Anyone who lived in the Soviet Union or saw buildings from that period knows what glass blocks look like. They were used to decorate medical institutions, boarding houses, sanatoriums, schools, kindergartens and administrative buildings. If it was possible to bring home, dachas were finished with glass blocks or garages were decorated. A special chic of that time was a wall completely made of such a transparent "brick", or at least a partition. Glass blocks often separated the space in the entrances of high-rise buildings of the 70s-80s.
Who invented glass blocks?
There is an opinion that glass blocks are an invention of Soviet civil engineers. However, this is wrong. The technology was invented in America and patented in the middle of the 19th century. The inventor of the first glass block - James Pennicuick, he looked like a metal lattice with glass inserts. James conceived the glass block as an alternative to basement windows. Before the revolution, this building material was supplied to the Russian Empire, it can be found in the buildings of the early 20th century.
Soviet glass blocks
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Glass blocks familiar to our eyes appeared in the 30s of the last century. From building materials suitable only for basements, glass blocks have turned into a material for exterior decoration, for the construction of internal glass partitions, for windows in stairways.
Particular popularity came in the 60-70s, and not only in the USSR, but also in capitalist countries.
Perhaps, the reason was the trends in architectural trends of the time, when simplicity of lines and a certain futurism came into fashion.
Soviet citizens could only find glass blocks in three colors. Blue, yellow, or green, they could be smooth or embossed.
Reasons for popularity
The aesthetic component is not the main reason for the popularity of glass blocks. First of all, they helped save electricity. It was this function that the American Pennickick provided for them. Even according to the Soviet GOST, light transmission is the first and most important point in the characteristics of this building material. Glass blocks had to withstand large temperature drops, have good strength and moisture resistance.
Although they let in the sun's rays, they do not give an opportunity to "peep" through the glass block window. They are somewhat reminiscent of a stained glass window. The list of useful qualities can be continued for a long time, but it is interesting how the primary reason - economy, helped to introduce an interesting building material, which can be considered a kind of symbol of the era.
Author: Anna Novak
