WIP MOC: modular gothic cathedral

[timmyc1983]

Wow this is going to be sensational once complete, it's already looking great!! Those stained glass windows are really well done!! I will definitely be following this topic to see how things pan out over time!!

Great work so far and happy building

[kabel]

I was just wondering whether sand green mighn't be a better color for the roof, but then again, I'm not sure if there are sand green tiles ...

[gedren_y]

This is a wonderful start. And we should all be grateful that Hinkley is around to offer knowledgeable suggestions.

There are building techniques found in other themes that could be useful to your build. When it comes time for statuary, I suggest you look at some Batman build techniques, TLG and MOCs, as Gotham's architecture is supposed to be Gothic revival.

I once considered doing a cathedral, and one idea I had planned to use was a transparent 16x16 baseplate with trans-colored plates and tiles to create a large stained glass window. Are you planning to do any internal build lighting for display or photography?

I wouldn't worry about being seen as copying Merkel's(Romas) work. There are parts now that didn't exist in 2008. A gothic half-arch exists now.

When it comes to mixing grey and bley, it can be done to great effect. Consider The_Cook's and Hinkley's comments about Durham Cathedral, that many stone structures were rebuilt or added to over time, often with different source stone.

I was just wondering whether sand green mighn't be a better color for the roof, but then again, I'm not sure if there are sand green tiles ...

There were quite a few in Indiana Jones sets.

Edited December 15, 2013 by gedren_y

[Martin_B]

Sand green would look great as a recreation of aged copper for roofing, but dark bley tiles - for a lead or stone rather than copper appearance - are available in larger quantities from UK Bricklink stores, and at a fraction of the price. I reckon I'll need nearly five hundred 1x8 and 1x3 tiles to complete the roof, which would soon add up! Again, I'm concerned that using sand green might make it too close in appearance to Merkel's; it's been done very effectively there already, so I'd feel that my efforts would be more rewarding if I tried something different.

Of course, most real-life buildings of this type followed a common plan and architects drew inspiration from each other, so those similarities will be reflected in MOCs inspired by them. I just prefer Cologne's very tall, compact 'French' style with its Germanic flourishes; it's consistent in its design, even in the later 19th Century additions. It's a 'look' that I prefer over the sprawling English cathedrals that often contain different architectural styles from different eras.

I was racking my brains over how to do a rose window for the west facade and/or one of the transept gables. Cheese slopes are fine for smallish areas but it's a fiddly job that's akin to building a house of cards! After a while I reached the same conclusion that gedren_y did in regards to the 16x16 trans-clear baseplate. That'll be much simpler to construct and install, but will hopefully give a good end result.

I should be able to rig some lighting too. There's plenty of unused space between the roof and where the ceiling vaulting will go, after all. I'm assuming that TLG has moved on from filament lamps to LEDs since my Dark Ages ended!

[Martin_B]

A small bump to post my progress so far. Link to Flickr set

Progress will have to slow down a bit while I juggle this and saving up for a holiday abroad in May. The latest challenge is finding a way of securing the semicircle of buttresses that make up the chevet of the choir. Right now my plan is to have a hose curving around the shape of the chevet, with 1 x 1 claw plates attaching the butresses to the hose at regular intervals. I was struggling with this part of the build, then noticed how the letters of the SHOP sign on the modular Grand Emporium follow the curve that makes up the corner of the building. The trick will be finding a hose of the correct length, but something needs to be done because at the moment the buttresses just wobble about!

When that hurdle's overcome, I should be able to take on the half-conical shape of the chevet roof.

Everything else so far is just a matter of time and finding the right pieces in sufficient quantities on Bricklink. This project needs lots of certain pieces: dark bley tiles for the roof, light bley 1 x 3 and 2 x 3 bricks for the buttresses, transparent bricks and plates of various shades for the stained glass...and tan inverted slopes for the arches of internal vaults.

Edited January 18, 2014 by Martin_B

[kabel]

@martin: you should deeplink some of those pics as they are absolutely spectacular!

[Infernum]

I agree with kabel, this is looking incredible! Can't wait to see more progress! Love the architecture and stained glass!

[LegoPanda]

maybe this could help

http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=539231

it is from an book about european building styles, this is from a page about gothic, sorry but the text is mostly in dutch

[Martin_B]

Apologies for the lack of recent updates - true to the historical reality of medieval construction, progress has been in fits and starts, depending on cashflow! There haven't been many major changes to my original plan so far, apart from the vault being slightly taller. The nave and main facade are still unbuilt at the far left of the photo, but in the foreground, you can just make out the corners of the transept where the towers will go:

I finally solved the problem of the semicircular end to the building by 'borrowing' the idea of a rigid hose piece from the Grand Emporium set that I picked up a while back. Attach the tops of the columns to the hose, shape it around, and with a bit (by which I mean: a LOT) of patience it's fairly secure:

I'm now really getting a clear idea of what a huge challenge I've set for myself: SHIPs require an enormous amount of patience and forward planning, and by the end of this I don't think I'll want to lay my hands on another light bley brick again!

