Brock student hoping his LEGO design wins big

If events transpire the way Lucas Michlik envisions them this week, thousands of LEGO lovers will be building his Applewood Acres design next July.

Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Michlik and his design partner Evan Khalsa of Burlington have entered their detailed red barn scene as one of 375 entries in Bricklink’s Series 7 LEGO design competition. 

The crowd support leg of the contest closes at the end of the day on Friday, Feb. 21. Feedback from fans during this stage will combine with the Bricklink Design Program’s internal selection criteria to move onto the review leg. The five winners will be announced on March 17. 

Bricklink, a subsidiary of the LEGO Group, is the world’s largest online community of adult LEGO fans. It was founded in 2000 by Dan Jezek and today has over a million members, bringing together an online marketplace of more than 10,000 stores from 70 countries. LEGO Group bought Bricklink in 2019 largely to acquire its digital building software which builders can use to design and showcase their creations.

Like most kids, Brock University student Michlik began working with LEGO when he was much younger. He remembers his first LEGO kit being a firetruck. 

“I always loved it as a kid,” Michlik tells The Local. “But I stopped probably between the ages of 14 and 17. Then during COVID I was looking for something to do. So I bought a couple of sets and I’ve gotten right back into it a lot.”

With his interest piqued, the St. Michael Catholic Elementary and Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School graduate attended Bricks in the Six, Canada’s largest LEGO fan event, in 2023 and 2025.

Now studying concurrent education, Michlik balances his studies with the head referee role with the NOTL Soccer Club and supply teaching work with the Niagara Catholic District School Board. He also has responsibilities as the founder and president of Brock’s LEGO Club. 

That’s right, Brock has a LEGO Club, started by Lucas. 

“We have about 150 members,” says the 22-year-old. “I’ve met a lot of great people there. We just hosted an event before Valentine’s Day where we bought 130 LEGO flower sets. For $10 students got to build a couple of LEGO flowers and we offered them pizza. We had a great turnout for that.”

The club members come from all different programs, different walks of life and various ethnicities. Collectively they are currently chipping away at designing a model of the Brock campus using Bricklink’s Studio software. 

Michlik explains there are no new parts created for any of the 375 designs in the Series 7 contest. 

“They gave us a list of probably about 20,000 parts we could use on Studio,” he says. “From that list of common, standard parts you create your design. All these pieces have been thrown into other LEGO sets before and are still in production by the company.”

As the designer moves the pieces together the software keeps track of what is used and in what order. Studio then develops the suggested step-by-step instructions that the designer can use as-is or modify to simplify the procedure for the end user. 

“People from LEGO Group will go over those instructions to ensure they meet the company’s quality standards,” Michlik adds. 

Michlik has loved working with the Studio software and has followed the previous Bricklink Design Program Series. In fact. he has not just voted and commented on other builders’ creations he has also bought some of the winning sets. 

“I ordered one each from Series 1, 2 and 3,” Michlik says. “And the second set arrived that’s when I decided I wanted to design my own.”

Applewood Acres consists of 2,492 total parts, 438 unique from each other. It includes an intricate apple tree, a tractor, a horse-drawn cart, farm animals and a well pump. It comes complete with five farmers - a mix of male and female LEGO characters. 

Why a farm? Michlik lives in Old Town NOTL and has little experience with sheep and horses. 

“A LEGO barn is always something that I’ve wanted,” he enthuses. “I live in a quiet area, going out for drives you see a lot of barns here. I wouldn’t want to design a skyscraper. And from the reactions I have received, it seems a lot of people are interested in building a barn, too.”

Michlik says he’s always loved architecture, and LEGO scratches that itch. He also finds his hobby relaxing. 

His father Darren says there is very little table space left in the house as Lucas’ LEGO collection is on display in every room. 

“It’s become a decorating theme,” adds the owner of Queen Street’s Great Things women’s clothing store. “I think my favourites of his sets include the botanical garden with the glass roof because you can see everything inside, and the world map he made which has become a piece of art on our wall.”

Lucas’ interests don’t lie in the flashy Star Wars, sci-fi realm that often hooks people into the hobby. Instead, he is drawn toward designs that reflect upon an old-fashioned, small-town lifestyle, just like the one the family lives in NOTL. 

And just like Applewood Acres. 

There is still time for Michlik’s supporters to vote for his and Khalsa’s design on the Bricklink website. If Applewood Acres is a winner, the design could end up in the homes of between 3,000 and 35,000 people.

“It would be awesome to have my name on a LEGO product and to see it in many people’s collections as I scroll through Instagram,” he says.