Yep, these concrete blocks are quite common here. The stuff is called "Ytong" here. Much easier to put up than bricks (the blocks are much bigger and lighter than bricks, plus they're absolutely square, requiring only few mortar and a thin layer of spackling compound instead of plaster. They're building entire houses with these blocks, I just used it to put up a new interior wall. Much tougher than sheetrock, try kicking a hole into a 2 or 3" solid block wall. Though some people say these walls tend to set and crack after some time.
