Saint Paul, Minn. – On Friday, March 16, the Science Museum of

Minnesota will celebrate imagination and ingenuity when it opens the doors of
its newest special exhibition, Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks, presented
locally by U.S. Bank. The exhibition features 20
of the world’s most astonishing skyscrapers from the United States, Australia,
Asia, Canada, and United Arab Emirates – all constructed with breathtaking
architectural detail and accuracy by Australia’s Ryan McNaught, one of only 14
certified LEGO® professionals in the world. Media information is now online at smm.org/media.

Members of the media will have an opportunity to preview and photograph Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks on Thursday, March 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Please RSVP to Sarah Imholte at simholte@smm.org.

A signature element of the Science Museum’s Year of the Engineer, Towers of Tomorrow gives visitors a chance to marvel both at the incredible design and architectural accomplishments that are evident in the skyscrapers represented, but also at the creativity, inventiveness, and intricacy of the LEGO® creations
themselves. McNaught and his team used more than half a million LEGO® bricks
(weighing well over 1.5 tons) and spent more than 2,400 hours building the
structures featured in Towers of Tomorrow.

“We know Science Museum visitors are going to love being able to see the LEGO® creations of Towers of Tomorrow,” says Alison Brown, president and CEO of the Science Museum of Minnesota. “At the museum, we’re always finding ways to help visitors see themselves in science. In this exhibition, they’ll be amazed at the grandeur and complexity of the real-life towers these stunning LEGO® creations represent. Then they can work together to come up with a plan and build their own. They’ll see that at heart, we’re all scientists, engineers, and innovators, no matter our age, gender, or background.”

Towers of Tomorrow includes some of the most iconic and eye-popping towers from across North America, including Toronto’s CN Tower, Philadelphia’s Comcast Technology Center, Los Angeles’ Wilshire Grand Center, Chicago’s Willis Tower, Atlanta’s Bank of America Plaza, New York City’s Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, and more.

Visitors will also take a trip around the world in Towers of Tomorrow, seeing skyscrapers from across Asia and Australia, including Taiwan’s Taipei 101, Kuala Lumpur’s twin Petronas Towers, the amazing, self-contained city that is China’s Shanghai Tower, the Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Infinity Tower in Brisbane, and the Gold Coast’s Q1 building. On a scale of 1:200 and built with stunning precision and attention to detail, the LEGO® towers offer visitors a birds-eye view of these extraordinary buildings and are just as impressive in model size.

In addition, the Science Museum will bring a local element into Towers of Tomorrow. U.S. Bank commissioned artist Roy Cook to design and build a model of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis out of 25,000 LEGO® bricks.

“At U.S. Bank, we believe in the power of play,” says Chady AlAhmar, head of strategy and business development for U.S. Bank Wealth Management and board member of the Minnesota Science Museum. “Our corporate giving and engagement platform Community Possible focuses on the areas of Work, Home and Play. We believe Play brings joy, stimulates creativity and innovation, helps with problem solving, and builds relationships. We can’t think of a better example of Play than the Towers of Tomorrow exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. It is partnerships like this one that show our commitment to diverse community members with different backgrounds and interests.”

After being inspired by McNaught’s team’s creations, visitors of all ages can try building their own ‘towers of tomorrow’ from more than 200,000 loose LEGO® bricks in the exhibit’s hands-on construction areas. Once complete, they can add their creations to a steadily growing futuristic LEGO® metropolis inside the exhibition.

Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks is a traveling exhibition from Sydney Living Museums and toured internationally by Flying Fish.

After its March 16 opening, Towers of Tomorrow will
be open during regular Science Museum hours. For a complete list of hours,
visitors may call (651) 221-9444 or visit www.smm.org.

Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks will run through September 3, 2018.

About the Science Museum of Minnesota

The Science Museum of Minnesota is one of the state’s most popular museums, with a reach that extends well beyond its riverfront location in downtown Saint Paul. It serves hundreds of thousands of people each year with its engaging exhibits, breathtaking giant screen films, and unique special events. Science Museum education programs touch students in all of Minnesota’s 87 counties each year,and its research programs span the globe. For more information, visit www.smm.org.