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Twenty of the world’s most iconic skyscrapers are being housed on the second floor of the Saskatchewan Science Centre — and they’re all built entirely out of LEGO.
The second floor of the science centre had been closed since March of 2020. When it opens Thursday, visitors can take in the Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO Bricks Exhibition features buildings from all around the globe.
They’re made by Ryan McNaught, an Australian who’s the only LEGO-certified professional in the southern hemisphere.
“Ryan spent about 2,400 hours and almost 600,000 LEGO bricks to build and put these towers together,” said Ryan Holota, the vice-president of operations at the Saskatchewan Science Centre. “All of the towers are in the same 1:200 scale and you can really get a sense of how far architecture went in the span of 10 to 15 years.
“The buildings are interesting to look at, because from a distance, they look like the real buildings. If you can get close to them and really look at how they put them together, some of the pieces are turned sideways or they’re stacked in different shapes or wedged together in really unique ways.
“It’s so fascinating to see how those off-the-shelf pieces were really repurposed to accomplish such an amazing end result.”
When visitors reach the top of the stairs on the second floor of the science centre, they’ll be greeted by the magnificence of the Taipei Tower. Guided by arrows on the floor, attendees will be taken on global journey that allows them to see a piece from a city.
“Whatever is your favourite building, it’s likely here in the exhibition somewhere,” Holota said. “Part of the fun is being able to wander around and see if you can find it.”
In addition to the 20 towers, 200,000 LEGO bricks are waiting to be shaped into creations by visitors.
“One of the magic things about LEGO is how many different and unique things you can create from a fairly limited number of basic shapes,” Holota said.
“Part of the experience here is really having the chance to explore and build things yourself. Hopefully, some of the buildings you see will inspire you to build something. But if you choose to just build a little house, a car or a toboggan or something like that, then that’s totally up to you.”
For Holota, LEGO is not only a common household item, but it is the ultimate stem engagement tool.
“When we build with LEGO it’s very hands on, which is something that we love to be here at the science centre,” Holota said. “LEGO has math and engineering built right into it, and it’s just a lot of fun.
“I think when you look at these towers, a lot of people are going to really recognize the art and the accuracy in them — especially more so when they realize these are all readily available LEGO pieces. There’s nothing custom about them. They are the same pieces you probably have in a closet or under your bed, or maybe on a table in your living room.”
Those visiting the Towers of Tomorrow exhibit will be assigned a table. Each table will have a sealed bucket of cleaned, disinfected LEGO. Those who build a LEGO creation can put it on display to show off their masterpiece.
In addition to the Towers of Tomorrow exhibit, many of the centre’s classic staples are back as well, including the hot air balloon, bubble pit and GyroGym.
“It’s really exciting to have the families here again and doing immersive hands-on activities again on the exhibit floor,” Holota said. “It’s very rewarding to see once again.”
Towers of Tomorrow is to open Thursday and run until Sept. 6. To book your tickets and a time slot, visit the Saskatchewan Science Centre website.