A Pattern Language

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
Post Reply
7Wannabe5
Posts: 9372
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:03 am

A Pattern Language

Post by 7Wannabe5 »

I finally got hold of a copy of this book I've been meaning to read for a couple years, "A Pattern Language" by Alexander, Ishikawa and Silverstein. This book relates to architecture and planning in the same way permaculture relates to gardening and agriculture. It describes 253 different basic patterns which can be combined to make a living environment for humans in the same way phrases are combined to construct a language for communication. Some randomly selected examples patterns from the book:

3) City Country Fingers
31) Promenade
36) Degrees of Publicness
81) Small Services Without Red Tape
93) Food Stands
125) Stair Seats
135) Tapestry of Light and Dark
150) A Place To Wait
168) Connection To The Earth
178) Compost
189) Dressing Room
203) Child Caves
225) Frames As Thickened Edges
244) Canvas Roofs
251) Different Chairs

The reason why this book would be relevant to this forum is that considering your choice of living situation in terms of these basic modules of utility will give you a fresh and more objective perspective. For instance, you could figure out what you could do to be happier living in a van by considering pattern 159) Light On Two Sides Of Every Room or pattern 201) Waist High Shelf or pattern 229) Duct Space or pattern 253) Thing From Your Life and this book would be equally helpful in choosing a community in which to retire because it covers the 98% of other considerations that are just as important as something like a Walkability Score and it could even help you select a chair that will serve for a lifetime.

User avatar
Ego
Posts: 6359
Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

Re: A Pattern Language

Post by Ego »

Thanks for the tip.

It appears to be part of a series along with:

The Timeless Way of Building
https://www.worldcat.org/title/timeless ... ef_results

and The Oregon Experiment
https://www.worldcat.org/title/oregon-e ... ef_results

They look like they might be useful resources for those planning the ERE Burning Man Village.

saving-10-years
Posts: 554
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 9:37 am
Location: Warwickshire, UK

Re: A Pattern Language

Post by saving-10-years »

@7w5 Thanks for flagging this book up. Looks like an interesting one and one we will try to get our hands on (and brains around).

Post Reply