The LEGO Builder's Handbook

3BASIC LEGO TECHNIQUES

For thousands of years, people have used the art of masonry to build all kinds of magnificent real-world structures out of bricks. While the bricks themselves may have changed over the years, the techniques for arranging them, known as bond patterns, have not. As another brick-based art form, LEGO building has a lot to learn from masonry. In this chapter, we’ll discuss a few basic masonry-inspired techniques that encapsulate the best practices for laying out the bricks (or plates) in a LEGO model. Whether you’re building a simple wall or a complex sculpture, these techniques can go a long way toward ensuring that your model holds together well and is as sturdy as possible.

OVERLAPPING BRICKS FOR STRENGTH

The simplest masonry ...