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5 Striking Designs That Use Perforated Cement Breeze-Blocks in Interesting Ways

Architecture 30-8-2017 DWell 1673

Breeze-blocks, perforated concrete blocks, cinder blocks, cobogó, or even decorative terra-cotta bricks: call them what you will, but these patterned hollow blocks have an unforgettable visual impact and a far-reaching ability to provide shade, sunlight, structural support, and privacy.

Natural light floods the space from both sides

Patterned concrete block may have originally been introduced in the late-1920s in Brazil, but today, it can be found in warm-weather areas across the world. Indeed, when it was first invented by a team of Brazilian engineers (who called it cobogó: a combination of their own initials), it was seen as an appropriate local building material that allowed light and air to pass through while still providing some shade and privacy. 

By the 1950s and 1960s, the use of patterned, hollow concrete block had spread to other warm-weather areas around the globe that could benefit from its dappled light and wide variety of patterns, sizes, colors, and eventually materials. Today, breeze blocks are being reintroduced in a variety of projects not only for their aesthetic properties, but also for their contributions to sustainable architecture and their ability to permit cross-ventilation and the possibility of using recycled materials. Here, we take a look at some intriguing examples of architectural screen blocks around the world. 

A Midcentury-Modern Revamp in Phoenix by The Ranch Mine

Light filters out through the reclaimed breeze block

A 585-square-foot addition to a midcentury-modern home in Arizona designed by The Ranch Mine included the reuse of perforated cement blocks, also known as breeze-blocks, on the front facade.

Photo: Jason Roehner


Reclaimed breeze block filters the morning light

From the interior, the reclaimed breeze blocks filter the morning light and provide privacy.

Photo: Jason Roehner

A 100-foot-long wall of terracotta breeze blocks designed by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina—called Tierras 3D—surrounds the reception window and extends into a seating area.

At a renovated hotel in Honolulu's Waikiki in Hawaii, a design team that included Portland-based OMFGCO and Randolph Designs revived the communal areas of the 250-room hotel, including the bar, restaurant, lobby, and concierge spaces.

Courtesy of OMFGCO


The Laylow stands above Kuhio Avenue in Honolulu’s Waikiki neighborhood on the south shore of Oahu. A 100-foot-long wall of terracotta breeze blocks designed by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina—called Tierras 3D—surrounds the reception window.

Crafted from terra-cotta, a 100-foot-long wall of breeze-blocks designed by Patricia Urquiola for Mutina—called Tierras 3D—surrounds the reception window.

Courtesy of OMFGCO

Poolside Perforated Brick in Brazil by Figueroa Arq

Located in São Paulo, Brazil, this serene outdoor space is part of the Aigai Spa, which was designed by figueroa.arq, but it could just as easily be someone’s home. The elongated pool runs the length of the patio and at one end hangs a multicolored swinging chair.

Photo courtesy of Leonardo Finotti


The use of the two types of concrete continues throughout the project, both on the interior and the exterior spaces.

The use of the two types of concrete continues throughout the project, both in the interior and exterior spaces. 

Photo: Leonardo Finotti

A pool is still the focal point of the courtyard, but its modernized, streamlined design makes a dramatic statement.

At what was formerly a run-down motel from the 1970s in Mexico City's central Cuauhtémoc neighborhood, JSa Arquitectura gave the 36-room hotel a fresh face. The interior courtyard, with a revamped, glass-edged pool, is framed by rectangular, hollow concrete bricks.

JSa Arquitectura


Today, as in the 1970s, the central courtyard is an oasis within the city. Along with a pool, the area is also home to a market-centric restaurant.

Today, as in the 1970s, the central courtyard is an oasis within the city. The hollow concrete blocks provide an industrial edge and add an element of texture to the poured-in-place concrete and red brick of the other facades of the courtyard.

Photo: Rafael Gamo

Block It OutSeeking an inexpensive way to create a screen effect between the bathroom and bedroom, Novak-Zemplinski and Nix hit on the idea of stacked open-cell concrete blocks, more typically used in parking areas. They discovered blocks with a more-interesting-than-average pattern in Chyżne, a town near Kraków. Better still, they cost just two dollars each. “When we saw how good these parking blocks looked in the bedroom, we thought they’d be a good way to hide clutter in the kitchen, too,” says Novak-Zemplinski.

chyzbet.pl

Seeking an inexpensive way to create a screen effect between the bathroom and bedroom, designers Aleksander Novak-Zemplinski and Becky Nix utilized perforated concrete blocks that are more typically found in parking areas in Poland. 

Photo: Andreas Meichsner


Ornate concrete blocks screen a storage area in the kitchen while letting light through. The effect is “romantic—romantyczny,” says Nix.

The hollow concrete blocks screen a storage area in the kitchen, but permit the passage of light. The unusual pattern was found at a town near Kraków at a cost of just two dollars each. The blocks add a strong visual and textural component to the space, as well as the functional element of privacy. 

Photo: Andreas Meichsner

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