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A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (1977)

by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein

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2,445276,128 (4.46)22
You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction. After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely." The three books are The Timeless Way of Building, The Oregon Experiment, and this book, A Pattern Language. At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. This idea may be radical (it implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession) but it comes simply from the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects but by the people. At the core of the books, too, is the point that in designing their environments people always rely on certain "languages," which, like the languages we speak, allow them to articulate and communicate an infinite variety of designs within a forma system which gives them coherence. This book provides a language of this kind. It will enable a person to make a design for almost any kind of building, or any part of the built environment. "Patterns," the units of this language, are answers to design problems (How high should a window sill be? How many stories should a building have? How much space in a neighborhood should be devoted to grass and trees?). More than 250 of the patterns in this pattern language are given: each consists of a problem statement, a discussion of the problem with an illustration, and a solution. As the authors say in their introduction, many of the patterns are archetypal, so deeply rooted in the nature of things that it seemly likely that they will be a part of human nature, and human action, as much in five hundred years as they are today.… (more)
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» See also 22 mentions

English (26)  German (1)  All languages (27)
Showing 1-5 of 26 (next | show all)
A singular multidisciplinary text that offers models for something like urban planning components of different scales and scope. Really an extremely interesting model of metadesign guidelines that are driven by humanist outcomes.

Anyone dealing with complex nultiscale systems and design should at least review the approach taken with this text.

Problems with the specifix approach are:
- overly culturally “western”
- many big decisions are made without detailed evidence
- there is an assumption of shared values that are not a given
- the book leaves open contextual problems that can emerge from bad application of these patterns

Extremely interesting text.. ( )
  yates9 | Feb 28, 2024 |
You may enjoy this quite technical manual if you are an architect, planner, builder, or otherwise want our private buildings to be improved. Otherwise it is a long and highly detailed manifesto of what a more deliberate take on building could be, and I can't guarantee that laypeople would enjoy it.

When I first started graduate studies in urban planning, the challenges of daylighting, shadows, and sun glare felt easy to handle. Best practices were well laid out and it seemed like a straightforward set of challenges. Of course, I quickly learned that the context of every site changed these considerations, and it was important to proceed with caution to work through them. This is a book that gives mostly timeless advice on these fronts and it was helpful for that purpose.

The downsides are a handful of claims that border on superstitions, chiefly the supposed negative mental health aspects of living in high-rise buildings. I don't know how ubiquitous this thought was at the time of publication, but it stands out as an odd idea within more solid recommendations. ( )
  jonerthon | Dec 27, 2023 |
Finished A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein. For anyone interested in urban design, place making, or the design of interior spaces, this book is a must read, or at least a must skim.

A Pattern Language is a catalog of 253 patterns that cover everything from the layout of cities down to the layout of rooms. Some of the patterns have been criticized, particularly those dealing with the layout of cities and towns, but overall, the patterns provide a rich guide to what makes a place feel good.

Especially with regard to designing homes, A Pattern Language stands out from other books because it does not suggest one size sets all rules. A design can combine patterns in different ways depending on the specific constraints. No "look" or "style" defines a pattern built home. The authors consider some patterns fundamental enough that they should always be used (e.g. light on at least two sides of every room), but ultimately patterns define the essence of those factors which have made for good places across different eras, styles, and locales.

This book was pivotal in the design of my own home.

(Note: As of 18 Mar 2017, Dan is borrowing this)
  eri_kars | Jul 10, 2022 |
not so much of a subway read as much as a reference tome for deconstructing what makes a space enjoyable. each section is organized from general to specific traits, and cross referenced with other compatible "patterns". Every pattern has a simple sketch, specific example and descriptive paragraph. delightful and imaginative, someone should really re-publish this in a more affordable package so that more young designers can learn from it. see also: Timeless Way of Building. ( )
  jhwhit | Oct 7, 2019 |
An excellent insightful taxonomy of building styles techniques and philosophies. Based on extensive research on vernacular architecture worldwide. 20th Century Books set in metal type that is very small and difficult to read. Would greatly benefit from a hyperlinked edition. ( )
  JesseTheK | Apr 14, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 26 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (19 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Alexander, Christopherprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Ishikawa, Saramain authorall editionsconfirmed
Silverstein, Murraymain authorall editionsconfirmed
Angel, Schlomosecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fiksdahl-King, Ingridsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Jacobson, Maxsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
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Wikipedia in English (4)

You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction. After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely." The three books are The Timeless Way of Building, The Oregon Experiment, and this book, A Pattern Language. At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. This idea may be radical (it implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession) but it comes simply from the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects but by the people. At the core of the books, too, is the point that in designing their environments people always rely on certain "languages," which, like the languages we speak, allow them to articulate and communicate an infinite variety of designs within a forma system which gives them coherence. This book provides a language of this kind. It will enable a person to make a design for almost any kind of building, or any part of the built environment. "Patterns," the units of this language, are answers to design problems (How high should a window sill be? How many stories should a building have? How much space in a neighborhood should be devoted to grass and trees?). More than 250 of the patterns in this pattern language are given: each consists of a problem statement, a discussion of the problem with an illustration, and a solution. As the authors say in their introduction, many of the patterns are archetypal, so deeply rooted in the nature of things that it seemly likely that they will be a part of human nature, and human action, as much in five hundred years as they are today.

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Haiku summary
Good houses have these:
Mudroom, child cave and storage.
Don't gape at the view.

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