What started as a way for a Calgary dad to get his kids outside quickly grew into a seven-metre-tall Lego creation that has caught the attention of neighbours in the southwest community of Killarney.
Zach Lowe and his children built the colourful structure around a streetlight near their home, using an estimated 127,000 Lego bricks — about 330 pounds worth.
It began with the family playing with Lego in their home, when Lowe had the idea of taking it outside.
From there, the project kept growing.
“We were just putting it outside, and it got out of hand,” he said.
Lowe’s two older children, aged six and 11, helped build the lower sections of the tower until it became too tall for them to safely reach. Lowe then took over the higher sections.
“Fun, easy,” Lowe said of the building process.
His one-year-old also joined the family outside, although Lowe joked his role was mostly making sure the toddler didn’t eat any Lego.
Building a little fun in Killarney
The Lego tower isn’t the family’s first unusual neighbourhood creation.
Lowe said they regularly decorate their property with around 40 skeletons throughout October, changing the display each day, and large snow sculptures in the winter months.
“We always do weird shit around here,” he said.
A resident of Killarney for about five years, Lowe said the community’s response to the Lego tower has been very positive.
“Everyone loves it,” he said. “I think we’ve built good rapport over the years.”
The City of Calgary has also acknowledged the tower. In a statement provided to CityNews, the city said it was impressed by the “creativity and effort” behind the project and the smiles it has brought to the neighbourhood.
The city said it isn’t seeking enforcement action as long as the tower is removed within the roughly one-month timeline agreed upon with Lowe. It could need to come down earlier if crews require access to the streetlight for maintenance or repairs.
Lowe isn’t too concerned about taking it apart eventually.
“I have no emotional attachment to the Lego,” he said. “I’ll take it out and repurpose it or something.”
For Lowe and his children, there wasn’t a grand plan behind the tower. It was simply something fun to do together.
“It was just like, what do you want to do with this today?” he asked.
