Garden blocks a breeze
When Elaine Millar wanted a wall of breeze blocks in her garden she found they were ‘‘as rare as hen’s teeth.’’
‘‘They were very, very hard to find,’’ she says. ‘‘But I’m glad our builder persevered because they’re one of my favourite things about the house.’’ She now has a curved wall of blocks edging the bottom of the garden of her 1960s home, tying in with the original blocks that line her carport.
A suburban style staple in the 1950s and 60s, the decorative concrete blocks fell out of favour over the next 40 years and wooden slat fencing became the norm. ‘‘They’re such a retro look,’’ says Firth architectural consultant Bernice Cumming. ‘‘You can still drive around older subdivisions and see some wonderful examples from the 50s and 60s.’’
Now with mid-century modern architecture all the rage again, Firth has brought breeze blocks back into production. ‘‘We’ve definitely noticed them becoming more popular,’’ Cummings says. ‘‘People are using them in interiors as well as exteriors, and one architect wanted to use them to cover a whole facade.’’
She names New Plymouth’s Public Catering Company as one of the first projects to ride this new wave of interest. Owners Deb Seddon and Jo Eliason brought in designer Mike Marshall from TwoPointZeroDesign who used a variety of patterned blocks to line the the base of the serveries.
Apartment developers Ockham Residential also has them in the exteriors of two of its Auckland buildings, including one that’s being built.
Sold in this country as Firth Solar Screen Blocks, they are manufactured at the company’s Napier plant. They are available in three different designs; a curved petal, a geometric square and a four-pointed star shape.
Breeze blocks were traditionally used to separate and define a space while still retaining a feeling of openness. They can be used in sunny spots to lessen heat and glare but still let the breeze pass through.
Cummings warns however that people should bear in mind that the blocks are not designed to stand on their own, and require some structural support. ‘‘They need to have a pillar or a column, or be put into a block wall like a window.’’