A wall constructed of building blocks designated as basic and modified, which have both convex and concave surface features. The convex and concave surface features are present both in the longitudinal and latitudinal direction. The convex and concave surface features are in parallel planes with one another. A curve in the wall is introduced with variation of these blocks with use of acute angle cutoff present on the latitudinal edge of the blocks. A curve in the wall can also be made with a bent on a block's longitudinal plane creating an obtuse angle at the outer longitudinal edge. The wall layers and ends are terminated by two types of filling blocks that are essentially one-half section of either the basic of modified block separated along the longitudinal direction or the latitudinal direction. The building blocks can also have a cavity used for filling in some compound.

An architectural building block system including a block having three side walls, each having an inside surface and an outside surface, the three side walls cooperate to form a triangular tube, the outside surface of each of the three side walls extending from the inner surface to the outer surface and the inside surface of each of the three walls is disposed substantially at right angle to each of the inner surface and the outer surface; and three channels, each channel disposed on one of the three side walls on the inner surface, wherein each channel extending from the inside surface to the outside surface of one of the three side walls and each pair of the three channels configured to receive a rebar.

A brick includes outer walls defining a hollow interior space, the outer walls including: substantially flat top and bottom walls; and side walls angled inwards toward a central portion of the NPR brick, such that application of a compressive force between the top and bottom walls causes a lateral dimension of the brick between opposite side walls to decrease. At least some of the outer walls of the brick include a material having a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR).

A brick includes outer walls defining a hollow interior space, the outer walls including: substantially flat top and bottom walls; and side walls angled inwards toward a central portion of the NPR brick, such that application of a compressive force between the top and bottom walls causes a lateral dimension of the brick between opposite side walls to decrease. At least some of the outer walls of the brick include a material having a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR).

A building block may be designed to hold utilities, including but not limited to, electricity and plumbing. Such a building block can resist compression forces and moment and can connect to other building blocks to form a modular wall system with the ability to distribute the forces in a way that reduces the stresses on each individual block. The building block may include a body with an upper end and a lower end, one or more main compartments, and one or more inner pass-through openings, wherein the upper end includes one or more protrusions, and the lower end comprises one or more intrusions and one or more slots. A building system may include more than one such building blocks and a base.

A building block may be designed to hold utilities, including but not limited to, electricity and plumbing. Such a building block can resist compression forces and moment and can connect to other building blocks to form a modular wall system with the ability to distribute the forces in a way that reduces the stresses on each individual block. The building block may include a body with an upper end and a lower end, one or more main compartments, and one or more inner pass-through openings, wherein the upper end includes one or more protrusions, and the lower end comprises one or more intrusions and one or more slots. A building system may include more than one such building blocks and a base.

A thermal wall system may include a plurality of blocks configured to interconnect with each other forming a monolithic wall. The plurality of blocks form a series of vertical interior cavities that each extend from a top of the plurality of blocks to a bottom of the plurality of blocks, and tubing vertically extends through the series of vertical interior cavities.

A concrete building block (30) includes a body (32) having opposite first (34) and second sides (36), opposite first (38) and second end faces (40) extending between the first and second sides (34, 36), and opposite first (42) and second bearing faces (44) extending between the first and second sides (34, 36) and the first and second end faces (38, 40). The first side has a first section (52) and second section (54). The first section (52) and first end face (38) are shaped to mate with each other when a like block (30) is rotated 90 and oriented adjacent thereto so that the center plane for the two blocks (30) are perpendicular to each other; and the second section (54) and second end face (40) are shaped to mate with each other when a like block (30) is rotated 90 and oriented adjacent thereto so that the center plane for the two blocks (30) are perpendicular to each other. The building block (30) can be used for structures such as a free standing wall, retaining wall, garden wall, or columns.

A concrete building block (30) includes a body (32) having opposite first (34) and second sides (36), opposite first (38) and second end faces (40) extending between the first and second sides (34, 36), and opposite first (42) and second bearing faces (44) extending between the first and second sides (34, 36) and the first and second end faces (38, 40). The first side has a first section (52) and second section (54). The first section (52) and first end face (38) are shaped to mate with each other when a like block (30) is rotated 90 and oriented adjacent thereto so that the center plane for the two blocks (30) are perpendicular to each other; and the second section (54) and second end face (40) are shaped to mate with each other when a like block (30) is rotated 90 and oriented adjacent thereto so that the center plane for the two blocks (30) are perpendicular to each other. The building block (30) can be used for structures such as a free standing wall, retaining wall, garden wall, or columns.

A dry stack block structure, comprising: at least one course comprising blocks, each comprising: a first and second side walls and a central wall positioned between and parallel to the side walls, wherein the walls are rectangular and having a bottom and top edges located in a first plane and a parallel second plane, a first end and a second end located in a third plane and a parallel fourth plane, perpendicular to the first plane; a first and second end transverse webs connecting the ends respectively of the walls in the third and fourth planes respectively, wherein the end transverse webs having a bottom edge located in the first plane; and two intermediate transverse webs positioned between the third and fourth planes and connecting the second and central walls, the intermediate transverse webs having a bottom edge and a top edge located in the first and second planes.