Product Corner: CMU- It’s not the blocks’ fault

Everybody loves brick -roman brick, clay brick, king brick, even old and dusty reclaimed brick- but often we forget about concrete block, the ugly duck of the brick world.

Concrete block, also known as cinder block or CMU block (concrete masonry unit) is an affordable, readily available masonry product traditionally used for structural work or meant to be covered with a finished product like stucco or stone. Despite its reputation as a low-end material a multitude of architects have recognized its aesthetic potential and have successfully used concrete block in new and innovative ways.  Here are a few examples of our contribution to the cause:

Painted and rake

CMU block is one of the most affordable building products in the market. Add some paint and rake every other row and you get a completely different look than your typical CMU block wall.

Burnished

If you want color, burnished CMU block is a great choice. The color is integral to the product so you can skip the regular paint job and maintenance. 

Different shapes

In the following example we used different shape blocks, offset from each other to create an irregular fluted wall that would catch the sunlight at different times of the day.

This blog was written by Francisco X. Arredondo. Senior Project Manager at Dick Clark