Skylines, icons, and landmarks, oh my! There’s a LEGO Architecture set out there for you

Welcome to the wonderful world of LEGO architecture sets! These allow you to create miniature versions of famous landmarks and skylines from around the world.

There have been 54 of these sets produced so far (I’m not counting the special editions given to LEGO employees) and each of them is a wonder to behold. Here, I’ll list every last one of them, and single out one favorite from every year. Maybe these sets will inspire you to go travel the world and see the real things!

2008

Sears/Willis Tower (Chicago, USA)

The first year of the LEGO Architecture sets produced a LEGO-sized Sears Tower (now known as the Willis Tower). It comes with 69 pieces to put together. This set was retired in 2014 but can still be purchased on international Amazon sites, though admittedly it might set you back a couple hundred.

2008 also saw the release of:

• John Hancock Center (Chicago, USA)

2009

Empire State Building (New York City, USA)

As someone who loves all things New York, this is the set for me! The Empire State Building is 1767 pieces in total and is 21″ high. It makes a beautiful centerpiece for any LEGO lover’s room. What I love most about it is the little street below dotted with yellow cabs.

2009 also saw the release of:

• Seattle Space Needle (Seattle, USA)
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, USA)
• Fallingwater (Pennsylvania, USA)

2010

The White House (Washington DC, USA)

This is one of the most famous landmarks in American history and a frequent target for destruction in big-budget movies! You can make this 1483-piece White House just to destroy it, but why would you when it’s so pretty?

2010 also saw the release of:

• Rockefeller Center (New York City, USA)

2011

Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE)

The tallest building in the world is perfect for a LEGO build. It’s roughly 16″ tall when completed and looks fantastic with its little name plate. I’ll admit it might not be the most interesting set in the world to build, as there are lots of repetitive pieces, but you get a great result!

2011 also saw the release of:

• Farnsworth House (Illinois, USA)
• Robie House (Chicago, USA)
• Brandenburg Gate (Berlin, Germany)

2012

Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

There’s no building in the world like the Sydney Opera House, and now you can bring it home with you. Unfortunately (like with a lot of the LEGO Architecture sets) it’s retired now, so expect to spend a bit of money to get one. It’s only 270 pieces so it’s another great set for younger LEGO fans.

2012 also saw the release of:

• Big Ben (London, UK)
• Villa Savoye (Paris, France)
• Sungnyemun (Seoul, South Korea)

2013

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Pisa, Italy)

Yes, it leans just like the real thing! This set stands at 10″ when fully constructed and makes a great addition to anyone’s little LEGO world. Like all LEGO Architecture sets, it also comes with a booklet telling you all about the building.

2013 also saw the release of:

• Imperial Hotel (Tokyo, Japan)
• United Nations Headquarters (New York City, USA)

2014

The Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)

There’s been more than one LEGO Eiffel Tower set, so just remember, this one is part of the Architecture line. Put the 321 pieces together and you’ve got yourself a gorgeous Eiffel Tower to show off. Position your minifigures in front of it for a photo op!

2014 also the release of:

• Trevi Fountain (Rome, Italy)
• Marina Bay Sands (Singapore)

2015

The Louvre (Paris, France)

France has some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. The 695-piece Louvre set gives you another one of the capital city’s most stunning landmarks. Sadly, it doesn’t come with a little LEGO Mona Lisa, you’ll just have to make one of those for yourself.

2015 also saw the release of:

• Lincoln Memorial (Washington DC, USA)
• Flatiron Building (New York City, USA)

2016

New York City Skyline

My love affair with New York City continues! This LEGO creation gives you the iconic New York City skyline, with the One World Trade Center, Flatiron Building, Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, and a teeny little Statue of Liberty. Adorable!

2016 also saw the release of:

• Venice Skyline
• Berlin Skyline
• Buckingham Palace (London, UK)
• United States Capitol (Washington DC, USA)
• Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE) – another one!

2017

London Skyline

I’m a sucker for skylines, okay? And I’ve always loved the London skyline. This little set features Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the National Gallery, Nelson’s Column, and the London Eye. They even snuck the Thames in there with some transparent tiles.

2017 also saw the release of:

• Sydney Skyline
• Chicago Skyline
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York City, USA)
• Arc de Triomphe (Paris, France)
• LEGO House (Billund, Denmark) – LEGO House exclusive

2018

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is considered one of the most impressive things on Earth. You can’t actually see it with your naked eye from the Moon (that urban legend has been debunked) but you can see it in your living room once you put together this 551-piece set.

2018 also saw the release of:

• Las Vegas Skyline
• Shanghai Skyline
• Statue of Liberty (New York City, USA)

2019

Paris Skyline

This skyline set features six of the most enduring Paris landmarks: the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the huge Tour Montparnasse, the beautiful Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower, and the Louvre. You get a lot of bang for your buck! (Sorry, your euro.)

2019 also saw the release of:

• San Franciso Skyline
• Trafalgar Square (London, UK)
• Empire State Building (New York City, USA)
• Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE) – a third one!

2020

Tokyo Skyline

LEGO really excels at creating skylines. Tokyo Skyline features the beauty of Tokyo, with a little buildable Tokyo Skytree (the third tallest tower in the world), Tokyo Tower, Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo Big Sight, Chidorigafuchi Park, and Shibuya Crossing. There are cherry blossoms too!

2020 also saw the release of:

• Dubai Skyline
• The White House (Washington DC, USA) – a second one!

2021

Taj Mahal (Agra, India)

As one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal attracts thousands of tourists per year. This LEGO Architecture set isn’t actually the first time LEGO has created the Taj Mahal, there was a LEGO Creators version as well … but I’m certainly not complaining.

2022

Great Pyramid of Giza (Cairo, Egypt)

This 1476-piece set gives you the Great Pyramid as it might have looked in the time of Ancient Egypt, and then you can take the top part off to see how it was constructed. A fun and educational bit of LEGO!

2022 also saw the release of:

• Singapore Skyline

2023

Himeji Castle (Himeji, Japan)

The only LEGO Architecture set released in 2023 was this beauty, Himeji Castle. At 2125 pieces it’s a fairly big and complex set, but more than worth the effort you’ll put into it. Like the Tokyo Skyline set, it also features some of Japan’s iconic cherry blossom trees.

2024

Notre-Dame de Paris (Paris, France)

So far there’s only been one LEGO Architecture set this year, and it was Notre-Dame. Perfectly timed to the Paris Olympics, wouldn’t you agree? This set contains 4,383 pieces, is enormously fun to build, and is a perfect representation of the famous cathedral.