A building block and a building system used for construction a building are disclosed in the present invention. The building block includes: an inner face, an outer face, an upper face having a base face and a projection protruding upward from the base face, wherein the projection extending longitudinally for the entire length of the upper face; a lower face having a complementary groove for interlocking with the projection of a cooperating interengaging building block; a first end; a second end; each of the first end and the second end has a header face, which is substantially one of a planar face, a male header face and a female header face, the male header face of the building block interlocking with the female header face of a cooperating interengaging building block; the cooperating interengaging building block is substantially similar to the building block.

A construction system using core blocks having a horizontal front mounting recess in the front surface defining a core detent lip, and face blocks having a horizontal rear mounting recess defining a face detent lip, and connectors for supporting stacked courses of the face blocks suspended on the front surfaces of stacked courses of core blocks, the connectors having a rear hook and a front hook, wherein the face blocks are each supported by their rear surfaces with at least one connector, by engagement of the front hook with the face detent lip and engagement of the rear hook with the core detent lip.

A construction system using core blocks having a horizontal front mounting recess in the front surface defining a core detent lip, and face blocks having a horizontal rear mounting recess defining a face detent lip, and connectors for supporting stacked courses of the face blocks suspended on the front surfaces of stacked courses of core blocks, the connectors having a rear hook and a front hook, wherein the face blocks are each supported by their rear surfaces with at least one connector, by engagement of the front hook with the face detent lip and engagement of the rear hook with the core detent lip.

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 having three corners, the outside surface of each of the three side walls extending outwardly 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 channel pairs, each configured to receive a rebar, each channel pair including a first channel disposed on one of the three side walls on the inner surface and a second channel disposed on a corner of the three corners that is opposingly disposed from one of the three side walls.

A construction system using core blocks having a horizontal front mounting recess in the front surface defining a core detent lip, and face blocks having a horizontal rear mounting recess defining a face detent lip, and connectors for supporting stacked courses of the face blocks suspended on the front surfaces of stacked courses of core blocks, the connectors having a rear hook and a front hook, wherein the face blocks are each supported by their rear surfaces with at least one connector, by engagement of the front hook with the face detent lip and engagement of the rear hook with the core detent lip.

A method for building a mechanical secured block structure, including placing a footer block on a desired surface, inserting two respective starter bar nuts into the footer block, inverting the footer block, placing a first concrete masonry unit over respective first and second anchor bars, aligning the first concrete masonry unit with the footer block, placing second and third footer blocks adjacent the first footer block, placing a second concrete masonry unit adjacent the first concrete masonry unit, positioning each respective concrete masonry unit to equally straddle two adjacent footer blocks, positioning respective anchor bars atop respective concrete masonry units, and bolting respective concrete masonry units to respective footer blocks to interconnect the two respective concrete masonry units and the three respective footer blocks to define a contiguous wall. Each respective masonry unit and each respective footer block are post tensioned to be under compression.

Concrete wall supports that reduce or eliminate wall movement due to exterior horizontal forces. One support is a bracket mounted to a floor joist with a plate extending below the top of the wall and two legs extending from the plate and attaching to the joist. One leg is above the concrete wall on one horizontal side of the plate, and the other leg is on the opposite side of the plate. Another support has a plate that extends below the top of the wall with two legs on opposite sides of the joist above the wall. A leg attaches to the lower edge of the joist. A support against shear forces includes a highly water permeable aggregate composite disposed in the voids of the wall, with a supportive strip that is enclosed in the aggregate composite and extends out of the voids to the face of the wall.

A wall block, wall block system and method of making a wall block. The wall block including at least one core extending from the top surface to the bottom surface, the at least one core having opposed front and rear surfaces and first and second side surfaces the wall block also including at least one pin hole opening onto the top surface of the block and extending at least a portion of the distance from the top surface to the bottom surface. The at least one pin hole may open onto at least a portion of at least one surface of the at least one core. The block may be provided with channels; the pin hole, channels and core may all be formed in a mold box by a single forming member.

Disclosed is an economical and effective way of producing a modular retaining wall for a material to be retained, using only blocks which in and of themselves are of insufficient thickness to function as retaining wall blocks. The modular wall includes backer blocks and facing blocks which are connected by separate connectors in a back to back, spaced apart arrangement, thereby forming a hollow retaining wall. The hollow wall is filled with loose filler material to increase the mass and retaining capacity of the wall. None of the wall components is embedded in the material to be retained. Further disclosed are wall components and a wall kit for a modular retaining wall. A double sided decorative wall is also disclosed. The modular wall system allows for the construction of retaining walls and freestanding, double sided, decorative walls forming both straight and curved walls.

A insulated masonry wall system having insulation blocks between structural and face blocks to provide structures that are strong, inexpensive, avoid thermal bridges, and resist transmission of heal The walls are attractive and versatile, and an enormous variety of decorative face members may be utilized. The face blocks are attached to the structural blocks to prevent facing materials from falling even if fire destroys the insulation blocks between the structural blocks and the Facing. The system resists water penetration and effectively drams water that does penetrate any portion of the system.