10211 Grand Emporium x 2

[Svelte]

Views of the superb-looking combinations possible with 2x 10211 Grand Emporiums. The upper floors are so light and welcoming that they don't look too intimidating (too many Cafe Corner floors do look a little dark). The fact that the 2 upper floors are almost identical certainly makes it easier to expand your retail empire!

All pics link to higher-res flickr versions.

Firstly, we have three upper floors:

And then four:

A close-up of all that tan and dark green goodness:

Positioned adjacently:

Side-by-side:

The asymmetrical roof sections do look slightly Escher-esque:

Mmm, luxe. At ground level there's a Parisian feel to the streetscape:

If you had four, then the rear exits would all lead to a terrifying little catacomb :

Rear view:

[ZO6]

Knew this was coming sooner or later

It certainly does look nice with the extra floors, quite legit. Nice to see the regular height ones side by side as well - POSH SHOP is sure to have boomin' business.

Thanks for sharing

[Siegfried]

I voted "One ground floor, four uppers"

They don't work as well side by side as I thought. The double columns do ruin the look for me, as do the double white prince-of-persia-curve pieces. Even so, it's good to see your plans for a Posh Shop have come to fruition, and I love the catacomb!

[WesternOutlaw]

Wow! That's amazing Svelte. I think I like the three floor side-by-side choice the best (pictured in your fourth image). So how many sets do you plan to buy? Two, three, more? Is this your favorite of the modulars? I think it has a much more modern look than the others mods, and certainly looks nice stacked. Are you planning to make one large chandelier or any interior modifications? It's great to see you enjoying the Grand Emporium.

[lightningtiger]

AWESOME work again 'Svelte' - the side by side approach is better.

But you could redesign one of the roofs to match the other, then it will just like a Myer's or dare I say Woolies in the Sydney CBD.

I will design some racks and displays shortly that can go in the GE.

I'm a conformist! 'Svelte' I'm a conformist! !

[not-in-use-anymore]

What does the 3-floor side by side version look from the inside? The cave is probably the meeting place of the managers to discuss how to trap customers in a cycle of buying and buying . Also, what would 2 floors look like next to 4 floors?

Edited March 14, 2010 by indianajones

[JimBee]

One ground floor, four uppers looks just right to me. Three uppers is alright, but four really brings out the grandesque (yes, you're not the only one who can make up words, Svelte ) of this set. Like Siegfried, the double columns ruin the side-by-side for me.

I think if you differentiated the floors a little bit in each version, the building(s) would look better. I do like how the skylights are positioned differently, but changing up or removing one of those billboards is a good start.

@ the catacombs.

EDIT: I see what you did there. Here's another " " for being so posh about it.

[gunm]

So how many more Grand Emporiums are you going to end up with when all is said and done?? :skull:

[Svelte]

I think if you differentiated the floors a little bit in each version, the building(s) would look better. I do like how the skylights are positioned differently, but changing up or removing one of those billboards is a good start.

I agree, but when I do the multiples, I like to show off the official models first Customisation comes later.

I am leaning to two side by side with 3 upper floors, myself. The 'join' doesn't really bother me.

I forgot to mention I was shocked and horrified when the second set I opened yielded a substitution for the dark tan hair we're supposed to get - I got ordinary tan instead! Remain alert *and* alarmed and contact customer service if this happens to you

But you could redesign one of the roofs to match the other, then it will just like a Myer's or dare I say Woolies in the Sydney CBD.

Very true - to make them symmetrical, you also need to switch the chandelier to the other wall as it needs the 'bump' of the skylight space to fit.

This actually reminds me more of Broadway or the QVB even (with less detail) than either the Woolies or Myer buildings - they don't seem to stick in my mind so much. This could pass for Victorian sandstone with a bit of tweaking.

[lightningtiger]

Having only been to Sydney once, but going to both Woolies and QVB, the first is one store and QVB is more filled with speciality stores. Now the light fixture problem I'll study the plans I have on my computer tonight, but I think I slight rebuild of that floor - swapping walls type of thing might be possible - me have head scratch.

I'm a conformist!.......Oh, I was the one who voted side by side 4 high, maybe 5 high !