I have just one problem, and that's the shape of the buttresses outside. It's a minor tech detail, but the 'double' arrangement of both inner and outer supports isn't accurate: they're are only found on buildings with double aisles (this has a central span with single aisles). Right now there are a huge stacks of masonry that rest on the 'point' of each arch, which in a real building would collapse! At first glance it's not noticeable and because it's built in Lego it won't fall down, but I've rebuilt one of the buttresses for comparison purposes:

The simpler 'single' pier design is in the left of the photo, and the incorrect 'double' is on the right. Although the one on the left is more accurate from an architectural POV, I'm still undecided about which version looks better. Thoughts?

Edited September 8, 2014 by Martin_B

[kabel]

This has got to be one of the most amazing mocs I've ever seen. I'm speechless!!

I just hope you get to finish this and don't quit building somewhere in the process.

[pogie]

Awesome build!

[MAB]

The simpler 'single' pier design is in the left of the photo, and the incorrect 'double' is on the right. Although the one on the left is more accurate from an architectural POV, I'm still undecided about which version looks better. Thoughts?

I don't think it matters too much, both flying buttresses look good so long as you are consistent with the design. The simpler one is slightly cleaner to look at, whereas the double looks much more intricate. I guess it depends on what you want people to look at. If you are having a lot of intricate details elsewhere, maybe go for the simpler design.

Beautiful work.

Edited September 9, 2014 by MAB

[Steph 104th]

Great to see this excusite piece is still alive. Magnificent work

[Holodoc]

Thank you for updating your work.

This is really a wip I am going to follow.

Looking really great so far. Do you have plans when to finish?

[madharlequin]

This looks amazing!

How big will it be when its finished?

[-Carson Haupt-]

This is really inspiring. I would probably use the single as it is more accurate, but the double is really beautiful too.

[alois]

You should really go for the single flying butress, it is much better architecturally and aesthetically. And your cathedral is really starting to look like the real thing, unlike many cathedral mocs one finds on brickshelf or flickr.

[Martin_B]

Thanks again for the advice and kind words! The buttresses are all altered to the 'single' flier shape, and I must admit they look just fine. That's how they'll stay I think.

Assuming there are no Real Life things interfering this should be done within the next year(!) or so. I'm onto the transept now and the nave will be pretty straightforward. The towers will be where the fun starts, because I plan to have a total of seven: a central spire at the crossing, two western towers and a smaller one at each corner of the transept.

I threw together a couple of floor plans on an LDD-type program this afternoon, because I may change the transept gable ends to allow for larger towers. Planning ahead is becoming more important as the Bricklink invoice costs mount up...

Version 1:

Version 2:

Either could work out okay, but while I'm waiting until I can afford to order more pieces I'll decide which one to go for. The CAD program doesn't allow for the 'in-between' angles of the apse that I've actually used, so the messy sections on the far left hand side don't actually look quite as bad as this!

Edited October 11, 2014 by Martin_B

[Commissioner Gordon]

wow this looks great so far! its going to be beautiful once its finished!

[Martin_B]

A quick topic bump with up-to-date pics before I take a quick break for Christmas. The apsidal end, with revised buttresses, is virtually finished save a few roof tiles and panes of stained glass:

The south transept needs its towers, the last of the roof tiles and its main window. I've made a start on that, using a random pattern of coloured pieces as a tribute of sorts to Gerhard Richter's design for Koln's south transept stained glass. Unfortunately for me, there's no real-life building that has the sort of transept towers I'm planning, so I'm going on this bit of wishful thinking drawn up by Viollet-le-Duc.

How much is still to do when I get back onto Bricklink in January? Rather a lot, I'm afraid:

Happy Christmas, everyone!

Edited December 11, 2014 by Martin_B

[Ayrlego]

Wow! This is a awe inspiring project - your hard work is certainly paying off! Good luck in the new year when you continue.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Ayrlego

[TuftedDuck]

Found this thread this morning and just had to spend the bus ride to work catching up on it.Looks amazing and Happy Christmas Martin_B! Roll on the New Year's updates

[LegoPanda]

this building keeps getting better and better, the roof looks very good.

keep on the great work :D

[Holodoc]

Looking wonderful so far and I'm glad you chose for the version 2, 90° angled ground plot (= more realistic) and not the curved one.

And living close to Cologne (and having seen the mentioned window less than a week ago) I appreciate the Richter's design!

[InvincibleEagle]

Magnificent! This forum never ceases to impress.