Rating: 
Summary: Very Good and yet ....
Review: At the time of this writing, there are 14 jubilant reviews of this book, so there is hardly any point in my adding to that part. While I agree that 4 stars are the absolute minimum for the book, there are some caveats to it.FIRST of all, the book is dated. This is not only a problem as far as the quoted works and the statistics are concerned, all of which have probably changed massivly since 1977, but esp. as far as the whole philosophical attitude of the book is concerned. While this is probably not as much an issue with the parts concerned with building the own home, it is a grande issue with the city stuff. The suggestions made here too often reek of '68 and have in fact -- in all the cases I could find -- where Alexander and his coworkers tried to peek into the future not materialized. (Esp. the network of learning pattern seems meaningless to me.) SECONDLY, while this book is recommended reading for all Object--Oriented--Programmers, I am not quite sure why this is the case. Alexander teaches his pattern language by doing rather than by a consistent theory. So, if you are a programmer, go ahead and buy "Design Patterns" by Gamma, Helm, Johnson and Vlissides first. The fact that "Design Patterns", which sees itself as a desciple of Alexander, restricts its discussion of him to two pages (p356-7) in the concluding chapter of the book should be some indication. This is not to say that Alexander's book aint great -- only that its NEED for OOP is somewhat overrated in my opinion. THIRDLY, hardly any of the texts perusing Alexander make it clear enough that to him this book is part of a three-volume effort. It is in fact PART TWO (nobody tells you this), and the accompagning volumes are "The Timeless Way of Building" (Part ONE) and "The Oregon Experiment" (Part THREE). So if you are seriously interested in understanding Alexander and don's just want to peruse "A pattern Language" as a quarry for your own problems, you should be aware that HE considers the project not understood until you've read these as well.
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Summary: NOT ONLY USE TO BUILD A HOUSE BUT ALSO YOUR PERSONAL LIFE.
Review: THIS BOOK WAS USED FOR OUR TEXT BOOK. AT FIRST TIME, I THOUGH THERE WAS NO RELATIONSHIP WITH MY COURSE, BECAUSE I STUDY HRD. AFTER I READ WHOLE BOOK, I THINK IT IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. WE CAN LEARN A LOT OF THINGS FROM THESE PATTERNS.
Rating:
Summary: A life-enhancing book!
Review: I bought this book after an Object-Oriented Software training course, and ended up building a pergola with climbing plants and low walls in my garden. Once you know about the Waist High Shelf pattern you start spotting them everywhere! Pattern languages are the way to go!
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for anyone who wants to build!
Review: This book is quite simply The Rules for architectural common sense - how to design useful and appealing spaces for people. (For example: "Don't make a balcony less than six feet deep, or it won't get used much". "People walking on the sidewalk feel threatened by cars whizzing past a few feet away". "If the roof appears to be supported only by spindly little posts it'll make people nervous")(I'm paraphrasing these). It's truly shocking to see how such simple and indubitable factors are ignored in modern design, in favor of cost-cutting and fashion. Please check out the hundreds of patterns given here, with photos, diagrams, examples, and most importantly, the "language" of how they coordinate together into a whole. (Also take a look at Hildebrand's THE WRIGHT SPACE for another great look at "what makes a building feel good")
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Summary: One of the great books of the century
Review: Alexander tried to show that architecture connects people to their surroundings in an infinite number of ways, most of which are subconscious. For this reason, it was important to discover what works; what feels pleasant; what is psychologically nourishing; what attracts rather than repels. These solutions, found in much of vernacular architecture, were abstracted and synthesized into the "Pattern Language" about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, although he did not say it then, it was obvious that contemporary architecture was pursuing design goals that are almost the opposite of what was discovered in the pattern language. For this reason, anyone could immediately see that Alexander's findings invalidated most of what practicing architects were doing at that time. The Pattern Language was identified as a serious threat to the architectural community. It was consequently suppressed. Attacking it in public would only give it more publicity, so it was carefully and off-handedly dismissed as irrelevant in architecture schools, professional conferences and publications. Now, 20 years later, computer scientists have discovered that the connections underlying the Pattern Language are indeed universal, as Alexander had originally claimed. His work has achieved the highest esteem in computer science. Alexander himself has spent the last twenty years in providing scientific support for his findings, in a way that silences all criticism. He will publish this in the forthcoming four-volume work entitled "The Nature of Order". His new results draw support from complexity theory, fractals, neural networks, and many other disciplines on the cutting edge of science. After the publication of this new work, our civilization has to seriously question why it has ignored the Pattern Language for so long, and to face the blame for the damage that it has done to our cities, neighborhoods, buildings, and psyche by doing so.
