A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 10:57:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Christopher W. Alexander
- ISBN：0195019199
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Summary
At the core of A Pattern Language is the philosophy 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 formal system which gives them coherence。
This book provides a language of this kind。 It will enable making 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 language are outlined， each consisting 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 seems likely that they will be a part of human nature and human action as much in five hundred years as they are today。
A Pattern Language is related to Alexander’s other works in the Center for Environmental Structure series: The Timeless Way of Building （introductory volume） and The Oregon Experiment。
This book provides a language of this kind。 It will enable making 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 language are outlined， each consisting 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 seems likely that they will be a part of human nature and human action as much in five hundred years as they are today。
A Pattern Language is related to Alexander’s other works in the Center for Environmental Structure series: The Timeless Way of Building （introductory volume） and The Oregon Experiment。
Reviews
Theresa
，
Gretchen Rubin recommended this book。 It was too dense and too much。 I couldn't read it。 Gretchen Rubin recommended this book。 It was too dense and too much。 I couldn't read it。 。。。more
Nicholas Stackhouse
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Pattern Language is one of my favorite architecture books of all time， and I have read quite a few。 The reason this book by C。 Alexander is so different than the average and worth the read， is because he and his team have really done the research and want to provide the every-day home owner or home builder or even home renter with the tools and ability to alter their rooms and spaces for the improvement of all。 It is categorized into broad topics and then further categorized into specific elemen Pattern Language is one of my favorite architecture books of all time， and I have read quite a few。 The reason this book by C。 Alexander is so different than the average and worth the read， is because he and his team have really done the research and want to provide the every-day home owner or home builder or even home renter with the tools and ability to alter their rooms and spaces for the improvement of all。 It is categorized into broad topics and then further categorized into specific elements or themes to make for easy reading。 I found myself putting post-it-notes next to the chapters and elements I particularly liked making it really easy to return and re-read or recapture ideas。 This book was made to be easily flipped through and not necessary read cover-to-cover every time。 The categories make it easy to skim through and easy to follow since each chapter is a separate thought process。 Although I am an architect grad student， this book is not just for architects by any stretch。 Hidden lessons for all in this study。 。。。more
Gabrielle
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A classic。 Reminds me of Gregory Bateson and the pattern which connects。
shimmerr
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like the tarot of vague but beautiful architectural archetypes
Laura Narbutaite Marbach
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It's not often that I read a non-fiction book that is 45 years old and still feels very relevant。 Definitely a nerdy read about what makes cities and homes （the more easily actionable part which I enjoyed the most） amazing spaces to live in。 The architects of the grandiose "Line" in Saudi Arabia or even Elon Musk with his Mars plans would benefit from checking out the book too！ It's not often that I read a non-fiction book that is 45 years old and still feels very relevant。 Definitely a nerdy read about what makes cities and homes （the more easily actionable part which I enjoyed the most） amazing spaces to live in。 The architects of the grandiose "Line" in Saudi Arabia or even Elon Musk with his Mars plans would benefit from checking out the book too！ 。。。more
Corey
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Left off on page 990; to be finished at a later date。 As a note: I do not think it’s necessary to read this book’s prequel first （or at all）， despite the statement at the beginning of the book that it should be done。 Reading “Patterns of Home” now， which I think is a much more concise， condensed version of this that may be more applicable to me personally。
Ryan
