A pattern language |  |  |
towns, buildings, construction | ||
The book's patterns about architecture, construction, and urban/regional planning describe the physical environment in which people work and live, especially those aspects that give quality to housing and living.
write: Patterns grew out of Alexanderís disaffection with the quality of architecture in the 1960ís, which he attributed in part to the misapplication of formal methods in architectural design. This had resulted in buildings which failed to fulfil the real needs of the people who lived and worked in them, which failed to adapt to local social and physical environments and which people simply did not like (Christopher Alexander: An Introduction for Object-Oriented Designers, 1993)
. Alexander contrasts these modern failed building with the many successful, ëlivingí buildings created in other societies, buildings which for Alexander embodied ëthe quality without a nameí, a recognisable but indefinable quality which floats in the semantic space bordered by terms such as ëaliveí, ëwholeí, ëcomfortableí, ëfreeí, ëexactí, ëegolessí and ëeternalí.
In addition to its other benefits, it is an example of excellent technical writing. It provides modular, inter-connected concepts which can be accessed in any order and which automatically lead the reader to other patterns that might interest her. Many people talk about task-oriented and modular documentation, but almost no one has the guts to implement it as fully and beautifully as it is done here. --RonaldHayden
Very recommendable is the 3rd introductory chapter "Choosing a language for your project". Here Alexander describes how to combine several patterns to solve a problem (in this case to build a porch at the front of a house). This chapter shows the combinational force of the pattern language.
Book data
A pattern language: towns, buildings, constructionChristopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, with Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel
Published/Created: New York : Oxford University Press, 1977
Description: xliv, 1171 p. : ill. ; 21 cm.
ISBN: 0195019199
Notes: Companion volume to The timeless way of building and The Oregon experiment.
Subjects: Symbolism in architecture. Semiotics. Amazon link
Examples
- Website with all patterns (excerpts). Cached version
- The pattern A place to wait
- See an online overview of all patterns
Reviews
Amazon reader's review:
A classic, rich source of ideas on building human habitats
May 9, 1998. Reviewer: johnzbox@onrampNOSPAM.net from Dallas, Texas.
In an effort to build a philosophy of the human use of space, Berkeley professor of Architecture Alexander and his colleagues also managed to set down many of the big ideas of the 1960's in this magisterial book - proclaiming in their careful observation of human settlements, a "timeless way of building" accessible to everyman. The core idea is the elaboration of a series of patterns inherent in the way we build any habitation - from a garden bench, to a sleeping room, to a house, to a university, town, or region. The patterns, written, concrete and specific, can be interlocked and extended - like a language - in unlimited ways. These patterns are not blueprints for construction. They are more about behavior than about decoration, more about relationships than about dimensions. Thus, the pattern, "Sunny Window", when joined to another pattern, "Thickened Walls" leads to just the right arrangements for a window seat - a fitting place to sew, or read, or day-dream. When we build aright, says he, we inevitably follow these patterns, and enjoy the fullness of our humanity as we inhabit them. Alexander is a radical, an anti-architect. He says that the best buildings are vernacular structures; the ordinary furnishings, gardens, rooms and houses that evolved slowly as ordinary people built what they needed and repeated what worked. What one might call "right building", as opposed to architecture, is not about style or the individuality of the professional designer, but the discovery of transcendent and inherently beautiful supports for the human functions of work, play, intimacy, and family living. Then you build it yourself. When we remodeled our own small urban house, we wove many of the patterns (there are hundreds) into the new space we built, and were happy with the results. Twenty years after publication, it's a scandal that there are architects and designers who have never heard of this work. (ours, a professor of Architecture, hadn't). Alexander's ideas are reflected today in Stewart Brand's recently popular "How Buildings Learn", and there's surely a vast underground following out there, people who have, or want to build or renovate their homes, or landscapes with an eye to more sociable and spiritually nourishing places. Perhaps as more and more of us work at home, we will turn to this kind of resource to help us enrich our sterile, enfenced suburban environments (Alexander found a lot of his patterns in pre-industrial villages of Scotland and Wales). Yes, Alexander will be back! This book is one of two that sits out on our reading table constantly. I cherish it and recommend it to anyone who wants to take a more active role in the design of their lives as well as their homes and gardens.
A classic, rich source of ideas on building human habitats
May 9, 1998. Reviewer: johnzbox@onrampNOSPAM.net from Dallas, Texas.
In an effort to build a philosophy of the human use of space, Berkeley professor of Architecture Alexander and his colleagues also managed to set down many of the big ideas of the 1960's in this magisterial book - proclaiming in their careful observation of human settlements, a "timeless way of building" accessible to everyman. The core idea is the elaboration of a series of patterns inherent in the way we build any habitation - from a garden bench, to a sleeping room, to a house, to a university, town, or region. The patterns, written, concrete and specific, can be interlocked and extended - like a language - in unlimited ways. These patterns are not blueprints for construction. They are more about behavior than about decoration, more about relationships than about dimensions. Thus, the pattern, "Sunny Window", when joined to another pattern, "Thickened Walls" leads to just the right arrangements for a window seat - a fitting place to sew, or read, or day-dream. When we build aright, says he, we inevitably follow these patterns, and enjoy the fullness of our humanity as we inhabit them. Alexander is a radical, an anti-architect. He says that the best buildings are vernacular structures; the ordinary furnishings, gardens, rooms and houses that evolved slowly as ordinary people built what they needed and repeated what worked. What one might call "right building", as opposed to architecture, is not about style or the individuality of the professional designer, but the discovery of transcendent and inherently beautiful supports for the human functions of work, play, intimacy, and family living. Then you build it yourself. When we remodeled our own small urban house, we wove many of the patterns (there are hundreds) into the new space we built, and were happy with the results. Twenty years after publication, it's a scandal that there are architects and designers who have never heard of this work. (ours, a professor of Architecture, hadn't). Alexander's ideas are reflected today in Stewart Brand's recently popular "How Buildings Learn", and there's surely a vast underground following out there, people who have, or want to build or renovate their homes, or landscapes with an eye to more sociable and spiritually nourishing places. Perhaps as more and more of us work at home, we will turn to this kind of resource to help us enrich our sterile, enfenced suburban environments (Alexander found a lot of his patterns in pre-industrial villages of Scotland and Wales). Yes, Alexander will be back! This book is one of two that sits out on our reading table constantly. I cherish it and recommend it to anyone who wants to take a more active role in the design of their lives as well as their homes and gardens.
-- ArthurClemens - 27 Jul 2003