Christopher Alexander and design patterns

I am interested in Christopher Alexander's approach to design.  I have for some time liked his appreciation of  human needs in creating the built environment, as outlined, for example in his book The Timeless Way of Building.  I am as yet a novice in my understanding of his ideas, but since studying  the Open University course U101 Design Thinking - creativity for the 21st century  I have a wider knowledge of design methods, particularly in addressing the real needs of the end user (or inhabitant of a building).

I have just read his early book "Notes on the Synthesis of Form"  (1964), in which he explains his design approach and his systematic approach. 

Below is my first synopsis which I plan  to expand and develop.  I am particularly interested in how the diagrams take form and how they help in the process and I will add illustrations to this blog.

Alexander is critical of conventional architecture.  He considers it too theoretical and too "professional".  The result, he thinks, is a culture of elitism which is distant from the real needs of the users of buildings.  He terms contemporary architecture and design "self-conscious", as opposed to the "unselfconscious" methods of building and making in less "developed" societies.

Because "unselfconscious" makers are very involved with the creation and maintenance of their products, they address "misfit problems" as they arise. They also use traditional materials and rituals and methods which are suited to local conditions. in "self-conscious" societies architecture and design are taught as professional subjects embodying a vast amount of theory and received wisdom.

His solution is to create a program which works even in very complex situations and yet retains the effectiveness of the unselfconscious procedure. The method is to look at the situation and, using knowledge and new research gained through listening to users, to assess all the sources of possible misfit (Set M) then consider how each of these interacts with the others.  This gives set (L).  Both sets together = graph G (M, L).

It is possible to analyse M into subsets which can then be further divided into minor subsets (consisting of interrelated misfits).  The resulting tree diagram is a visual description of the entire set L.  It is now possible to translate each element of each subset into a constructive diagram.  Such diagram combines the formal pattern of the situation and a notation of how the situation needs to work (requirement).  Building these sub-set diagrams together into one diagram illuminates the problem and how it needs to be solved (please see next post for more on this)

Questions from reading "Notes on the Synthesis of Form"


One thing Alexander does not address is the changing society.  Even very simple societies cannot in a globalized world remain static.  Aesthetic judgements are also ignored.  The result is a very "quiet" approach to design.