Christopher Alexander's pattern language

Submitted by suzanne on Wed, 2007-10-24 22:40.

Patterns again... Somehow a recurring theme in my blogposts... One of the people I work with in my research (respondent&sparring partner!)drew my attention to the work of Christopher Alexander. 'A pattern language' is the second in a series of books that describe an entirely new attitude towards architecture and planning. The book contains over 200 patterns. Each pattern describes a problem "which occurs over and over again in our environment", and besides the problem it describes the solution to that problem. The patterns are concerned with towns, buildings, and construction. every pattern is described in the same format, and most of them are illustrated with tiny drawings that only add to the can-not-stop-reading-effect of the book.

What I find inspiring is both the way he has described his research findings (in patterns that are so practical that they even help to design your own living room) and the content of the patterns. Let me give some examples:

Pattern no 94. Sleeping in public: "It is a mark of success in a park, public lobby or a porch, when people can come there and fall asleep". Therefore "keep the environment filled with ample benches, comfortable places, corners to sit on the ground, or lie in comfort in the sand".

Pattern no 84. Teen-age society: "Teenage is the time of passage between childhood and adulthood. In traditional societies, this passage is accompanied by rites which suit the psychological demands of the transition. But in modern society the 'high school' fails entirely to provide this passage". Therefore "provide adult guidance, both for the learning and the social structure of the society; but keep them as far as feasible, in the hands of the students".

Pattern no 180. Window place: "everybody loves window seats, bay windows, and big windows with low sills and comfortable chairs drawn up to them". Therefore: "In every room where you spend any length of time during the day, make at least one window into a 'window place'".

Pattern no 18. Networks of learning: "In a society which emphasizes teaching, children and students-and adults- become passive and unable to think or act for themselves. Creative active individuals can only grow up in a society which emphasizes learning instead of teaching". Therefore: "instead of lock-step of compulsary schooling in a fixed flace, work in piecemeal ways to decentralize the process of learning and enrich it through contact with many places and people all over the city: workshops, teachers at home or walking through the city".

I understood that at the time this book was published, not everybody was as happy with it as I am now. Architects felt threatened a bit: this book made urban planning accessible for non-professionals. And even more than that: Alexander's view relies on the idea that people know more than they can tell (Polanyi!) his patterns give people the handles to rely on this tacit knowledge. It helps them to recognise it and use it.

Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. A pattern language. New York: Oxford University Press.
A summary of the patterns: http://downlode.org/Etext/patterns/
The architect's website: http://www.patternlanguage.com/

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