Sungnyemun Gate (Namdaemun)
Jung-gu, Seoul · Joseon (restored 2013)
8,959 parts · 112 kinds · 45 steps
Parts by step
Step 1: Base plates
60 parts · 2 kinds
Build a 92x40 base from 55 8x8 plates and 5 4x8 plates.
Step 2: Lawn
112 parts · 2 kinds
Lay grass across the front yard.
Step 3: Stone paving
552 parts · 4 kinds
Pave the path to the gate and the ground around it with paving stones.
Step 4: Name plate
3 parts · 1 kinds
Step 5: Foundation course
91 parts · 5 kinds
Ring the lowest course of the stone platform and the side walls with masonry-pattern bricks, one stud wider.
Step 6: Platform courses 1–3
300 parts · 6 kinds
Build the inner core with side-stud bricks (1x4, 1x2 and 1x1). Raise the walls on both sides of the passage at the same time.
Step 7: Platform courses 4–6
300 parts · 6 kinds
Step 8: Turning the arch
292 parts · 6 kinds
Line up 22 1x12x3 arches from the front of the passage to the back to form the rounded vault.
Step 9: Platform courses 10–12
306 parts · 5 kinds
Step 10: Platform courses 13–16
408 parts · 5 kinds
Step 11: Passage floor and doors
99 parts · 5 kinds
Pave the arched passage and stand the two wide-open door leaves in the middle.
Step 12: Front stone facing
294 parts · 29 kinds
Clip 1xN and 2xN tiles onto the side studs to show stones of different sizes. The gaps between courses read as mortar joints.
Step 13: Back stone facing
275 parts · 30 kinds
Step 14: Side and wall stone facing
359 parts · 32 kinds
Step 15: Coping stones
144 parts · 3 kinds
Cover the top one stud wider so the coping line projects past the stone faces.
Step 16: Top paving
258 parts · 1 kinds
Step 17: Parapet
616 parts · 3 kinds
Build the parapet along the edges, leaving a gap (crenel) every seven studs.
Step 18: Column bases and sills
178 parts · 4 kinds
Step 19: First-floor columns and doors
234 parts · 4 kinds
Fill the spaces between the dark red round-brick columns with grooved grille bricks. The central bay is a reddish-brown door.
Step 20: First-floor inner walls
72 parts · 4 kinds
Raise six hidden walls inside the pavilion to support the plate above the brackets.
Step 21: First-floor lintel beams
44 parts · 5 kinds
Link the column heads with a dark turquoise lintel beam; the capitals on top of the columns are sand green.
Step 22: First-floor brackets
290 parts · 8 kinds
Set 1x2 plates and 1x2 bricks so each layer reaches one stud further out. Every piece must overlap the part below by at least one stud.
Step 23: First-floor rafters
544 parts · 7 kinds
Lay 1x4 plates side by side pointing outward to make the striped rafters, then hang side-stud bricks under the eave edge and attach white round tiles as the rafter ends.
Step 24: First-floor eaves
252 parts · 7 kinds
Ring the roof with 4x1 curved slopes in alternating colors to form the rows of roof tiles and the curve of the eaves. Plates lift the eaves near the corners, and white 33° corner slopes start the hip ridges.
Step 25: First-floor roof base
304 parts · 3 kinds
Lay one course of bricks inside the eaves to seat the 33° slopes.
Step 26: First-floor roof 33°
298 parts · 4 kinds
Ring the roof with 33° 3x1 slopes in alternating colors; white corner slopes continue the hip ridges.
Step 27: First-floor roof finish
66 parts · 1 kinds
Cover the space between the top row of 33° slopes and the second-floor wall with tiles.
Step 28: Second-floor base plate
35 parts · 2 kinds
Lay one plate under the second-floor walls to raise the wall plate by one plate height.
Step 29: Second-floor wall plate and white ends
146 parts · 4 kinds
Ring the wall plate with side-stud bricks and attach a white round tile every two studs.
Step 30: Second-floor columns and doors
281 parts · 4 kinds
Step 31: Name board
5 parts · 3 kinds
Clip a black 2x4 plate upright onto two side studs and show the characters with three white 1x2 tiles.
Step 32: Second-floor inner walls
42 parts · 2 kinds
Step 33: Second-floor lintel beams
34 parts · 4 kinds
Link the column heads with a dark turquoise lintel beam; the capitals on top of the columns are sand green.
Step 34: Second-floor brackets
250 parts · 7 kinds
Set 1x2 plates and 1x2 bricks so each layer reaches one stud further out. Every piece must overlap the part below by at least one stud.
Step 35: Second-floor rafters
473 parts · 6 kinds
Lay 1x4 plates side by side pointing outward to make the striped rafters, then hang side-stud bricks under the eave edge and attach white round tiles as the rafter ends.
Step 36: Second-floor eaves
236 parts · 7 kinds
Ring the roof with 4x1 curved slopes in alternating colors to form the rows of roof tiles and the curve of the eaves. Plates lift the eaves near the corners, and white 33° corner slopes start the hip ridges.
Step 37: Second-floor roof base
126 parts · 2 kinds
Step 38: Second-floor roof 33°
120 parts · 3 kinds
Step 39: Second-floor roof 45°, tier 1
112 parts · 3 kinds
Ring the roof with 45° 2x1 slopes in alternating colors, stepping in one stud per tier. The white corner slopes form the hip ridge lines.
Step 40: Second-floor roof 45°, tier 2
104 parts · 3 kinds
Step 41: Second-floor roof 45°, tier 3
96 parts · 3 kinds
Step 42: Second-floor roof 45°, tier 4
88 parts · 3 kinds
Step 43: Main ridge
40 parts · 2 kinds
Top white 2x2 bricks with white double slopes to make the main ridge.
Step 44: Ridge-end ornaments
8 parts · 2 kinds
Stack two courses of black bricks at each end of the ridge and stand 65° slopes on them as the ridge-end ornaments (chwidu).
Step 45: Pine trees
12 parts · 3 kinds
About the building
The main south gate of Hanyang, the Joseon capital, first built in 1398. A rainbow-shaped arched passage runs through the stone platform, topped by a two-story gate pavilion. It is designated as a National Treasure and was restored in 2013 after a fire in 2008.
Model details
- Size
- 73.6 × 32.0 × 41.8 cm high
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Updated
- 2026-09-25
- Set history
- 1 kind with no set record since 2020 (Rebrickable 2026-09-24)
Design notes
The stone faces use tiles of different sizes clipped onto side-stud bricks to show the coursed stonework and its joints, and the arched passage is made from 22 1x12x3 arches. The brackets step outward one stud per layer, and the rafter ends and name board are attached to side studs. The roof stacks curved, 33° and 45° slopes to create a concave curve with raised corners. Every part passed the automatic connection check (floating parts, overlaps and build order).
References
- Sungnyemun Gate, Seoul — Heritage Search, Korea Heritage Service (공식 영문 명칭·별칭 Namdaemun 확인) · ⓒ 국가유산청(Korea Heritage Service), All rights reserved — 명칭·사실 확인용으로만 참고, 본문·사진 미사용
- 국보 서울 숭례문 — 국가유산포털, 국가유산청 (별칭 남대문 확인) · ⓒ 국가유산청(Korea Heritage Service), All rights reserved — 명칭·사실 확인용으로만 참고, 본문·사진 미사용