[ad_1]
French History Teacher works on his own Notre-Dame with Lego Pieces
In 2019, Arnaud Gaudillat, a French history teacher, tearfully watched the Cathedral of Notre-Dame burning on television. Feeling helpless, he said, “We couldn’t do anything but just watch it burn”.
Fast-forward five years, as hundreds of professionals including architects, engineers, and metalworkers race against time to complete the restoration of the cathedral’s roof and electrical system, Gaudillat has taken a personal initiative. Contrary to sitting idle on the sidelines, he has decided to construct his own Cathedral of Notre-Dame. However, his version is not made of bricks and mortar, but of 4,383 Lego pieces.
Lego Releases Cathedral of Notre-Dame Model
Lego, the world’s largest toy manufacturer, released a replica of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame on Saturday. This includes an intricately designed rose windows, bell towers, and a central spire surrounded by sculptures. This model, intended for adult customers, is an addition to the company’s collection of sets featuring architectural marvels such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and his Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Notre-Dame Lego Set: A Dream for Enthusiasts
Gaudillat, 25, has developed a fascination for elaborate Lego sets in recent years. He eagerly expressed his desire to build the Notre-Dame model in his house. The Danish toy company, while best known for its vibrant sets for children including the best-selling farm animals sets, train sets, and Harry Potter-themed sets, has also been catering more to adults. Lego has expanded its range of sets aimed for adults since it started a new adult-targeted toy category in 2020. Currently, 20% of the Lego sets on offer are intended for adult fans.
The Notre-Dame Lego set, priced at $229.99, is making waves in the market for its realistic design. Moreover, it is the first religious structure that the company has released in 67 years, says Lego’s official historian.
Emotional Connect of the Lego Notre-Dame
Thomas Lajon, a Paris-based scriptwriter and director, expressed his desire to buy the Lego Notre-Dame due to a personal connection with the actual cathedral, a masterpiece of medieval Gothic architecture. He commented, “It’s a moment to reconnect with the cathedral by going there or rebuilding it with Lego bricks.”
The Cathedral of Notre-Dame’s construction began in the year 1163, in the reign of King Louis VII, and was accomplished in 1345. The cathedral endured an unfortunate fate during the French Revolution in the 1790s when a furious mob decapitated its king statues. Consequently, it went into a state of disuse.
The Cathedral got a new lease on life through the 1831 novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” by Victor Hugo. The book highlighted the then condition of the cathedral and catalyzed the momentum for its renovation. Renovation occurred between 1844 to 1864 under the guidance of the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who designed and installed a spire.
Lego’s Niche: Adult Customers with High-Stress Jobs
Genevieve Capa Cruz, the head of product for adults at the Lego Group, in an interview acknowledged the growth in their adult fan base over the recent years. It has been rather prominent amongst adults with high-pressure jobs who perceive building Lego sets as a method to relax.
She views playing with Lego sets as a “legitimate leisure-time activity” for adults and emphasizes the idea that adults should invest time and money in it like any other hobby. Lego’s adult customer base is important for the company not only because adult sets are more high-priced — the Star Wars Millennium Falcon model costs $850 — but also because they usually buy Lego gifts for children.
Lego’s Business and Growth Plans
In contrast to the dip in sales of various toy companies like Mattel and Hasbro, Lego reported a 4 percent increase in sales last year. Given this growth, the company plans to open at least 100 more stores in the next 10 months, announced Chief Executive Niels B. Christiansen in an interview with Yahoo Finance.
Building Medium: Lego
Sonia Hudson, an intensive care doctor outside London, plans to buy two of the Notre-Dame Lego sets. She intends to build one for display in her living room, while the other will be added to her collection of about 500,000 bricks, which she utilizes for her unique designs.
“I don’t perceive Lego as a toy,” says Dr. Hudson, “I view it as a building medium. I could build with wood, and I could build with pottery, but if I got it wrong, I’d need to start all over again.”
Meticulous Design & Construction of the Lego Notre-Dame
The creator of the Notre-Dame Lego set, Rok Zgalin Kobe, designed the model such that customers have to build it in the same order as the actual cathedral was built. This traces nearly 900 years of history as opposed to the traditional bottom-up assembly method.
“Once you complete it, you can actually look through the front door,” he said. “You get the sense of the space, the sense of majesty that comes with it.” This design process demanded daily visits to a room at Lego’s headquarters in Billund, Denmark, containing all possible Lego blocks for new projects.
Reflecting on the joy of playing with Lego, Gordon Finlay, 62, picked up the bricks again after a long hiatus. He describes the period between people ceasing to play with Lego sets as children and their rediscovery as adults as “the dark age.” Finlay, who resides near Glasgow, plans to construct the Notre-Dame Lego model next month, aligning with the anticipated visit of 15 million tourists to Paris for the Olympics.
[ad_2]