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Summary: A classic,rich source of ideas on building human habitats.
Review: In an effort to build a philosophy of the human use of space, Berkeley professor of Architecture Alexander and his colleagues also managed to set down many of the big ideas of the 1960's in this magisterial book-- proclaiming in their careful observation of human settlements, a "timeless way of building" accessible to everyman. The core idea is the elaboration of a series of patterns inherent in the way we build any habitation--from a garden bench, to a sleeping room, to a house, to a university, town, or region. The patterns; written, concrete and specific, can be interlocked and extended--like a language--in unlimited ways. These patterns are not blueprints for construction. They are more about behavior than about decoration, more about relationships than about dimensions. Thus, the pattern, "Sunny Window", when joined to another pattern, Thickened Walls" leads to just the right arrangements for a window seat-- a fitting place to sew, or read, or day-dream. When we build aright, says he, we inevitably follow these patterns, and enjoy the fullness of our humanity as we inhabit them. Alexander is a radical, an anti-architect. He says that the best buildings are vernacular structures; the ordinary furnishings, gardens, rooms and houses that evolved slowly as ordinary people built what they needed and repeated what worked. What one might call "right building", as opposed to architecture, is not about style or the individuality of the professional designer, but the discovery of transcendent and inherently beautiful supports for the human functions of work, play, intimacy, and family living. Then you build it yourself. When we remodeled our own small urban house, we wove many of the patterns (there are hundreds) into the new space we built, and were happy with the results. Twenty years after publication, it's a scandal that there are architects and designers who have never heard of this work. (ours--a professor of Architecture, hadn't). Alexander's ideas are reflected today in Stewart Brand's recently popular "How Buildings Learn", and there's surely a vast underground following out there, people who have, or want to build or renovate their homes, or landscapes with an eye to more sociable and spiritually nourishing places. Perhaps as more and more of us work at home, we will turn to this kind of resource to help us enrich our sterile, enfenced suburban environments(Alexander found a lot of his patterns in pre-industrial villages of Scotland and Wales). Yes, Alexander will be back! This book is one of two that sits out on our reading table constantly. I cherish it and recommend it to anyone who wants to take a more active role in the design of their lives as well as their homes and gardens. END
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Summary: methodical view of social utopia through architecture
Review: A Pattern Language presents a compelling case for the influence of space, buildings, and landscape on human endeavors. We often overlook this force, accustomed as we are to accommodating spatial limitations and design flaws. But try entering any room and ignoring the cues of memory and social constraints-you will doubtless be drawn to the window in the room. Alexander and his contributing editors present a series of patterns that operate universally on the mood and activities of people using spaces. "Light on Two Sides," for example, is a pattern describing the impact of light entering a room from two directions. Functionally, this arrangement softens light by cancelling the harsh shadows that arise from a single light direction. Emotionally, this makes a room more pleasant to live and work in, and may of its own accord encourage certain activities. Alexander's huge study of over 200 patterns is at once modest and sweeping. He details patterns with care, and offers sketches and photographs to illustrate them, along with an unassuming voice. Above all, he demystifies architecture itself, calling upon any reader to assume a role in the design process. Despite this humility, the significance of Alexander's vision is always present. In the end, he is constructing a formula for social utopia-an architectural prescription for living well and wisely. From integrating children and senior citizens into the daily life of a community to revealing the advantages of mixed use commercial and residential zoning, Alexander proposes ideas that can successfully animate any town's master planning efforts. Read this book if you're designing house, working with an architect, looking for a new house, or contributing to your city's planning commission. You will doubtless come away with a heightened appreciation for the influence of space on your choices and activities.
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Summary: Invaluable for anyone planning anything
Review: I just bought a copy for my town's Planning Director.
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Summary: An inspiration for practical work.
Review: Useless, if you want to build a souless spec house in a faceless suburb, invaluable, if you want to construct a living space that works for genus homo sapiens. Many times I have stopped in mid hammerswing and climbed down a ladder to consult this bible. I will ask myself what Christopher Alexander meant by. "The feeling of overcrowding is largely created by the mean point to point distances inside a building" (chapter 109)
How can I learn from this and incorporate that understanding into the next hammerswing.
More important than accurate plans, more important than sharp sawblades, This is the one book I most value on my construction sites.
Rating:
Summary: just like a bible
Review: A pattern language just like a bible when u dealing with a design project. It allow everyone who is sensitive to the envirnment to build by his or her own style. Just carry this light book to your site and start to form the image of the site by using patterns. You do not have to be trained like a professional designer, because it is you that really involved in this lovly sites
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