks you have. Bonus points if you use the LEGO Architecture Design Studio bricks! We’d love to see what you come up with. Post your photos in the comments.
