LEGO modular building designer discusses the journey so far

LEGO modular buildings no longer have a specific plan, allowing the designers to showcase their unique talents as the team expands.

LEGO Icons 11371 Shopping Street is almost here, joining the modular street as the 21st building, 19 years after the original 10182 Cafe Corner. The latest entry showcases just how much the street has adapted and evolved, and that's all thanks to the growing team of designers working on the collection. Jamie Berard, the designer of the original LEGO modular building, has detailed the growth and journey of the collection so far.

"It's 19 years since we had our first modular building, and it's my sweet spot, my happy place," shared Jamie in a video compilation of interviews with the people who worked on the LEGO Icons set. "It's also one of those things that is wonderfully exciting, but expectations are so high, because there is a very excited LEGO fan community that loves the modular buildings, who are building them all the time, and we have to somehow surprise them.

"[We have to] up the game, show them something they haven't seen before. That's when I have my amazing team of designers come in and dream with me and come up with the next one. In the early days, it was a much smaller team; it was me. It was very easy to negotiate and have conversations with myself, and I basically had three buildings in a row and said it was going to be a cafe, a grocery and a fire station."

Since that original group of buildings, the plan with the collection has shifted to be much more freeform, allowing individual designers to leave their mark on the street through shops, residences and more services.

"But over the years, the street has grown," Jamie continued. "So many new talents have come into the team that it's quite exciting to co-create, to not be so prescriptive that we already have a three-year plan of where the buildings are going, but actually allow the talent of the designer to inform the building and where we're going."

By giving individual designers a chance to have their say on what should be added to the street and how the building should look, it expands the depth of the collection's scope. Whether their personal touches are through a unique toilet, personal anecdotes and lore or unique geometry, each one is different from the last since there's no longer just one designer behind the wheel.

You can experience the unique nature of 11371 Shopping Street, designed by Hoang Huy Dang, from January 1, 2026, for £229.99 / $249.99 / €249.99. Click here to take a look at the new set compared to almost every other modular building.

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