Our Thinking: My LEGO motorbike and smaller projects

LEGO - sounds easy, but is it…..

By Michèl Verheem, Partner ID-LAB Global

There are over 600 parts in the Lego model of my BMW R1200 Adventure Motorbike. 603 to be precise. I know this because over the last six months I've spent many wonderful hours constructing it.

You see motorbikes – specifically, cross-country riding – has always been a passion of mine. I’ve ridden across much of the world, including Europe, Asia and North America, and criss-crossed Australia on my current bike which is (no surprise) the BMW R1200 GSA.

Riding through India had its challenges

All of which has had me thinking lately about the scale of things. As I built the Lego model, I began to really appreciate the attention to detail that went into something relatively small. Pistons that actually turn over. 38 different pieces just to make up the handlebars. Working suspension. All are designed to work perfectly together, based on a well-thought-out plan.

A major reason I began ID-LAB was to create beautiful environments that simply worked. And for almost a decade-and-a-half that has seen us work on some of the biggest projects in Australia and around the world. I know we have a reputation for only working on the “big developments”. But recently we’ve been engaged on a number of smaller-scale projects: libraries, aquatic centres, council buildings, aged care.

I've realised that there is just as much pleasure and pride in delivering projects that - while some might consider “too small” – we see as an opportunity to bring our Beautiful Functionality to life.

Just as my Lego BMW reflects the beautiful functionality of my full-size bike, our focus on creating something that works and delivers real beauty in the built environment remains the same – no matter the scale of the project. For me, projects like our recent work on the State Library Victoria are a reflection of the fact that good wayfinding is always about giving people all the information they need, exactly when they need it.

DISCLAIMER: When I said ‘I've spent many wonderful hours constructing it’, I actually meant: ‘I've spent many wonderful hours constructing it with the help of my two young buddies, Lachland and William’. Without their help the bike would probably still be in bits…..

Lachlan - bike builder extraordinaire