Welcome, everyone! Today we have a rather unique addition to the 10K Club. Meet Rokas, a.k.a. Rock the Brick, and his grand ILJINAI FAMILY HOUSE project. Inspired by a love of architecture and embracing the cultural heritage of his homeland, Rokas has constructed this brilliant Idea! Find out more below.
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Call me Rokas or Rock the Brick.
- Where are you from?
Lithuania.
- How old are you?
31.
- What do you study or do for a living?
In school, I was into biology, so I choose to study Life Sciences. I was always curious about the world around me, so I read a lot about nature, art and science. This insatiable curiosity led me to do PhD in biology. Currently, I work with stem cells in the field of regenerative biology.
- What hobbies do you have?
I am a man of many hobbies. Around my late teens, I was really into origami; I was so fascinated that it was possible to transform a piece of paper into a car, flower, human or even a dragon. Gradually I lost interest in origami and got myself into choral singing. I still remember the moments on stage, when 200 people sang as one. I am also interested in architecture in general. In my free time, I take photos of my favourite buildings and do guided tours of my hometown Vilnius. At some point I really wanted to do something more, so I sought ways to express myself. Around 5 years ago I got LEGO Architecture Studio as a present and this kickstarted my LEGO hobby.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
I have Instagram and Facebook pages.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud of it and do you have a photo of it?
In 2022, the European Capital of Culture Kaunas 2022 offered me the chance to create a massive LEGO curtain inspired by Kaunas Central Office floor pattern. During the interwar period, some of the interior spaces were inspired by Lithuanian folk art, such as woven sash, including this floor. So, this pattern became a major inspiration for a massive 2.5 x 3.4 m LEGO curtain. Model assembly was a major challenge – top curtain fragments had to be lifted to 2.5 m height. The final model was built from 70000 bricks and weighed almost 120 kg. I assembly was done in 6 days by 15 volunteers.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
My fascination with LEGO bricks is quite recent. Firstly, I became obsessed with architecture and then later choose LEGO bricks to show how special certain buildings are in a cultural heritage context.
- What is the LEGO hobby to you? What does it mean to you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
Five years ago, the LEGO hobby was nothing to me. I knew about it, but I did not invest my time and money into it. However, things changed when I thought that LEGO bricks could help me to express my passion for architecture.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
My favourite LEGO theme is LEGO architecture since I like to build architecture on micro-scale.
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I don’t have a favourite LEGO set, but recently I am really enjoying botanical sets. My favourite is the LEGO orchid. These sets have crazy building techniques, inventive part usage and great display value.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
That’s a tough one. Probably any brick that allows SNOT techniques. Such a versatile technique!
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I follow several aspiring LEGO designers. One of my favourites is Towering Brick Creations. His skyscrapers are amazing!
- Is there one or more particular LEGO-related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
My most visited pages are bricklink.com and rebrickable.com. Bricklink is my main source of bricks and creations, and Rebrickable helps me to get fresh ideas.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
From around 2016, I was becoming more and more interested in modernist, cubist, and art deco architecture. This happened unexpectedly when I discovered Kaunas' interwar architecture. 100 years ago, a great calamity fell upon Lithuanians when the historic capital Vilnius was lost to Polish forces. This become an opportunity for another city – KAUNAS, which was chosen as the temporary capital of Lithuania from 1918 till 1939. Interwar architecture is part of Kaunas' identity and is quite unique compared to other contemporaries at the time. Interwar architecture is special for me as well, since it embraces the cultural heritage of the past including baroque forms, folk art motifs and incorporates early 20th-century architectural trends. One of the most prominent examples of interwar architecture in Kaunas is the Iljinai Family house. So naturally I choose it for LEGO ideas.
- How long was the process of making the project, and what did you have to research as well? What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
There were several stages during the creative process. Firstly, it was selecting a unique interwar building from Kaunas. There were several candidates, however, in my opinion, Iljinai Family House is one of the most expressive buildings from the interwar period. After this, I found plans of the building and started to build it with Studio 2.0 software. When I finished the exterior, I had a long break and after a year returned to finish the interior spaces. I aimed to create interiors inspired by residents who lived in the house. For example, singer Gražina Matulaitytė briefly lived in this house so I created a music room. Most of the small details especially furniture were inspired by the interwar design style – art deco.
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
The main challenge was building the façade, especially curved features. The biggest challenge was the curved corner window which was the biggest headache for me. I am happy with how it turned out!
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell them? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
Well, it’s hard to think this way, since the project went quite smoothly. Maybe I could have pushed the project and finished it a bit earlier. Aside from this, I am satisfied with the creative process and final result.
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time? And how did the build time compare to the time you spent promoting your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
I started the model in 2021, however, I had to put the project aside to finish my PhD thesis. In the summer of 2022, I resumed and took around 3 months to finish the interiors and finalize the model. In terms of time, I spent around 100 hours on the project, including building and researching. In January 2023 I started to promote the project on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. I was surprised by how much my fellow Lithuanians got involved with the project. I almost did not need to promote my work, since everyone on Facebook and Instagram shared the project, including foreign and local influencers, news outlets, magazines and tourism agencies. I think the biggest contributor to the project's success was the European Capital of Culture Kaunas 2022. From 2017 they were building hype about Kaunas and its interwar heritage. So around 2022 everyone in Lithuania more or less knew about it and probably wanted Lithuanian architecture to be more known abroad.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
Initially, I was expecting quite a slow growth, however after sharing the model votes started to pour in like crazy. At some point, I had lots of doubts if I even will be able to reach 10,000 votes. Around mid-January it was quite clear that I will reach 10K eventually, however, I was unsure if I will make it by the end of April. I was really delighted to see that Iljinai reached 10K in around 2 months.
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
The model is quite big - around 2600 bricks.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I have told you this earlier - I am happy with how the corner round window turned out. It was quite a challenge and required lots of time to finalise.
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I build my models with Studio 2.0. This one as well!
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I did not use any stickers.
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
I think it is important to create something that is relevant now to involve as many people as possible. Also, the idea and reasoning behind the project is quite an important thing too. I think making a description as to why this project is important for you and why people should care about it is an essential part of a successful LEGO Ideas project.
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I shared the model everywhere, including in Facebook groups, Instagram, and Reddit. Additionally, I attended public events where I could share flyers with the LEGO Ideas model. My model was also featured on local television several times. I was lucky that some big influencers picked up my story and encouraged fellow followers to vote. So I had quite a great coverage.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
That’s a tough question. There were lots of great submissions recently. If we are talking about this selection my favorite is the real LEGO lamp. I am really rooting for this model to pass. If we are talking about rejected ideas I would have to go with Marine Life! Such a colourful and creative project.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
LEGO Ideas platform is full of unconventional models and crazy ideas. It really inspires me to create and improve. Just make a model you like, write why it matters to you and share your creation everywhere you can.
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint what that might be?
Currently, I have no plans to create something for the LEGO Ideas platform, but who knows - maybe eventually.
