Abstract:
The invention relates to modular building blocks with the minimal possible number of types which can be used for construction of buildings or other structures. The block has cellular structure defined by though openings made in the block body. The number of cells depends on the number of through holes. Each block has an upper and inner insert made of a heat/cold-insulation material and inserted into through openings of the hollow block. The inserts, in turn, have though holes and recesses arranged so that after the blocks with inserts are assembled into a building or a structure, the openings and the recesses in the inserts form a continuous lattice-like space suitable for pouring concrete or another hardenable material which after curing form a load-carrying lattice-like framework of the building or the structure. Thus, the inserts are used as formwork elements for pouring the concrete. Since the inserts are made of a soft heat/cold insulating material, they compensate for lateral forces developed during setting of the concrete and thus unload the inner and outer walls of the structure. The invention also relates to the method of construction and to structural elements and buildings erected by the aforementioned method from the blocks of the invention.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to the field of construction, in particular to a modular building block as well as to a method of construction of buildings and other structures on the basis of the aforementioned block. The invention also relates to the construction of structural elements and buildings erected with the use of the aforementioned universal building blocks by the afore mentioned method. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A hollow modular building block made of concrete has being known and used in the American construction industry since the beginning of the 20 th  century. This technology is still extensively used till the present time and a great variety of standardized hollow modular building blocks are available on the market. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,088,987 issued in 2000 to Simmons, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,922 issued in 1998 to Haener, etc. An example of a typical known hollow modular concrete block is shown in FIG.  1 . It can be seen from this drawing that the block  20  comprises a molded concrete body  22  with two through openings  24 ,  26  with a separating wall  28  between the openings. For technological purposes the openings may have tapered surfaces. FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a wall  30  assembled from the hollow modular building blocks  32 ,  33 ,  34 ,  35  of the type shown in FIG.  1 . The blocks are bonded to each other by seams  36 ,  37 ,  38 ,  39 ,  40 ,  41 , and  42  of a binding material such as mortar. 
     The main disadvantage of the existing hollow modular building block shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is that in a construct ion element assembled from such blocks the load-carrying function is fulfilled by the blocks themselves. Therefore they have to be made of a sufficiently strong and durable material which always be maintained under loading conditions. For the above reason, the existing blocks of the aforementioned type are produced from special grades of concrete, which makes the structural element heavy in weight and expensive to manufacture. 
     In order to solve the problem of strength and durability, the hollows  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  (FIG. 2) can be filled with a mortar. FIG. 3 illustrates a cross section of a part of a construction element  52  assembled from the hollow modular blocks  54  and  56  filled with concrete  53 . Such a construction becomes much heavier and more expensive than the one shown in FIG. 2, since it consumes more material. 
     Another disadvantage of both structures shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a provision of so called “bridges of cold” which impart to the blocks as well as to the construction elements assembled from the blocks heat- and cold-conductive properties. More specifically, partitions  45  and  49  between the openings  44 ,  46  and  48 ,  50 , respectively, as well as a partition  51  between the blocks  32  and  34  interconnect the outer and inner surfaces of the blocks and construction elements. This means that the wall made of the hollow modular blocks of the type shown in FIG. 1 will conduct heat/cold between the inner and outer surfaces. In the construction shown in FIG. 3, the heat/cold conducting problems become even more aggravated since the “bridge of cold” is distributed over the entire cross-section of each block. Therefore, additional heat-insulating elements, such as thermoinsulating layers, must be incorporated into the construction of structural elements, it heat-insulating properties are critical. 
     Still another disadvantage of the existing modular hollow concrete block is that the load-carrying function of a load-carrying element cannot be easily combined with architectural functions such as texture, color, hiding of connection seams, decorative properties of the internal and external surfaces, etc. Therefore, for acquiring the aforementioned additional properties, the surfaces of the construction elements, such as walls, assembled from the existing modular hollow blocks must be coated with additional facing or decorative panels. 
