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Thursday, August 29, 2002
By Jennifer Siciliano Shayne
Rome wasn't built in a day. However, a
400-to-one scale model of Rome might take five-to-seven weeks, if
Jason Burik is on the job. Burik creates LEGO replicas of buildings,
stadiums, sports complexes, universities -- even your own home.
"They make great anniversary gifts," he says. Burik has
created scale models of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Ravens
(formerly PSINet) Stadium, the U.S. Capitol, UMBC's Commons building
and several other structures.
Burik, a 2000 graduate of UMBC and a fifth-grade teacher in Anne
Arundel County, discovered the plastic building blocks when he was
seven years old. One day he decided to dismantle the LEGO creations
he had and recreate his parents' home from blueprints. A sports fan,
Burik began building his favorite stadiums and STADIUMS, and the rest
is history.
So far, Burik is the one deciding what gets created -- he chooses a
site he'd like to model, and then approaches the site's owner about
a commission. Burik contacted UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski with
the notion of a LEGO version of the university's student activity
hub, and Hrabowski jumped at the prospect. The logistics of such a
project are staggering. The LEGO Commons was constructed with more
than 1,000 blocks. More than 3,600 blocks were used for Burik's
version of Ravens Stadium. An average stadium takes three-to-five
months and a home could take three-to-seven weeks.
What would a person pay for his favorite building in miniature? It
depends on the building, of course, but Burik offers free estimates
on his Web site, www.burikmodeldesign.com
But who wants a LEGO building?
"They make great corporate gifts," said Burik, adding that
he intends to make a LEGO replica of the University of Maryland
College Park Comcast Center basketball arena an official licensed
product of the NCAA -- what better way to thank Comcast for its
support than to present their investment in miniature? Similarly,
other college or professional courts could be completely customized
to include a team's logo on center court, says Burik.
Burik points out that his hobby and his profession tend to overlap.
He tries to integrate LEGOs into his lesson plans, noting that the
models help his students gain hands-on knowledge of scale, ratio,
math and science.
See 360 degree views of the LEGO Commons Building Click
Here
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