Breeze blocks blend stability, capacity for natural lighting, and ventilation, all in one.
These architectural screen blocks are walls or fences specifically designed to let structures and areas maintain ventilation, despite their solid form. Essentially, any structure can breathe with these walls letting air pass through instead of around or against it.
Breeze blocks are commonly used in residential buildings and commercial buildings.
These decorative concrete blocks made their way to popularity during the mid-century modern era in the 1950s and 1960s. However, some studies suggest there have been around as early as the Art Deco Period from the the1890s to the 1930s. You’ve seen this in places like old homes and cinemas.
While they give a sense of artistry to the use of concrete, they are actually very functional. This is because the block is designed with holes molded from different design patterns creating a screen-like effect. Because of this, the breeze comes inside the building through the holes while the sturdy concrete portion of the block diffuses heat gain from the sun creating a beautiful shadow pattern both in the interior and exterior of the building.
In the cases where radiance does get through, during the kinder hours of the day, the breeze block creates a nice shadow pattern that also complements your interior design.
Reference:
Image from https://bellemina.ph/products/#iLightbox[gallery_image_3]/1
Ehinger, Benjamin. January 3, 2019 “THE HISTORY OF THE ICONIC BREEZE BLOCKS”. <https://blog.360modern.com/the-history-of-the-iconic-breeze-block/2019/01/>