What could your company do with millions of LEGO bricks? Yes, LEGO bricks, the small unassuming plastic blocks that are 31.8mm long and 15.8mm wide, with 8 studs in 2 rows of 4 each. Are there any benefits of LEGO bricks for adults?
LEGO is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by The LEGO Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The flagship product consisting of coloured interlocking bricks that can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct amazing things from buildings, animals, life-size statues to actual working robots. Anything that is built can be taken apart again and the bricks used to make something completely different.
The question was officially answered in 1974 when LEGO mathematicians arrived at the number 102 981 500. Mathematician Soren Eilers was intrigued by this LEGO-related problem and discovered that it involved only one kind of stacking making it far lower than potential. He then wrote a program that could model all the possible brick combinations and ended up with a new total, a massive 915 103 765 possible combinations.
With the simple foundation of plastic bricks, LEGO has become the largest toymaker in the world (revenue of 64.6 billion in 2022, and a net profit of 13.8 billion), captivating the imaginations of children across the world. We have no doubt that creativity and play is instinctive in children and that LEGO is loved by all, is there a place for LEGO in adults?
Watching my own children grow up playing with LEGO, I have never doubted the benefits in children but it is only after stumbling across The Art of the Brick by American artist Nathan Sawaya that has been featured in major art institutions across the world, that I started thinking about the potential benefits of LEGO bricks for adults.
Sawaya is the first contemporary artist to use LEGO in the art world as a medium. His work is incredible and worth looking at if you are not yet familiar with it. He has the amazing ability to take a simple kid’s toy and transform it into remarkable fine art which has grabbed the attention of both art critics and pop culture enthusiasts alike, with more than 11 collections to his name.
I started digging some more and this revealed a partnership between Volvo Cars of North America and LEGOLAND® California a few years back. They joined forces to construct a life size replica of Volvo’s award-winning SUV, the Volvo XC90, from LEGO’s famous bricks which they unveiled at the New York Auto Show.
The Volvo XC90 LEGO brick construction was built by LEGO Master Model Builders, an elite team of artists who design, create, and maintain thousands of LEGO brick models at LEGOLAND® California. The purpose of the project was to increase innovative safety awareness and was a perfect fit for the “Drive-for-Life” initiative.
The LEGO Mojo continues with an innovative idea by ABGC Architecture and Design. They have designed a boardroom table for Dublin based advertising agency Boys and Girls, from LEGO bricks. The table is constructed from 22 742 LEGO bricks and is 1.2 x 2.7m in length. Imagine the fun had by all as they pieced this masterpiece together.
It sits on top of a polished Stainless Steel square hollow section, built by B.A. Engineering of Prussia St and is topped with a 10mm sheet of toughened glass. Packed full of imagination it can only but stimulate thinking and keep everyone around the table wide awake during board meetings. Out-of-the-box design thinking like this can only but set your company a step ahead of the competition.
Italian design studio NINE has also nailed design and innovation standards with their novel Stüda furniture range which debuted at the Milan Design Week in 2018. It is fully LEGO compatible; the exterior surface of the units is covered with studs that can hold LEGO bricks. Home and décor enthusiasts can now fully customise their own look and feel as inspiration strikes to complements any interior styles. The furniture can also use the bricks to trigger reminders or simply spark creativity in kids. Best of all the units are simple, stylish, and easy-to-clean.
So back to the original question, “What can your company create with 1,500,000 LEGO bricks?”. Is there any potential partnership or challenge that could exist? Could the bricks be used to spark something completely different? The benefits of playtime in business is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be.
LEGO for adults provides a unique way to tap into our playful side and explore creativity. Adults who play with LEGO can come up with innovative solutions and spark new ideas. LEGO can also be used as a creative outlet, allowing us to think differently, reduce stress, and increase productivity at the same time.
The tactile nature of LEGO can also help boost confidence, as it allows us to explore different possibilities and encourages us to take risks with our ideas in a safe and playful environment. LEGO unleashes the power of play, allowing adults to express their creativity in a fun and engaging way.
With LEGO, there are no limits to your imagination – you can create whatever you can imagine!
Use it for creative problem solving or just have fun, LEGO can be a great way for adults to destress and let their minds wander. It’s also a great way to foster collaboration and build team spirit. LEGO encourages us to think outside the box and explore different possibilities, helping us become more innovative thinkers!
Provide your team with LEGO sets and allow them to explore different concepts. The endless possibilities can trigger innovative thinking in engineering, design, coding, encourage collaboration, enhance problem-solving abilities, de-stress and help build confidence all at the same time.
With LEGO, there is no limit to what you can create and discover – give LEGO a try today?
You never know where the creative ideas may lead!