     It is also known to build insulated concrete wall structures by using a plurality of modules stacked together to provide a concrete form which can subsequently be filled with cementation material and thereby provide a unitary concrete wall structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,501 issued to DeLozier in 1980 teaches the use of such a module for the fabrication of a concrete monolithic wall structure having foam insulation permanently attached to the structure and forming the inner and outer wall surfaces. The main advantages of this method of building is that the concrete forms remain in place as a usefull component of the wall structure. 
     When a plurality of the prior art modules are assembled into a concrete building form, the sides of the module often are of inadequate strength to provide the necessary support required to contain the wet cement until it can “set” and thereby become a self supporting monolithic concrete wall of an enclosure. Lateral movement of the module walls results in all unsightly and unacceptable wall surface, accordingly, it is absolutely necessary that something be done to increase the wall strength to where there is no doubt that the module walls will resist lateral movement occasioned by the hydrostatic head of the wet concrete. Consequently, it is common practice to augment the strength of the module by employing extraneous timbers assembled into a lattice work and tied against the module walls to help contain the wet cement until it can “set”. 
     For this and other reasons, many skilled in the art prefer the old technique of building concrete forms made of 2×4 timbers and plywood tied together in a manner to provide a structure that adequately resists the hydrostatic pressure of the concrete, rather than utilize the more modem and cost effective foam plastic module. 
     An attempt has been made to solve the problem of the concrete from described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,501. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,855 issued to Batch in 1997 provides improvements in foam plastic modules for use in building construction that overcomes the above disadvantages of lateral movement of the module walls and eliminates the need for the extraneous timbers. This is achieved by the provision of a special tension member imbedded within the foam plastic in a manner that secures the opposed wall structure together and thereby resists lateral movement thereof. After the wet concrete has set, the tension members provide a support for subsequent attachment of paneling and other decorative material that may be employed on the inner and outer wall surfaces of the structure. 
     A disadvantage of the structure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,855 consists in that it consumes a significant amount of material, such as cement, for the formation of a load-carrying part of the structural element or building. This is because the aforementioned load-carrying part comprises a monolithic molded body. Another disadvantage of the construction of U.S. Pat. No. 5,596.855 is that it requires the use of spaced tension members inside the interior cavity of the form for connecting the inner and outer walls of the structure as a means for resisting lateral deformations of the walls during the concrete setting period. In other words, during setting of the concrete that forms a monolithic load-carrying structure inside the wall, the inner and outer foam plastic panels are subjected to the action of lateral forces 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a hollow modular building block, which reduces amount of material required for the formation of a load-carrying structure of the construction element or a framework of the building and works under no-load or low-load conditions and therefore can be made of wood, plastics, and lightweight concrete, such as a fiber-reinfoiced concrete, and different composite materials. Another object is to provide a hollow modular building block which is flee of bridges of cold and possess excellent heat/cold insulating properties. Another object is to provide a modular building block in which the function of a formwork for molding the load-carrying structure is fulfilled by a heat/cold insulating insert of the block. Still another object is to provide a hollow modular building block in which the heat/cold insulating insert combines the function of formwork with the function of a load-releasing component that compensates for lateral forces developed during setting of the concrete load-carrying structure. Still another object is to provide a building block which, after being assembled into the wall or another structural element makes it possible by pouring cement into the interior of the assembled structure to form a lattice-like load-carrying framework with all the advantages of the lattice structure as compared to a monolithic structure. Another object is to provide a quick, inexpensive, and efficient method of construction of structural elements and buildings with a lattice-like load-carrying structure on the basis of the aforementioned hollow modular block. Another object is to provide a novel structural element or a building assembled from the aforementioned hollow modular building blocks by the aforementioned method. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a typical known hollow modular concrete block. 
     FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a wall assembled from the hollow modular building blocks shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the structure of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded three-dimensional view of a basic modular hollow block of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a three-dimensionial view that illustrates appearance of a modular block of the invent ion in an assembled state. 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are transverse and longitudinal sectional views along lines VI—VI and VII—VII of FIG. 4, respectively, these views illustrating internal positions of inserts in the block body. 
     FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of an assembly consisting of two modular blocks of the invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view modular blocks are interconnected by a common insert. 
     FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional view of an angular hollow modular building block of the invention for construction of corners of the buildings or other structures. 
