Finch's book is filled with examples of ways to use various LEGO pieces to create detailed elements for any building you may be working on. The book is divided into 16 chapters, each focusing on a particular element. These can range from different ways to make brick walls or paneling, to detailed millwork and windows. The book even dives into various forms of roofs, doors, and moldings.
I was constantly impressed by the amount of information packed into this book, especially considering that it had a relatively low word-count. While key concepts and ideas are introduced throughout, most of the book's lessons are done through its clear photography that easily demonstrates the different pieces and building techniques. This, combined with the well thought out structure of the book, makes it a solid tool for both growing as a builder and getting inspired to take on a large, detailed project like Finch's own Hogwarts and Rivendell models.
While The LEGO Architecture Idea Book does not give any step-by-step instructions to constructing buildings, what it has is page after page of showing how swapping out just a few pieces can produce a wide variety of architectural elements. This is very evident when the book talks about details like molding and columns and it shows off several pages of small builds illustrating how you can create interesting repeating patterns with different elements.
While the book doesn't show you how to build anything in particular, many pages contain a more detailed view of specific elements. These detailed pictures really help to illustrate how a particular construction is made because it will use specific-colored LEGO bricks to highlight just how the different pieces fit together to produce the effect Finch is demonstrating.
The LEGO Architecture Idea Book is all about inspiring a builder and showing how real world examples of architectural concepts can be translated into LEGO form. It shows Studs Not On Top (SNOT) methods that help to illustrate some unexpected ways LEGO pieces can fit together and, in doing so, teaches the reader to think outside of the box when trying to replicate a pattern that you might see in the real world.
If you are a builder that is looking to start a project and want a healthy does of realism (even if the setting is fantastical), then this is a great book to pick up and spend some time studying. Not only can it be educational, but also a source of inspiration.
