If there’s a specific place in the world which means a lot to you, puzzle it out with a 3D printed LOGIPLACES geographical brain teaser. 

LOGIPLACES is a 16 or 36-piece puzzle that enables you to physically recreate a place or city which has a special place in your heart.

Using 3D modeling and 3D printing techniques, the terrain is represented by a series of interlocking tiles that you have to piece together, much like a traditional jigsaw.

Hungarian company Planbureau are planning to offer four locations to start with: Grand Canyon, Zermatt in the Alps, Budapest, and San Francisco. If successful, additional locations — and the possibility of custom terrains – are in the works. Dániel Lakos, founder of Planbureau studio, said:

“We believe that places grow when we fill them with experiences. LOGIPLACES can give anyone the opportunity to take home these experiences and relive them through a meditating game that’s a brain teaser at the same time.”

The team used Aster products as a source for topographic information and Open Street Map for the urban structure data. Check it out in the video below:

The Inspiration Behind LOGIPLACES

The team had a prior success with a crowdfunded game called LOGIFACES two years ago. Working with 3D puzzle-makers LOGIDEEZ, this was a simpler concept which allows users to create topographical landscapes with bits of angled triangular concrete.

Launching LOGIPLACES with a crowdfunding campaign seemed like the next step, but unfortunately it didn’t perform as well. The campaign finished last year with only $3,619 USD of the $15,000 goal. Despite this, there is still the possibility of a limited release.

The difference between LOGIFACES and LOGIPLACES lies in 3D printing. The company won a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer in a “What-to-print-in-3D” design competition from FreeDee. The firm say this was the inspiration behind their puzzle, as they could use 3D printing to create intricate details at 100 micron resolution.

Lakos says: “We would like to see beautiful, one of a kind architectural concepts in stores more often, especially in the world of games, where it’s rare to see a toy that also reflects on contemporary design.”

If you’re disappointed the campaign has ended, don’t worry as you still have the opportunity to vote for which city you would like to see 3D printed next in this poll.

The company also have some impressive long term aims such as one day creating any place in the world, whether it’s a “hometown or a company’s headquarters and its surroundings” in this quirky format.

(Source: The Architect’s Newspaper)