This legendary local architecture student has been slowly re-creating Melbourne in his Minecraft world.
Melbourne architecture student Jordan Chen has spent a decade turning his train obsession into digital art.
When Jordan Chen was starting year seven back in 2014, he had expensive taste but a limited budget. His passion for trains and Lego was being hampered by economic reality, so he pitched his mum on a different solution: Minecraft. What began as a creative workaround has evolved into something far more ambitious; a 10-year project recreating Melbourne’s iconic architecture, one digital block at a time.
Jordan’s Melbourne portfolio includes:
- Flinders Street Station
- Parliament Station
- Old Treasury Building on Spring Street
- Treasury Theatre
- Collins Place
- Rialto Towers
- 101 Collins Street
- 120 Collins Street
- The ANZ Gothic Bank
- Anzac House Building
- 35 Spring Street
- Supreme Court of Victoria
- New Preston Tram Depot
- Bolte Bridge
- Glenferrie Road station and surrounding street
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“I probably started this project when I first started year seven, guess I had a lot of spare time,” Jordan laughs. “I loved trains and Lego when I was younger, but of course those things were and are still expensive, so I convinced my mum to buy Minecraft for me, to build whatever I wanted.”
What sets Jordan apart from other Minecraft creators is his completely original approach. While most builders draw heavily from YouTube tutorials and popular creators, Jordan charted his own course from day one. Though he’s currently using assets designed by the user @alpine.builds, an educational minecraft architect on Youtube.
“Surprisingly, I wasn’t influenced by the Minecraft YouTube scene at the time. I watched their videos, but I didn’t copy any of their builds or take inspiration from them, really.”
The result is a distinctive aesthetic. Jordan’s style deliberately favours bold, chunky forms over hyper-detailed realism, creating builds that capture the essence of Melbourne’s landmarks through vibrant, saturated colour palettes.
“My style is very chunky, I guess you can see that in my builds, I love having a lot of colour and saturation in my style and I don’t really tend to over-detail my stuff!”
The construction process varies dramatically depending on the complexity of each build. Skyscrapers offer satisfying efficiency, once the floor template is perfected, it’s a matter of strategic copy-and-paste work.
“If I’m building say, a skyscraper, it’s quite easy, because once you have a floor you can just copy and paste it. Maybe like a good three to four hour session!”
Transport infrastructure presents a different challenge entirely, requiring significantly more time investment due to the intricate detail work involved.
Jordan’s remarkable attention to architectural detail stems from a lifelong habit of observation. He’s someone who genuinely pays attention during transit, treating every car ride, train journey, or flight as an opportunity to study urban landscapes.
“The build are mostly based off memory, when I was a kid and still now, I love looking out the window of my car/train/plane. Anything with a good view is great for my brain!”
This observational approach extends to deliberate fieldwork. Jordan will spend time stationed at transport hubs, studying the interplay of form and function in Melbourne’s infrastructure.
“I love waiting at a train station or airport and just looking at planes and trains, etc.” When memory needs supplementing, Google Maps provides additional reference material, but the foundation remains Jordan’s accumulated visual database.
The project also operates on an emotional level that transcends mere architectural recreation.
“I think nostalgia plays a very big part of what I do as a visual artist or illustrator, whatever you want to call me! If I can transport my viewers to some sort of core memory (bad or good) I think it’s a job well done!”
Jordan’s current pipeline includes several ambitious projects. He’s developing Metro tunnel and City Loop content, eyeing Queen Victoria Market as his next major undertaking, and planning a Flemington Racecourse build to coincide with spring racing season.
Interestingly, Jordan’s formal architecture education hasn’t directly influenced his Minecraft work. “Actually not at all, architecture school definitely helps as it makes you more disciplined and introduces me to new social ideas but I wouldn’t say it influenced my Minecraft hobby. I think I would still be doing this regardless of whether I studied architecture.”
This platform has become a source of creative validation, offering an alternative to the sometimes harsh environment of formal art education.
“I think it’s good, because fine art school can definitely make you doubt your own creative abilities, so sharing my and other people’s work outside of the education environment can really build confidence in your own work!”
“I believe the arts (performing and visual) are often used as platforms for social expression and political expression as well, if you look at history the arts is usually one of the first things that a totalitarian/dictatorship will look to purge or censor first.”
Looking ahead, Jordan envisions expanding beyond pure recreation into promotional content. He’s interested in creating videos that showcase local Melbourne landmarks, businesses, and emerging architecture student work – providing exposure that transcends the restrictive portfolio formats typically demanded by established firms.
What began as a year seven student’s creative solution to an expensive hobby has become a sustained artistic practice that celebrates Melbourne’s urban character. Jordan’s work demonstrates how digital tools can transform childhood enthusiasm into meaningful cultural documentation.
You can find Jordan’s project here.
