Among architecture's most essential, yet controversial texts, it's unavoidable to think about Christopher Alexander's 1977 classic, A Pattern Language. A book either frequently studied in many design schools, or completely unacknowledged in others, seems to result in highly opposing views in both urban planning and architecture. William S. Saunders makes this clear on his 2002 book review column featured in the winter/spring issue of the Harvard Design Magazine.
Before taking any postures on the subject, let me clarify it's important to know the book's format. A Pattern Language is, essentially, a guide focused on providing specific and effective solutions in design. In other words, Alexander replaces poetry with practicality in a do-it-yourself manner, which explains the book's popularity among non-professionals in the architectural field, particularly folks seeking to make home improvements or remodeling. While this method works for some, Saunders warns against "reading it like a Bible". But, why? The answer is simple: it's a book based on rules. And in today's age, especially when it comes to any creative field, rules are meant to be experimented with. If taken too seriously, Alexander's viewpoint leaves little to no space for creativity. But this doesn’t mean we can’t learn from it.
While the authors of the book have assured repeatedly that no solution is final, Alexander does propose solutions in an imposing manner, which puts over the table one of the misconceptions between readers and the book: A Pattern Language is ideally read as a guiding resource, not a strict rulebook. As part of the book's introduction, the authors introduce their approach from macro to microscopic scale, focusing on design solutions
ranging from city planning to a small residence, and everything in between, including social dynamics and the relationship between society and government. For instance, Alexander expresses a firm belief in organically growing and independent small-scale regions maintaining their own cultures and economies, being completely self-sufficient at an international scale. From a closer perspective, every proposal and effort towards design and architecture should be the result of a communal sense of social responsibility, instead of being imposed by governmental authorities.
In turn, these proposals are merely a combination of themes, or patterns, which are linked to others, forming an entire network of interconnected design terminology and guidelines. The book, which features a total of 253 patterns, likens this dynamic to words forming both prose and poetry (APL, p. xli): patterns can either be linked in traditional or innovative ways to add depth to a design, which, above all, is a compression of patterns in this language.
Additionally, and benefitting the book's purpose, Alexander's system makes clear which solutions are proven and which aren't; terms with two asterisks represent proven success, while those that have one or none have had varying results and encourage the reader to explore further possibilities.
Even following the organization of topics on a structured format, there's an almost dream-like quality to Alexander’s ideal society, which is one that focuses on recreation, pleasure and the human necessity for balance between communal activities versus individual privacy, the latter being one of the key points in Alexander’s work. However, this utopia certainly strays from reality, precisely because it dismisses aspects such as human greed and housing inequality. Saunders also writes that while Alexander ties many of his design ideals with psychology, art, religion and literature, there is a notable lack of scientific research to support his proposals. For example, Alexander writes about the need of being in contact with nature as an almost spiritual experience that provides “sustaining energy from the life of plants, and trees, and water.” (APL, p.806) This perspective, with echoes of the hippie movement, along with the proposed ideal society, explain why Alexander is commonly perceived as naïve and narrow minded when it comes to architecture. According to Saunders’ review, there is both beauty to Alexander’s world and truth to his statements, that while not perfect, prove to be a useful encyclopedia of knowledge.
On this note, Saunders closes his statement by acknowledging that people who turn away from the book, underestimating Christopher Alexander’s architectural insight, are truly missing out; whether in regions extremely popular or in places unknown, it’s still material worth studying. If anything (and needless to say), A Pattern Language is an incredibly useful resource for both experienced designers and DIY creatives alike.
References:
Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. (1977). A Pattern Language. Oxford University Press.
Saunders, W. S. (2002). Review: A Pattern Language. Harvard Design Magazine, (No. 16), winter/spring, 1-7.
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