Pattern Language

Pattern Language - an architectural term most often associated with the architect Christopher Alexander. His students and colleagues at UC Berkeley helped him survey built environments around the world. The study revealed a series of common architectural and urban planning "problems" in various contexts and simple explanations of the most common "solutions".

Over 250 of these patterns were collected and published in the book A Pattern Language in the 1970's. Later books have enlarged this study to help architects and urban dwellers discuss good architecture in objective, rather than subjective and relative, terms. This series is called the Nature of Order and is in ongoing publication - book four is the latest in the series.

The method to apply Patterns in architecture requires frequent interaction between the architect and the client, the landscape, and the actual construction. It would be best if the architect could live with the clients and observe their daily life. This way the architect can identify problems and develop solutions. Often the project is altered during the building stage as the architect or client fine tunes their wishes or drastically change their minds.

This style of building can produce wonderful results. It is quite similar to traditional building methods in Europe's past and in developing countries today. The materials are often "organic" and specific to the region. The aesthetic form of these materials, and the ornamentation (yes, ornamentation) is often derived from local cultural memories. The buildings and spaces thus produced are often beloved by the users and are undeniably "good architecture".

Some critics of Pattern Language worry that the hundreds of quite specific Patterns (the 6 foot deck, which prescribes the exact size of a patio or porch) will necessarily constrict the creativity of the designer. The also note that many of the built examples share form and ornament with traditional buildings and call them "nostalgic" in a demeaning way.

However, Pattern Language is actually quite abstract and broad, this is one of the things that gives it its power, along with objective judgments about aesthetics - another controversial point). Pattern Language's methods of problem identification and solution development have been picked up by many fields and professions. Today these methods are used by industrial designers, software programmers, and even creative writing.

In architecture, the languages that are develop from these local and personal patterns seem to universally displace the car and corporate needs, focusing instead on the human users (who usually developed them). These ideas have also led a few architects and planners to develop a more specific language for use throughout the US and Europe in "fixing" the language of modern planning that has led to auto-dominated sprawl.

This group has pushed for acceptance within the construction and development world. They use modern marketing and promotion techniques, such as conventions and press articles (both are long held Modernist favorites of self-promotion) to inform the consumers of architecture that there are alternatives to sprawl. Their conventions are referred to as the Congress for New Urbanism and the promoters as New Urbanists.

Backers of more pure Pattern Language practice claim, rightly, that their methods are much more likely to produce quality architecture. They point to the often cartoonist and nostalgic forms of New Urbanists products as much more commercial and "fake". On the other hand the New Urbanists took their ideas in large part from Pattern Language advocates and have themselves succeeded in building many more projects based on these ideas.

Mark Greiner, Senior Vice-President and leader of Steelcase's WorkSpace Futures team, used Pattern Language to design his own home, which he loves, he has also found it useful in his profession as an industrial designer... read his blog here.