The Toast Rack building
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THE TOAST RACK

A modernist architectural icon in Manchester, designed by Leonard Cecil Howitt

Photo by Cjc13 - CC BY-SA 3.0

THE BUILDING

The Toast Rack, officially known as the Hollings Building, is a distinctive modernist structure in Fallowfield, Manchester. Completed in 1960 and designed by the city architect Leonard Cecil Howitt, it earned its nickname due to its unique shape resembling a toast rack.

While not technically a brutalist building, the Toast Rack represents an important example of post-war modernist architecture in Britain. It falls more accurately into the categories of modernism or pop architecture, with its playful, almost whimsical structural form that contrasts with the typically more severe and monolithic brutalist style.

The building's most distinctive feature is its series of nine concrete arches that form the "rack" structure, connected to a central "spine." Originally built as the Domestic Trades College (later becoming part of Manchester Metropolitan University), the building has since been redeveloped for residential and commercial use after the university relocated in 2013.

SPECIFICATIONS

  • ARCHITECTLeonard Cecil Howitt
  • COMPLETED1960
  • LOCATIONFallowfield, Manchester, UK
  • STYLEModernist / Pop Architecture
  • ORIGINAL USEDomestic Trades College
  • HERITAGE STATUSGrade II listed (1998)

LEGO INTERPRETATION

LEGO MODEL - COMING SOON

LEGO MODEL - COMING SOON

While not a brutalist structure, the Toast Rack presents a fascinating challenge for our LEGO interpretation series. Its inclusion represents our interest in expanding beyond strictly brutalist architecture to explore other distinctive modernist buildings that offer unique building challenges.

The building's series of concrete arches presents a particularly interesting challenge for LEGO construction. Creating curved structures with rectangular LEGO bricks requires innovative building techniques and careful planning to capture the distinctive silhouette that earned the building its nickname.

Our approach will focus on capturing the playful, almost sculptural quality of the building, which stands in contrast to the more severe brutalist structures in our collection. This modernist/pop architecture example will provide an interesting counterpoint to our brutalist studies and demonstrate how different architectural styles can be interpreted through the medium of LEGO.

DESIGN PROCESS

The process of translating the Toast Rack into LEGO form begins with studying the building's unique structural elements. The primary challenge lies in recreating the curved arches that give the building its distinctive appearance using primarily rectangular LEGO elements.

We're exploring various techniques for creating smooth curves with LEGO, including the use of hinge pieces, specialized curved elements, and clever stacking methods that can create the illusion of a curve through small incremental offsets.

The model will also need to capture the relationship between the arched "rack" structure and the adjoining buildings, creating a balanced composition that highlights the building's playful yet functional design. We estimate the final model will use approximately 1,800 pieces and stand 40cm in length.

DESIGN SKETCHES - COMING SOON