     FIG. 11 is a three-dimensional view of upper insert for the building block of FIG.  10 . 
     FIG. 12 show the angular block for construction of the wall, which starts from this block and extends in the direction opposite to the arrow Y 1  shown in FIG.  10 . 
     FIG.  13  and FIG. 14 show upper and lower inserts for the block of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 15 is a three-dimensional view of a single-cell transition modular block for initiation of inner load-carrying walls or other structures. 
     FIG. 16 is a plan view that illustrates arraignment of basic two-cell blocks of FIG. 4 in connection with the single-cell transition block of FIG. 15 for initiation of the inner wall. 
     FIG. 17 is a three-dimensional view of an insert for the single-cell block of FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 18 is a plan view of a basic rounded modular block for construction of rounded walls of other structures. 
     FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional view of a modular block with auxiliary inserts that completely eliminate any bridges of cold in the structure of the block. 
     FIG. 20 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a wall built from the modular hollow blocks of the present invention illustrating the method of the invention. 
     FIG. 21 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a wall built from the modular hollow blocks of the present invention with block-holding reinforcement bars. 
     FIG. 22 is a three-dimensional view illustrating a lattice-like load-carrying structure formed by the method of the invention. 
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to modular building blocks with the minimal possible number of types which can be used for construction of buildings or other structures. The block has cellular structure defined by through openings made in the block body. The number of cells depends on the number of through holes. Each block has an upper and inner insert made of a heat/cold-insulation material and inserted into through recesses of the hollow block. The inserts, in turn, have though holes and recesses arranged so that after the blocks with inserts are assembled into a building or a structure, the openings and the recesses in the inserts form a continuous lattice-like space suitable for pouring concrete or another hardenable material which after curing form a load-carrying lattice-like framework of the building or the structure. Thus, the inserts are used as formwork elements for pouring the concrete. Since the inserts are made of a soft heat/cold insulating material, they compensate for lateral forces developed during setting of the concrete and thus unload the inner and outer walls of the structure. The invention also relates to the method of construction and to structural elements and buildings erected by the aforementioned method from the blocks of the invention. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     An example of a basic hollow modular building block  57  made in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4, which is an exploded three-dimensional view of a block consisting of three elements, i.e., a block body  58 , an upper insert  60 , and a lower insert  62 . 
     The block body  58  can be made, e.g., in the form of a parallelepiped, from various materials such as wood, plastic, metal, gypsum, ceramic, stone, or preformed from light cement, concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete. It can be made as an integral body or assembled from several components. These components are the following: an outer or external wall  64  which, after assembling of the blocks into a construction element such as a wall of the building, may comprise a finally textured external surface of the building wall; an inner or internal wall  66 , which, after assembling of the blocks into a construction element such as a wall of the building, may comprise a finally decorated surface of the interior design of the room; three parallel connection elements  68 ,  70 , and  72  which interconnects the external wall  64  with the internal wall  66 . The connection elements  68  and  72  constitute side walls of the block body  58 , and through openings  74  and  76  are formed between the side walls  68 ,  72  and the connection element  70 . 
     Furthermore, through recesses  78  and  80  are formed on the upper and lower sides of the block body  58 , respectively. These recesses extend in the longitudinal direction of the block body shown by the arrow X in FIG.  4 . In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the through recesses  78  and  80  have a seimicircular cross sections in the transverse direction of the block body  58  shown by the arrow Y. 
     Reference numerals  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  designate self-aligninig self-fixing projections on the upper surface of the block body  58  for fixing the adjacent blocks with respect to each other when the blocks are assembled by stacking one onto the other. It is understood that recesses (only one of which  90  is shown in a partially broken external wall  64  in FIG. 4) for insertion of the projections  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  are provided on the lower surface of the block body  58 . It is understood that in order to prevent penetration of moisture into the interior of the cell, the projections  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  are inclined from the inner to outer side of the respective wall  64  or  66 . 
