The MAK, Vienna's museum of applied arts, has opened an interactive exhibition tracing a century of architectural building kits. "Architectural Construction Kits 1890–1990: Plenty to Play With!" runs from 7 October 2026 to 14 March 2027 in the museum's Works on Paper Room and its DIREKTION FÜR ALLE! space. Long before Lego dominated the market, hundreds of firms — around 900 in the German-speaking countries alone — produced construction kits, and the exhibition presents about forty of them from 1890 to 1990, many as completed models. The selection comes from the private collection of graphic designer Claus Krieger, who owns some 150 kits; the pieces are made of metal, wood, Galalith, rubber and other materials. The MAK's premise is that the diversity of the sets owed less to pedagogy than to an evolution of the brick itself — countless firms chased the stable connection that Lego would eventually perfect. Several stations invite visitors to try the building pieces themselves, and the show is aimed at children from age four as well as nostalgic adults. The presentation was organised with the Deutsches Architekturmuseum, where it was shown in Frankfurt in 2025, and the Vienna edition is guest-curated by DAM curator Oliver Elser. A supporting programme of workshops and miniature architectural competitions lets visitors experience the fascination of building with historical sets alongside Lego and Bioblo. The exhibition is accompanied by the catalogue "111 Architekturbaukästen: Sammlung Claus Krieger," published by Jovis with 272 pages and 500 illustrations, available in the MAK design shop.