August 15, 2008
His groundbreaking book A Pattern Language urged architects consider emotional and spiritual ideas when designing. It was the beginning of an elaborate, nuts-and-bolts philosophical system. Alexander failed to revolutionize the practice of architecture, but he inspired a movement in computer programming that affects how all of us use the Web. Studio 360's Lu Olkowski talked to the architect and some of his disciples, including "wiki" inventor Ward Cunningham.
What a dam treat! - to rediscover Christopher Alexander - albeit in an entirely new context. A man who tells us stuff we already know - ever so subliminally. A Pattern Language sits on my bookshelf - not read in many a year. Computers are not my medium but how reassuring to learn C. A. is interjecting his humanly perceptive voice.
I discovered A Pattern Language quite by accident in a bookstore while travelling. When I read it I was stunned. Without being overly dramatic, it changed my life.
It wasn't available, however, at my university's architecture library.
When I asked my architecture professors about it, they scoffed at the book and didn't think it worthy of discussion much less that it be present in the Architecture Library.
Ah well, nevermind. The censorship failed.
I've bought the book many times (probably 30 or more) and given it as gifts and even as required reading to clients prior to working with them.
This explain a lot for me -- there I was spending a decade promoting "the thing" , the new perception that involked intire design process, by allowing a program calculate the entities for assembling a building structure , from start to finish , ,odeling the Solid in 3D, then slicing them into sections the right way, and BANG ,a new way to project, design and manufactor.
From the start I thought pattern language alian ; sure it was stimulating with a splendid textbook about inteligent networks. But Arciitecture today ask real computing options, way's to build. Not brilliant A.I. programming just new way's to use the computer, and the ability to build four times as strong, computed and easily manufactored, building foundations. A structure that gurantie the develobment of new materials so instead of 300 different items, boards, rivits, stringers and profiles all varying types, then one material, just one material could replace them all.
Methods that calculate an intier simple building structure, into easy N.C. manufactored building parts, would proberly profit from a structure pointed out with pattern language .. but those idears has nothing to do with using methods such as 3Dh ,3D honeycomb or any method that save a bundle in projecting and designing with modern tools, psttern language are a perfect textbook about C++ programming and object oriented programming , I newer thought about it as other than software architecture
Please keep your comments relevant to this entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments on Studio 360 are moderated. Studio 360 reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the studio360.org Comment Guidelines before posting.
<< Back to Episode
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, the Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and
DK Eyewitness Travel. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