     The upper insert  60  is made of a deformable material with non-resilient properties which allow non-elastic deformations which may occur during setting of the cement inside the insert. An examples of such materials are foam plastics, such as foam polyethylene. extruded polystyrene, or a compressed chip wood board, glass wool, etc. This element fulfills three functions, i.e., a function of heat/cold insulation, a function of a formwork for molding a cementation material, and a function of releasing a lateral load applied to the internal and external walls  66  and  64 , respectively, which will be described below. The upper insert  60  is molded or preformed as an integral body, which has two projections  92  and  94  with a recess  96  between them, which extends in the direction of the arrow Y. Projections  92  and  94  have cross sections that ensure free insertion of the projections  92  and  94  into the through openings  74  and  76  during assembling of the modular block. The height H of the upper insert  60  is equal to a half of the height H 1  of the block body  58  between the upper and lower surfaces of the block. The recess  94  is saddled onto the connection element  70 . The upper insert  60  has a pair of through vertical openings  98  and  100  with the center distance L 1  between the centers of these openings equal to the center distance L 2  between the centers of the through openings  74  and  76  in the block body  58 . A through longitudinal recess  102  extending in the direction of arrow X is formed on the side of the upper insert  60  opposite to the recess  96 . Reference numerals  97  and  99  designate outer semi-cylindrical projections which rest onto inner seni-cylildrical surfaces  101  and  103  of the block  57 . 
     The lower insert  62  is made of the same material as the upper one. This element fulfills the same aforementioned three functions as the upper insert  60 . The lower insert  62  also is molded or preformed as an integral body, which has two projections  104  and  106  with a recess  108  between them, which is oriented in the direction of the arrow Y. Projections  104  and  106  have cross sections that ensure free insertion of the projections  104  and  106  into the through openings  74  and  76  of the block body  58  during assembling of the modular block. The height H 2  of the lower insert  62  is equal to a half of the height H 1  of the block body  58  between the upper and lower surfaces of the block. The recess  108  has a cross section that allows saddling of the lower side of the connection element  70  onto the profiled bottom surface  110  of the recess  108 . The lower insert  62  has a pair of through vertical openings  112  and  114  with the center distance L 3  between the centers of these openings approximately equal to the aforementioned center distances L 1  and L 2 . A through longitudinal recess  116  extending in the direction of arrow X is formed on the side of the lower insert  62  opposite to the recess  108 . 
     Thus, it can be concluded that the basic modular block  57  shown in FIG. 4 consists at least of two cells A and B. Each cell is defined by a separate through opening into which a projection of the insert is inserted. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 such openings are openings  74  and  76 . The cells are connected by a connection element, in this case by the connection element  70 . Each cell has a certain direction or orientation defined by the direction of a recess, such as the recess  78  in the longitudinal direction of the block. It is important to note that the distances between the cells in all configurations of the blocks of the present invention are equal. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 this is distance L 1 . The cells are thermally isolated by the material of the insert, and the “bridges of cold” are significantly reduced in their cross sections and remain only through the connection element  70  and side walls  68  and  72  of the block. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 both cells have the same orientation and arranged in a straight-line manner. 
     FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional view that illustrates appearance of a modular block of the invention in an assembled state, and FIGS. 6 and 7, which illustrate internal positions of inserts  60  and  62  in the block body  58 , are transverse and longitudinal sectional views along lines VI—VI and VII—VII of FIG. 5, respectively. It can be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6 that in an assembled state of the modular block the edges  118  and  120  of the upper and lower inserts  60  and  62  are in flush with outer surfaces  122  and  124  of the block body  58 . It is also seen that in the embodiment of FIGS. 4-7 the through recesses  123  and  125  have a semiciucular cross section. As shown in FIG. 6, openings  100  and  114  of the upper and lower inserts form a single through opening passing through the entire block in a vertical direction. The same is true for openings  98  and  112 . The lower surface of the upper insert  60  is in contact with the upper surface of the lower insert  62 . Reference numeral  68 ,  70 , and  72  in FIG. 7 shows positions of the connection elements in the longitudinal cross section of the assembled block. 
     It is important that the thickness of the connection element  70  be twice the thickness of side walls  68  and  72 . It is important for manipulation with the inserts and for versatility of the assembling in making a masonary-like staggered arrangements of the blocks. 
