Lego builds giant brick house in its home town Denmark

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Danish toymaker Lego will open a new play house in its hometown in Denmark to offer fans the ultimate experience.
A Lego model is displayed during a news conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Feb 16, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS
General Manager and Vice President LEGO House Jesper Vilstrup speaking during a press conference at Bella Center, Copenhagen, on Feb 16, 2017. PHOTO: EPA
Head of Experience Development Soeren Holm speaking during a news conference, as LEGO prepares to open the LEGO House Experience Centre, in Copenhangen, on Feb 16, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish toymaker Lego is building a play house in its home town designed to look like 21 giant versions of its bricks stacked on top of each other, the company said on Thursday.

The Lego House is due to open in September near the company's headquarters in Billund, Denmark. "Lego House will be the only one of its kind in the world and it will remain so, because Billund is the home of Lego and this is where we will always be," its general manager, Jesper Vilstrup, told Reuters.

The 12,000 square metre building, designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will include three restaurants, a Lego store, four play areas and a gallery displaying the history of Lego and creations made by fans.

An illustration of a model LEGO house. PHOTO: REUTERS

Lego House will "display everything the Lego brick can do,"Vilstrup said.

Lego, which is vying with Barbie doll maker Mattel to become the world's biggest toy maker, has teamed up with movie franchises such as Star Wars in deals that span Lego sets, video games, and smartphone applications.

A model of LEGO house is on display during a press conference at Bella Center, Copenhagen, on Feb 16, 2017. PHOTO: EPA

The company, founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen and his grandchild Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, aims to bring children back to its core product: the Lego brick, first produced in its current form in 1958.

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