PERFORMANCE
Bringing the Wall to Life

Concrete blocks are idealized building components produced under controlled circumstances. When they become a part of a building they are subject to uncontrolled forces of life, time and wear. Our research embraces the post-production performance of the block and the design of each block responds to the transformative potential of dynamic natural forces.

David Leatherbarrow and Moshen Mostafavi begin their book “On Weathering” with the assertion that “finishing ends construction, weathering constructs finishes.” They leave us with a provocative question; “Is it possible that weathering is not only a problem to be solved, or a fact to be neglected, but is an inevitable occurrence to be recognized and made use of in the uncertainties of its manifestation?” We have extended this premise to conceive of the block as an integral component of a larger environmental context engaging and reflecting explicit life forces.

GROWTH
Concrete block has the potential to create a micro-environment hospitable to plants and animals. A north facing block wall in a wet region can be sprayed with a solution of moss spores suspended in buttermilk to host a vertical carpet. Climbing vines planted at the base of block wall can choose their vertical path along the contours of the sculpted wall face.

WATER
Concrete block is porous by nature, absorbing water and holding sediment. Rather than consider this a deficiency, blocks were designed to engage snow, ice and water, guiding their flow across and down the face of a wall while avoiding the mortar joints between individual blocks. In regions of frequent precipitation the block wall has potential to reflect the character of place and dynamic phenomena as water flows and then dries in a beautiful process.

HABITAT
Birds, lizards and spiders can find their niche in the void spaces of the blocks and set up a temporary home, bringing the wall to life while supporting life.

SEDIMENT
In arid regions, sediment can positively redefine the character of a wall as it is deposited in a non-uniform way on each block, shaped by the wind patterns of a particular place. When water and sediment combine, each wall is rendered in a manner which registers the force of gravity, evolving over time.