     FIG. 8 is a three-dimensional view of an assembly consisting of two modular blocks  126  and  128 . Each block has a two-cell structure shown in FIG.  4 . It can be seen that the blocks  126  and  128  are interconnected by means of common inserts (only an upper insert  130  is seen in this drawing). In this case, the projection portions, such as portions  94  and  106  of the upper and lower inserts  60  and  62  are inserted into two adjacent recesses, such as recesses  74  and  76  of the blocks  126  and  128  (FIG.  4 ). In other words, the upper insert  130  (as well as the lower insert) is fixed in the neighboring recesses of the adjacent blocks. i.e., bridges the blocks and secures them to each other. This is possible when the distances L 4 , L 5 , and L 6  (FIG. 8) between the centers of the adjacent vertical openings are equal to distances L 1 , L 2 , L 3  (FIG.  4 ). In an assembly of FIG. 9 modular blocks  132  and  134  are interconnected by common inserts (only an upper insert  136  is seen in this drawing) having a length equal to the length of two modular blocks. In this case the insert  130  has a two-cell structure with four projections inserted into all four openings of both blocks. The embodiment of FIG. 9 with the use of a single insert for interconnecting two block is shown only as an example. It is understood that a common insert may span three or more than three blocks at the same time. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates an angular hollow modular building block  138  of the invention for construction of angular parts of the buildings or other structures. This block also has a two-cell structure. The block body  140  consists of an outer or external wall  142 , which after assembling of the blocks into a construction element such as a wall of the building, may comprise a finally textured external surface of the building wall, an inner internal wall  144 , which, after assembling of the blocks into a construction element such as a wall of the building, may comprise a finally decorated surface of the interior design of the room and three parallel connection elements  146 ,  148 , and  150  which interconnects the external wall  142  with the internal wall  144 . It can be seen from FIG. 10 that the connection element  150  constitutes an external or outer wall of the building or another structural element. Through openings  152  and  154  are formed between the connection elements  146 ,  148 , and  150 . Furthermore, similar to the construction of the building blocks of the previous embodiments, recesses  156  and  158  are formed on the upper and lower sides of the block body  140 . Only upper recesses  156  and  158  are designated in FIG.  10 . Arrow X 1  shows direction of cell defined by the recess  156 , and arrow Y 1  shows direction of the cell defined by the recess  158 , it can be seen that the directions of both recesses are perpendicular to each other. It can be seen that the recess  156  intersects the recess  158 . In the embodiment of FIG. 10 the recesses  156  and  158  have a semicircular cross sections. The unit modular block  138  of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 also has a two-cell structure with the cells A 1  and B 1  defined by openings  152  and  154 . However, the cells A 1  and B 1  have mutually perpendicular directions of the recesses  156  and  158 . It can be seen that in an angular modular block  138  of FIG. 10 the recesses  156  and  158  are not through and are terminated by the walls  150  and  140 , respectively. 
     FIG. 11 is a three-dimiensionial view of upper insert  160  for the building block  138  of FIG.  10 . This insert can be made of the same thermal insulation materials as the inserts of the previous embodiments. Similar to inserts of other embodiments, the insert  160  fulfills three aforementioned functions, i.e., a function of heat/cold insulation, a function of a formwork, and a load-release function. This element is molded or preformed as an integral body, which has two projections  162  and  164  with a recess  168  between them, which extend in the direction of the arrow Y 1  shown in FIG.  10 . Projections  162  and  164  have cross sections that ensure free insertion of the projections  162  and  164  into the through openings  152  and  154  during assembling of the modular block. The height H 4  of the upper insert  160  is equal to a half of the height H 3  of the block body  140  between the upper and lower surfaces of the block. The recess  168  is saddled onto the connection element  148  (FIG.  10 ). The upper insert  160  has a pair of through vertical openings  170  and  172  with the center distance L 8  between the centers of these openings approximately equal to the center distance L 7  between the centers of through openings  152  and  154  in the block body  140  (FIG.  10 ). Recesses  174  and  176 , which have the same orientation and shape as recesses  156  and  158  (FIG. 10) are formed in the upper insert  160 . 