[WhiteFang]

At first, I was thinking whether to get just only one, but seeing this, I knew you had crazy ideas in mind, and I really like the way you placed them side by side. Real nice and pretty, and I can't wait to get mine too.

[Zorbas]

Wow, great pictures Svelte! Man, you already have two of them and it's still too early.

Every time I look at the pictures I keep thinking that GE is geniously designed and probably the perfect modular for stacking floors.

Having all these curves, both in design (the corner of the building) as well as in the small details (windows, columns, canopies), I think that it makes it look "smoother" and not squaer-ish. Even in the tallest version in here, it just looks very natural. Like Svelte already correctly stated, the colour palette also helps since brighter colours makes it look lighter.

I must buy one of those!

[Ferdik]

I'm also been waiting for this! Just add four floors more and it will look like a skyscraper!

But please remove the flags from the middle floors!

[I Scream Clone]

Evil catacombs FTW!

Looks swanky Svelte, I can't wait to lay hands on one or more of these. I always enjoy your Lego expenditure at work. Even if your credit card doesn't.

[Rick]

They don't work as well side by side as I thought. The double columns do ruin the look for me, as do the double white prince-of-persia-curve pieces. Even so, it's good to see your plans for a Posh Shop have come to fruition, and I love the catacomb!

The double columns on the ground floors indeed don't look quite right, and I think a side-by-side configuration would look best with one entirely mirrored. The doors in the back would also look better that way, and one of the stores' windows wouldn't be blocked. I think stacking them makes the building look too high for it's width. Overall, you need four more, so you can build two corners with four floors each and a straight middle section (so, it'll be 'Go Svelte, go' for me).

[Teddy]

Jeey Svelte! Don't ever stop! Keep going! You can do it! Yes you can! Jeey, Svelte!! Woohoo! Yeah!

[awesomebrick]

WOW!

Svelte thats so awesome I voted 1 ground floor 4 upper floors

But Teddy is right keep going until it starts going through the chimney!

Oh yeah GO TEAM SVELTE GO TEAM SVELTE!

[Siegfried]

Overall, you need four more, so you can build two corners with four floors each and a straight middle section (so, it'll be 'Go Svelte, go' for me).

...yeah! I like that idea. It would look great with a corner and a straight. You could then design the straight so it complemented the corners better.

(Sadly I can't make that from spare pieces.)

[escortmad79]

It might look good side by side widened by 2 bricks to get another window & arch on the upper floors to keep the shape flowing, downstairs I'd be tempted to add either another window or door in the centre.

Turn the skylight around so they're both facing the same way & do away with both advertising hordings as they look poor

Maybe modify the rear entrance so it is in the middle too.

Buying 3 would look fantastic in an L shape

[Thee Pirate]

I vote side by side with 4 floors.

Buy one more for that extra floor. I'd also modify it so that it's one building on a 32X64 plate. you can then rework the middle of the building where the two sets meet, and make it look like it was designed that way, and by eliminating the double wall that exists when you stick two of them side by side, you give yourself a lot more pieces to work with for the customization.

[ILikePi]

Thanks for sharing these pics with us Svelte!

I especially like the three and four middle floor combos - so much tan!

And it's great how you changed the letters on one of the buildings to POSH.

For the vote, I chose "don't ever stop" - we need someone to make a 100 story tall GE!

Have a great Pi Day everyone!

Edited March 14, 2010 by ILikePi

[Thee Pirate]

Another option I suppose is to create one building on a 32 X 96 baseplate, with apartments, a barber shop, a bar, I dunno. You can also free up some pieces by only having 1 window washer, 1 ice cream cart and so on too. Maybe... an up and a down escalator too. The possibilities are endless!

[Robo-Knight]

(unnecessary quote of entire post removed by TheBrickster)

Such a nice set, it's a shame that I'm going to be cannibalizing it for parts! ^_^

[prateek]

I voted for Side-by-side with 3 floors but it looks weird asymmetrical.

[DJ Force]

Aww man. I wanted to buy this set yesterday, but the folks at the lego shop in Frankfurt, Germany told me it´s out of stock. Now I know why. People get two of it while others cant get even one... ;-)

I´m jealous. Yes.

I vote for none of the above, as I would rather MOD two of the sets to become one big unique building rather than having two identically looking ones places next to another.