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BILLUND - THE HOME OF THE BRICK Keri Bloomfield takes a trip to Billund to explore the world of building blocks – the new LEGO House.
PHOTOGRAPHS KERI BLOOMFIELD / LEGO HOUSE
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FOR THOSE AMONGST us who have had the misfortune of standing barefoot on a piece of LEGO, the thought of visiting LEGO House in Billund, with its 25 million pieces of LEGO may well be a slightly unnerving one for you. Built over four years and recently opened in late 2017, LEGO House is the latest attraction from the LEGO empire in Billund. A small town in Jutland more commonly referred to as the home of LEGO thanks to hosting the LEGO factory pumping out the infamous coloured blocks, as well as having around 4000 people from over 60 different nationalities employed. LEGO is Billund. It’s a 3.5-hour drive from Copenhagen and an oasis for both the smallest of LEGO fans and the AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO).
A HOUSE BUILT FOR LEGO If you’re a parent, or if LEGO played a role in your own childhood, you’ll be familiar with the unmistakable thundering sound of LEGO blocks being poured out of a box on mass on to the floor. A sound which, without fail, fills Bilingual Backpack Baby (BBB) with glee and myself with a sinking realisation I’ll be the one in charge of putting them back in the box. So, it was a very familiar sound that greeted us upon our arrival at LEGO House. The almighty sound of LEGO blocks being poured, unannounced, from a large box straight on to the floor in the middle of the entrance lobby. This is a building designed for pouring LEGO on the floor. And to be honest I could barely contain my glee in the knowledge I wouldn’t be the one picking up this medley of LEGO blocks. Welcome to LEGO House indeed – the home of the brick. Or as they are called in Danish, LEGO klodser. If BBB had her way, she would have been happy to stay sitting in the lobby all day playing with the free LEGO. But thankfully after some coaxing, we managed to move her on through the official gates to begin exploring the 12,000 square metre house with its 4 themed experience zones. Leaving the open public space behind us. Designed to be the ultimate place in the world to play with LEGO it’s a full sensory experience that encourages the popular Danish approach to education of free play. It’s easy to recognise that every part of this building has been designed with a strong sense of purpose. Even the building itself looks like a set of LEGO blocks stacked on each other. A design which also allows to you to explore and climb over and up the building (weather permitting). But while free play and creativity is the main attrac-
FEBRUARY 2019 - WWW.THE-INTL.COM
TEXT KERI BLOOMFIELD