Patent ID: 8677711

Claim:
A free-standing wall comprising: (a) a plurality of concrete base blocks; each concrete base block having first and second sides, first and second ends between the sides, and a first depth D 1 extending between the first and second sides; the base blocks being arranged adjacent to each other at the first and second ends to form a base course; each base block having a top face and an opposite bottom face between the first and second ends and the first and second sides; each top face being flat and forming a flat platform; each base block including at least one center through-core having first and second edges; (b) a first plurality of concrete wall blocks stacked on the flat platform of the base course and on each other to form a first wall face having at least two courses; each block of the first plurality of concrete wall blocks having: (i) at least one exposure face arranged to be along the first side of the base block to form the first wall face; (ii) a rear face that is opposite the exposure face; (iii) a depth, in extension between the exposure face and the rear face, that is less than half of the first depth D 1 ; (iv) first and second sides between the exposure face and rear face; and, (v) planar top and bottom faces between the exposure face, rear face, and first and second sides; the top and bottom faces being parallel to each other and having no projection extending away from the corresponding block face beyond that planar block face; (c) a second plurality of concrete wall blocks stacked on the flat platform of the base course and on each other to form a second wall face that faces the opposite direction from the first wall face and has at least two courses; each block of the second plurality of concrete wall blocks having: (i) at least one exposure face arranged to be along the second side of the base block to form the second wall face; (ii) a rear face that is opposite the exposure face; (iii) a depth, in extension between the exposure face and the rear face, that is less than half the first depth D 1 ; (iv) first and second sides between the exposure face and rear face; and, (v) planar top and bottom faces between the exposure face, rear face, and first and second sides; the top and bottom faces being parallel to each other and having no projection extending away from the corresponding block face beyond that planar block face; wherein, (i) the rear faces of the first and second plurality of wall blocks are spaced apart from each other to form a gap therebetween; (ii) each block of the first plurality of wall blocks that is stacked next above the base blocks has its rear face aligned with one of the edges of the through-core in the base blocks; and, (iii) each block of the second plurality of wall blocks that is stacked next above the base blocks has its rear face aligned with one of the edges of the through-cores in the base blocks.