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Although it is 1200 pages long and was published in 1977， A Pattern Language still has tons of holds at my local library。 I have not been able to read all the way through this one before the due date， but maybe "all the way through" is not the best way to read this work anyway。 I instead flipped through it， noting all of the little insights and arguments that are delivered so confidently。 Christopher Alexander and his collaborators believe they've found eternal patterns here， a claim that dates Although it is 1200 pages long and was published in 1977， A Pattern Language still has tons of holds at my local library。 I have not been able to read all the way through this one before the due date， but maybe "all the way through" is not the best way to read this work anyway。 I instead flipped through it， noting all of the little insights and arguments that are delivered so confidently。 Christopher Alexander and his collaborators believe they've found eternal patterns here， a claim that dates this work to before the ascent of postmodernism and its skepticism of grand narratives。 To be honest， however， I found their universal assertions almost refreshing to read。 There are no surveys or big data overviews backing why people should sleep in a room that gets light from the rising sun。 They just assert that people seem to have deep rhythms and therefore would do well to let the sun influence their days。 Although this is also a work about density and space in cities and towns， I was most interested to look at how Alexander organizes a house。 He's for mostly open designs that bring the kitchen into the home， assigned space for children to keep them out of one's hair， and he pushes couples to really commit to having their own space separate from their children。 I was pleased to see him focus on the well being of adults--something I think we struggle to do now。 I did not always agree， but I rarely felt that these claims were bogus， which is more than I can say for a lot of other works from the 1970s。 Although I'm not an expert in this field， my sense is that Alexander's successors have more fully embraced density than he does。 I'll borrow A Pattern Language again from the library soon （or maybe in six months， depending on the line-up）。 A Pattern Language is absolutely the sort of quirky， intelligent， and curious book one hopes to "find" in a used bookstore， so with any luck I'll own it before it returns to me at the library。 。。。more
Ari Rizzitano
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The titular pattern language is a phenomenal lens for examining space， whether in one's city， neighborhood， or home。 In 2020， examining the authors' pre-Reagan hopes for the future brings on a real wistfulness; however， this may motivate you to exercise your rights as a citizen and begin participating in local government。 The titular pattern language is a phenomenal lens for examining space， whether in one's city， neighborhood， or home。 In 2020， examining the authors' pre-Reagan hopes for the future brings on a real wistfulness; however， this may motivate you to exercise your rights as a citizen and begin participating in local government。 。。。more
Jack Orlleans
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I have no doubts few of his recomendations or societal ideals will ever be implemented， or even considered how they would be implemented。 They would require the upending of all of society， the whole world， and all of our cultural attachments that aren't etched into our genes。 It was 70s idealism， it needed to aim for the stars。 Some wonderland logic is needed。I doubt a single neighborhood or planned community has been built with this book in mind， but anything constructed by it would be grand。 C I have no doubts few of his recomendations or societal ideals will ever be implemented， or even considered how they would be implemented。 They would require the upending of all of society， the whole world， and all of our cultural attachments that aren't etched into our genes。 It was 70s idealism， it needed to aim for the stars。 Some wonderland logic is needed。I doubt a single neighborhood or planned community has been built with this book in mind， but anything constructed by it would be grand。 Certain new urbanist developments such as Le Plessis Robinson and Poundbury are remniscent of his less radical designs。 It's a very lindy book。 He diagnoses modernity's ills and recommends some traditional medicine and new derivatives from said medicines。 Whether we'd actually like the cure is debatable。 Familiarity is comforting and he's a revolutionary。The book's very holistic it takes urban planning， environmentalism， architecture， psychology， economics， and sociology into account。 As such it's written to be palatable to readers of any profession。 It's light on technical jargon， especially in the first half of the book。There are issues。Some of the dreams are just too out there， modern manufacturing can only be so decentralized。 Home manufacturing will certainly continue to be limited to the luxury， craftsmen， and etsy market goods。 It's an engrossing read， but it's long， and a fairly heavy book。 The gist of each concept and their benefits could be written in half the space。It's not convenient to lug about， and most of the pdfs and epubs are incomplete。I'd say it should be a textbook for for urban planners but it's a good read for the rest of us。 。。。more
Sananab
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Thousands of fancy architects have read this idealistic， utopian book。 Then they go out there and throw up a bunch of filthy， concrete slab art buildings and ugly gentrification condos。
J