     The lower insert for block  138  is not shown, but it is an exact mirror image of the upper insert  160  relative to an imaginary plane that may contain arrows X 1  and Y 1  shown in FIG.  10  and is located under the upper insert. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 shown the angular block  138  and the angular insert  160  for construction of the wall, which starts from this block and extends in the direction opposite to the arrow Y 1 . FIGS. 12,  13 , and FIG. 14 show an angular block  178 , an upper insert  180 , and a lower insert  182  for construction of the wall which starts from this block and extends in the direction of the arrow Y 1  (FIG.  10 ). Detailed description of the block  178  and of the inserts  180  and  182  is omitted since they are almost identical to those described and shown with reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11 and differ from them by the fact that the external wall  184  which closes the recess  186  is located on the side opposite to the recess-closing wall  142  shown in FIG.  10 . In other words, the angular module of FIG. 10 can be defined as a right angular block, and the block of FIG. 12 can be defined as a left angular block. As shown in FIG. 12, the block  178  consists of cells A 2  and B 2  having mutually perpendicular orientation. 
     FIG. 15 is a three-dimensional view of a single-cell hollow transition modular block  188  designed, as shown in FIG. 16, for initiation of internal load-carrying walls. As can be seen from FIG. 16, the transition block  188  interconnects basic blocks  57  of FIG. 4 for the construction of the wall in the direction of arrow Y 2 . The block  188  has a box -like body  190  with a through opening  192  confined by foul side walls  194 ,  196 ,  198 , and  200 . Opposite walls  194 ,  198  and one side wall  196  have respective semi-cylindrical recesses  202 ,  204 , and  206  in the upper part of the body  190 . Symmetrically arranged recesses ale formed in the lower part of the body  190 , only one of which  208  is seen in FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 17 is a three dimensional view of a single-cell insert  210  for the transition modular block  188  of FIG.  15 . The insert  210  has external dimensions that allow free insertion of the insert  210  into the opening  192 . The block  188  utilizes upper and lower inserts of identical configuration. The insert  210  has semi-cylindrical projections  212 ,  214 , and  216  which in inserted position of the insert  210  rest on the inner cylindrical surfaces  202 ,  198 , and  206  of the block  188 . The insert  210  has a single through opening  218 . 
     FIG. 18 is a plan view of a basic rounded modular block  220  for the construction of rounded walls or other structures. In general this modular block is the same as the basic block  57  shown in FIG.  4  and differs from it by the fact that the outer wall  222  and the inner wall  224  are rounded over the outer radius R 1  and the inner radius R 2 , respectively and that the side walls  226  and  228  are directed along the radial lines. The same is true for the inserts (not shown) which otherwise are similar to the inserts  60  and  62  of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 19 is a three-dimensional view of a modular hollow building block  230  of the invent ion with significantly improved heat/cold-insulating properties. The modular block  230  of FIG. 18 is similar to the block  57  shown in FIG.  4  and differs from it by the fact that the block body  232  is divided in the longitudinal direction of the body  232  shown by the allow X 2  into two parts  234  and  236  which are interconnected via auxiliary inserts  238 ,  240 , and  242  made of a material with extremely high heat/cold insulating properties, such is phenol formaldehyde plastic, high-density polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, etc. 
     For further amplification of heat/cold-insulation properties, the block  230  can be provided with a thin metal shield  244  molded into the material of the external wall  246  or applied onto its internal surface, e.g., by metallization. The shield  244  will prevent loss of heat via radiation and will return a significant amount of heat back into the interior part of the building or other structure. 
     FIG. 20 is a three-dimensional view of a part of a wall  248  built from the modular hollow blocks  250 ,  252 ,  254 , and  256  of the present invention illustrating the method of the invention. In this drawing, reference numerals  258 ,  260 ,  252 , and  264  designate inserts which constitute a formwork for molding the cementation material that forms a multiple cell structure (in the case of one row) or a lattice-like load-carrying structure  266  of the wall (in the case of multiple rows of blocks). 
