Check out Lego versions of Canada's nature and history museums

When an Ottawa Lego hobbyist wanted to build a faithful scaled-down version of the Canadian Museum of History, he wasn't content with using Google Maps alone.

Bruno Di Lalla reached out to the Gatineau, Que., museum asking if they could share the building plans. Instead, the museum encouraged him to reach out to its famed architect Douglas Cardinal.

To his surprise, Cardinal sent him 80 pages of plans to get him started on building his reproduction, which is partially on display at a new Ottawa event this weekend.

Di Lalla said his interest in the building's design made him want to tackle the project.

"I had my eyes on this building just because I love the architecture, but also it's just the curves and trying to show people that it is possible to build things that are curved out of what is more traditionally square bricks," he said.

Di Lalla is part of a local club called ParLUGment — LUG being short for Lego Users Group. He's one of a few local Ottawa Lego builders whose original creations will be featured at a sold-out Brick Expo, which organizers are calling the city's first dedicated Lego show, at Bell High School this weekend.

In total, the history museum took 1,000 hours, over 100,000 pieces, a lot of trial and error and a few very long nights, Di Lalla said. 

He is only displaying the main entrance and Grand Hall this weekend because setting up the full thing takes about 30 hours.

The effort paid off when Di Lalla had the chance to show Cardinal his Lego version of the museum, both at his basement and at an event celebrating Cardinal's 90th birthday.

"He was really fond of it. I think we were both kind of touched … him seeing someone building a creation of his own, and me having him observe what I did and seeing that it aligned with what he had created," he said.

The nature museum

Di Lalla is not the only Ottawa Lego builder who tried their hand at a replica of a national museum.

Jason Allemann and his partner Kristal Dubois started building a model of downtown Ottawa's Canadian Museum of Nature in 2023. The two used a 3D virtual tour of the museum to help create their own version.

"It's just one of our favourite museums in the city, and it's actually such an interesting building architecturally," he said, referring to the original castle-like structure that opened in 1913 paired with the signature glass tower from 2010.

Allemann and Dubois have been building custom Lego models since 2014 under the moniker of JK Brickworks. For the two of them, building Lego models allows them to put their different strengths to good use.

"I enjoy the problem solving aspect of Lego, but Kristal is much more creative than I am, so I think it works really well as a couple because I often get her input on the more creative aspects of it," Allemann said.

Allemann said the next project he's thinking of tackling is a section of the Rideau Canal Skateway, complete with skaters and a BeaverTails hut on the side. 

Dubois, however, said she wants to tackle a Lego version of the Canada Science and Technology Museum.