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This is my favorite 'pick up and read a few pages' book - when I'm working or thinking about working。 It's up there with The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace， Joy， and Liberation – which I read when I'm trying to make sense of all the other things – and Ways of Seeing – which I take a look at if I ever feel creative。。。。。 Neither of which I have ever added here。。。 strange。Why do we build？ Can we build in a vacuum？ How do you find balance between form， function， an This is my favorite 'pick up and read a few pages' book - when I'm working or thinking about working。 It's up there with The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace， Joy， and Liberation – which I read when I'm trying to make sense of all the other things – and Ways of Seeing – which I take a look at if I ever feel creative。。。。。 Neither of which I have ever added here。。。 strange。Why do we build？ Can we build in a vacuum？ How do you find balance between form， function， and culture？I don't know， that's why I read 'A Pattern Language。' 。。。more
Paul Klee
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Everyone should read this book， it’s by no means perfect but it will open your eyes to the structures in the world around you。
Caolan McMahon
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A collection architectural patterns - each spanning a couple of pages or so - that starts with grand city-level plans and ends with the trinkets on your mantelpiece。I read this very slowly over several years。 I would pick it up， read a handful of patterns， put it down， forget about it for a couple of months， then find it again and read a few more。 Each time I picked it up I'd spend the next few days wandering around town looking at the streets and buildings and considering how they relate to the A collection architectural patterns - each spanning a couple of pages or so - that starts with grand city-level plans and ends with the trinkets on your mantelpiece。I read this very slowly over several years。 I would pick it up， read a handful of patterns， put it down， forget about it for a couple of months， then find it again and read a few more。 Each time I picked it up I'd spend the next few days wandering around town looking at the streets and buildings and considering how they relate to the patterns I'd read。 Reading in small pieces suited this slow contemplation well。I'm not an architect or builder， so I don't know how much of this advice was accepted by the industry at the time， or how much of it has been superseded by new research and materials today。 There were certainly a few details I found unconvincing， but in the end， I don't think the details are important。 What's fascinating about this book is the implicit question each pattern answers。 Just being prompted to think for yourself about each question is fascinating enough， and I suspect a few answers will stay with me forever。 。。。more
Cyrus Molavi
，
In eleventh grade， I got the chance to spend a few days as work experience with a man who had built his own straw bale house。 My experience didn't end up involving almost any labour; it was mostly my classmate and I sitting at his kitchen table with him， talking about what we'd learned。 At one point， he pulled this book off his shelf and highlighted a few things he learned from it。 He said he had used the book as a resource while he designed and built his own home。 The two ideas that stuck with In eleventh grade， I got the chance to spend a few days as work experience with a man who had built his own straw bale house。 My experience didn't end up involving almost any labour; it was mostly my classmate and I sitting at his kitchen table with him， talking about what we'd learned。 At one point， he pulled this book off his shelf and highlighted a few things he learned from it。 He said he had used the book as a resource while he designed and built his own home。 The two ideas that stuck with me were "159: Light on Two Sides of Every Room" and "167: Six-Foot Balcony。" Even though I later forgot the name of the book， I dropped those little nuggets for years to come when looking at homes。 More than a decade later （I'm not sure when exactly，） I made the connection about the title of the book。 This year， it was my Big One （1000+ pages。） I would say it delivered on its Classic status。 I'm mostly in awe of this book out of its sheer ambition。 The scope is incredible。 It covers the built form from regional planning to interior design， and everything in between。 The format of breaking every principle up into its own pattern and being somewhat declarative about how one should design is refreshing for me。 The big ideas are articulated with the combination of mildly-supportive evidence and full confidence that was common of that era。 Some of the patterns are inspired by the scientific method， others are intuitive。 The romance of this book is that you really could use it to build a region， from columns to green fingers。 The book has fallen out of date since the '70s--although not as severely as expected。 The first third， the regional and city planning parts， felt somewhat stiff。 I suspect either that my greater knowledge at these levels made the arguments' weaknesses more obvious， or that the authors were venturing more outside their own knowledge zones， here。 The bits about the roles of members of the family were a little comical in their datedness。 I will say， though， that some ideas here were very much ahead of their time and have not even yet been adopted in North America to the extent that the authors might have expected for the 50 years that have passed。 One that stands out to me is multi-generational living。I will probably not design or build my own home in the way that my work experience mentor did。 But I still appreciate the patterns raised， and love to indulge in the conversations that could result。 。。。more