     The wall  248  is produced by inserting the inserts, such as inserts  60  and  62  (FIG. 4) into recesses, such as recesses  78  and  80  of the block  57  (FIG.  4 ), assembling the blocks into the structure of the wall  248 . If the blocks are provided with lock recesses such as the recess  90  of FIG. 4, these recesses are fitted onto the projections  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  of the type shown in FIG.  4 . It is understood that the connection via recesses  90  and the projections  82 - 88  are shown only as examples. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, which is a view similar to FIG. 20, the blocks can be held in place by means of block-holding reinforcement bars  268 ,  270 ,  272 ,  274 . 
     After the wall or a part of the wall  248  is assembled, the verticals holes  98 ,  112 ,  100 ,  114 , and axial recesses  102 ,  116  of all interconnected blocks form a continuous lattice-like space. This space is filled with a cementation material in a liquid state. If the blocks are held by reinforcement bars  268 - 274 , prior to pouring the cementation material these bars are inserted into the centers of the vertical holes formed in the inserts. After the cementation material is solidified or set, it form a continuous lattice-like framework  276  of the type shown in FIG.  22 . It can be seen from FIG. 22, that the outer wall  278  of each block forms an exterior surface of the wall built from the blocks. In this construction, the inserts  280 ,  282 ,  284 ,  286  are used as a formwork for the formation of the lattice-like load-carrying skeleton of the structural element, in this embodiment, a part of the wall  288 . 
     Alternatively, the wall  248  can be assembled row-by-row. In this case, first the lowermost row of the blocks  252 ,  256  is assembled and the space inside the inserts is filled with the cement. The second row is built on the first row from the blocks  250 ,  254 , and the cement is poured into the inner space of the inserts while the cement of the first row is not yet solidified for bonding to the cement row. Then the third row is assembled, etc. 
     Since the insert is made of a material such as porous plastic which allows non-elastic deformations, the lateral forces applied to the inner and outer walls of the blocks are dampened by the material of the inserts, whereby the inner and outer walls are free of deformations. 
     It is known that as compared to the continuous plate-like wall, the lattice-type structure of the same mass, has higher stress and load-carrying capacity. This is because, in case of overload, the lattice will break only in a locally overload area, while the lattice as a whole will remain undamaged. This is especially important in the case of a building in a seismic area. The aniti-seismic properties can be further improved by forming the load-carryiny framework from fiber-reinfoiced cement, or by interconnecting the vertical reinforcement bats  268 - 274  with horizontal bars (not shown). 
     Thus, it has been shown that the present invention provides a hollow modular building block which works under no-load or low-load conditions and therefore can be made of wood, plastics, and lightweight concrete, such as a fiber-reinforced concrete, and different composite materials. The hollow modular building block of the invention is free of bridges of cold and possesses excellent heat/cold insulating properties. The block combines functions of a formwork for the formation of a load-carrying framework of the structural element with additional functions of outer and inner surfaces of the construction element such as texture, color, decorative features, etc. Although the invention has been shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it is understood that these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the areas of application of the invention and that any changes and modifications are possible, provided these changes and modifications do not depart from the scope of the attached patent claims. For example, the inner and outer walls of the blocks may have a relief configuration. Thus the outer walls can be formed as wooden logs, and then inner walls can be made as a masonry, or vice verse. The inner walls can be selected in accordance with any interior decoration design. The recesses may have a rectangular cross section rather than a semicircular cross section. A metallized plastic can be used as a thermoinsulation shield. The inserts can be made in a chain-like form for insertion into a series of sequentially arranged blocks which can be interconnected by such multiple inserts. The chain-like insert can be cut in a place required by the design of the building or structure assembled from the building blocks. The holes in the inserts may have cross sections other than round. The block may not be molded but assembled from separate parts. The connection elements between the walls of the block can be shifted to the sides for a half-length of the cell, so that in an assembled state the half-cells will form a full-size cell in combination with the half-cell of the adjacent block. The blocks stacked onto each other in a vertical direction can be fixed with connections other than projections  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88  on the lower block and recesses such as  90  on the upper block.