In 2022, the team at Porsche Latin America approached Playwell Bricks with a thrilling commission. Their then-CEO was approaching retirement and the staff wanted to offer a send-off gift that would always remind the CEO of their years with the luxury brand and the Porsche Latin America team. They’d already chosen what they wanted to be designed as a custom set made from genuine LEGO® bricks: downtown Miami’s Southeast Financial Center, the luxe high-rise where the Porsche Latin America offices were housed.

When Playwell Bricks CEO and lead designer Jason Pyett studied pictures of the high-rise, he knew the most challenging and important architectural elements would be the sawtooth, pyramidal-shaped top and the stepped sides that made the building so distinctive. “Because the steps are irregular, I really had to pay attention to the ways the brick plates overlapped to ensure the top section was properly supported,” he explains.

After some deliberation, Pyett also built a column inside and along the length of the building to give extra support to the steps in the top structure. Because this hidden section would only be seen during the build, Pyett recognized the opportunity to create an Easter egg for the builder and constructed this section in Porsche’s brand colors, the iconic red and black.

Another challenge in this design was the deep groove on the flat side of the building. “I didn’t want the builder to have to wedge the parts in,” Pyett tells me, so he designed the groove with angled bricks facing each other. “It was tricky to figure out, but it’s simple enough to replicate. More importantly, it makes the build experience that much better.”

Do you have a milestone coming up for your company that you’d like to celebrate with a custom Playwell Bricks model? We have designed vehicles, architecture, characters, logos, and even desk décor to meet our client requests. Contact us today and start building your dreams!