Tim Nowotny
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Where do I start？ 2 things I did not realize about this book which would have helped me reading it:- This is not only a book about building， it is a book about a social vision。 In my book that makes it rather more than less interesting but challenges you differently than expected- This book is 60 years old， do expect not modern building materialsWith that taken into account， this book makes for a fascinating time capsule。 It is very humanistic and tells you so much about American life in the 60s Where do I start？ 2 things I did not realize about this book which would have helped me reading it:- This is not only a book about building， it is a book about a social vision。 In my book that makes it rather more than less interesting but challenges you differently than expected- This book is 60 years old， do expect not modern building materialsWith that taken into account， this book makes for a fascinating time capsule。 It is very humanistic and tells you so much about American life in the 60s。 It say something about the quality of its Fundaments that the ideas are still relevant。And even if you are not interested in the meta messages you can get out of here。 It sprawls with ideas。 Even the patterns you do not like give you thought on how to do it better。My only critique about this book would be the 3rd part at which it felt too removed from reality and time for me。 。。。more
Sebastian Rodríguez Rivera
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Gran libro si te interesa reflexionar el espacio como parte orgánica de la sociedad y de la psique。 Curiosamente lírico por partes， así como psicológico y cuasi-dramático en otras。 Quizá mi única queja es la idealización de la vida comunal que subraya tanto， un pequeño sesgo ideológico de los autores。 Muy interesante lectura。
Proarch
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Great book。 A good book for architecture students
Neil
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Do I need a super priority queue？ have heard *so much* good stuff about this book: https://twitter。com/stewartbrand/stat。。。 Do I need a super priority queue？ have heard *so much* good stuff about this book: https://twitter。com/stewartbrand/stat。。。 。。。more
Jared Davis
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It’s really interesting， but you get the sense that some of California’s economic quandaries around housing comes from too strong an influence of this kind of theorizing。 There’s much that just *feels* correct， which is where the NIMBY and the YIMBLY fly in different directions like an Aristophanean tangent
KulaSekhar Kantipudi
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Fabulous Book for Any Student or Lover of Architecture。
John Akamatsu
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I constantly pick up this classic and refer to its elegantly-described patterns whether I am designing an office， home， or larger complex。
Turner Monroe
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This is one of the best books I've ever read。 Amazing insights on how people live and use spaces， I consider this almost a philosophy book in addition to being required reading for anyone who has any influence on how spaces are designed， decorated， or laid out。 Everyone should read this and we'd live in a more harmonious world。 This is one of the best books I've ever read。 Amazing insights on how people live and use spaces， I consider this almost a philosophy book in addition to being required reading for anyone who has any influence on how spaces are designed， decorated， or laid out。 Everyone should read this and we'd live in a more harmonious world。 。。。more
Richard Kerver
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This book influenced me more than any other book。 I am building my own house with my own hands on land I wholly own， based of reading this book， again and again and again。 First hyperlinked book predating the Internet - jump from pattern to pattern in any order - and thread together what your house should look like and how it should be built and how it should function and be lived in。
Kevin Beach
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This book changed the way I view buildings and communities more holistically。
Margaret
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Always a resource。
Amber Smith Folkman
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Brilliant book。 I only read 30%， it’s an almost 900 page book but plan to buy and finish reading over time。 If you have any interest in community building， place attachment， or setting into your own home， I highly recommend this classic。 While this book is older it was advanced for its time。
Vladimirs Kotovs
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Have skimmed this book because it was marked as inspirational for GOF Design Patterns。 It was interesting in the time reading， but not very useful for me as a software engineer。
ORKUN
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An exceptional book about human nature and our relationship to the space we live in。
Alex
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This is among the best works of non-fiction that I've read。 Inspiring at every turn。 This is among the best works of non-fiction that I've read。 Inspiring at every turn。 。。。more
Colin
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