A temporary LEGO-like outdoor installation won the Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2017 competition. Designed by London-based Gilles Retsin Architecture, the installation opens new vistas for construction system that can be scaled and applied to a larger model.  The competition challenged the participants to use the fabrication abilities of Estonian wooden house manufacturers in a new and creative way, noted ArchDaily. For their winning entry, Retsin engineered a series of building blocks from plywood which, like LEGO, can be flexibly used to create a variety of structures. Plywood sheets were cut into structurally supportive segments that allow them to “function as column, beam, and cladding simultaneously.” The blocks are coated with black bitymen tar to protect them from exterior climate. 380 square meters of plywood was used to create 80 building blocks, which were assembled at the installation site by four men in four days, without the use of any mechanical tool. The structure questions if the number of construction industry parts can be reduced.The installation is organized horizontally, leaving it open for continuation. The project opens scope for quick, affordable, and scalable construction in materials such as laminated veneer lumber or cross-laminated timber.Jury member Martin Tamke said the project is “characterized by outstanding aesthetic and intellectually challenging, as it questions current beliefs and trends in architecture."For more information, visit: http://www.retsin.org/ Read more