BOOK REVIEW 2019

A PATTERN LANGUAGE
ABSTRACT :-
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander is renowned for providing simple, conveniently
formatted, humanist solutions to complex design problems ranging in scale from urban planning
through to interior design. This text is also believed to be the most widely read architectural treatise
ever published. Despite this, there is also little acknowledgement in its popular reception that it is
only one part of a trilogy of works documenting Alexander’s ‘second theory’ of architecture. Thus,
while A Pattern Language is widely referenced in architectural scholarship, most of these references
simply acknowledge its existence and fail to engage with its content.

INTRODUCTION :-
The book creates a new language, what the authors call a pattern language derived from timeless
entities called patterns. As they write on page xxxv of the introduction, "All 253 patterns together
form a language." Patterns describe a problem and then offer a solution. In doing so the authors
intend to give ordinary people, not only professionals, a way to work with their neighbours to
improve a town or neighbourhood, design a house for themselves or work with colleagues to design
an office, workshop or public building such as a school.

KEY-WORDS :-
Internal Gradients, Realm, Garden, Alcoves, Structural Details, Philosophy, Layout, Openings,
Ornament, Porch.

DESCRIPTION OF CONTAINS :-
Observe the following list of the Patterns

IMPORTANT AREAS OF THE ROOMS :-

136. Couple’s Realm

137. Children’s Realm

138. Sleeping To the East

139. Farmhouse Kitchen

140. Private Terrace on the Street

141. Room Of One’s Own

142. Sequence of the Sitting Spaces

143. Bed Cluster

144. Bathing Room

145. Bulk Storage

146. Flexible Office Space

147. Communal Eating

148. Small Work Groups

149. Receptions welcomes you

150. A Place To Wait

151. Small Meeting Rooms.

152. Half Private Office.

OUT BUILDINGS SLIGHTLY INDEPENDENT :-

153. Roos to Rent

154. Teenager’s Cottage

155. Old Age Cottage

156. Settled Work

157. Home Workshop

158. Open Stairs

Prepare the Knit inside the Building to The Outside

159. Light on Two Sides of the Room

160. Building Edge

161. Sunny Place

162. North Face

163. Outdoor Room

164. Street Windows

165. Opening to the Street

166. Gallery Surround

167. Six Foot Balcony

168. Connection to the Earth

Arrangements In the gardens & Places in the gardens

169. Terrace Slope

171. Tree Places

172. Garden Growing Wild

173. Garden Wall

174. Trellised Walk

175. Green House

176. Garden Seat

177. Vegetable Garden

178. Compost

Attach the necessary Minor Rooms & Alcoves to complete room

179. Alcoves

180. Window Place

181. The Fire

182. Eating Atmosphere

183. Workspace Enclosure

184. Cooking Layout

185. Seating Circle

186. Communal Sleeping

187. Marriage Bed

188. Bed Alcove

189. Dressing Room

Give The Wall’s some depth whenever there is alcove.

All the 253 patterns together forms a language. They create correspondence picture that gives the
idea about the idea about the regions with the millions of forms with infinite variety of details.

This smaller sequence of the patterns forms a language and this language is also the smaller part of
the environment which itself creates Millions of the parks, Paths, Houses, Workshops, or gardens.

Example :-

Sunny Place (161), Outdoor Room (163), Front Door Bench (242)……etc.
This Patterns are itself a languages. For example consider following 10 patterns,

Private terrace on the street (140)

Sunny place (161)

Outdoor Room (163)

Six Foot Balcony (167)

Paths & Goals (120)

Ceiling height variety (190)

Columns at Corners (212)

Front Door bench (242)

Raised Flowers (245)

Different Chairs (251)

This list of the short pattern is language itself. It is one of a thousand possible language for a porch,
of a house.one of us chose this small language.

Starting terrace on the street (140). That pattern is called as a terrace slightly raised, connected to
the house. Sunny Place (161) sunny side of the yard should be intensified and made into place by the
use of patio, balcony, outdoor room, etc….

To make this platform into an outdoor room (163), the overhead foliage of the roof-like enclosure of
the space.

I use Six-Foot Balcony (167) to determine the size of the platform. But pattern has to be used
judiciously and not blindly-the reasoning for the pattern has to do with the minimum space required
for the people seat comfortably and carry on discussion around a small side-table.

Now paths & goals (120): usually this pattern deals with the large paths in a neighbourhood, and
comes much earlier in language. It says that the paths which get naturally formed by peoples
walking, on the land, should be preserved and intensified.

The height of the platform above the ground was determined by ceiling height verity (190). There
were three columns standing, supporting the roof over the old porch. They had to stay where they
are, because they hold the roof up. But following columns are at the corners (212) , the platform was
very carefully tailored.

The character of the porch is given by the ten patterns in this short language. In this just way, each
part of the environment is given its character by the collection of the patterns which we choose to
build into it. The character of what you build, will be given to it by language of pattern you use, to
generate it.

There are 253 patterns are mentioned here in this book, similarly you can use the same ways of the
pattern language for your project, Rough procedure is mentioned here in this book for the use of
language in the individual project.

1) First of all make the copy master sequence on which you can tick off the patterns which will
form the language for your project.
 2) Scan down the list, and find the pattern which best describes the overall scope of the project
you have in mind.
3) Turn to the starting pattern itself, in the book, and read it through.
4) Now your list have some more ticks on it. Turn to the next highest pattern on the list which
is ticked, and open the book to that pattern.
5) When in doubt about the pattern don’t include it.
6) Keep going like this, until you have ticked all the patterns you want for your project.
7) Now adjust the sequence by adding your own material.
8) And of course you want to change the patterns change them.

CONCLUSION :-
This book clears the clears the idea about how powerful and simple pattern language is, and one can
ready to appreciate how careful they must be, when they construct the language for themselves and
their own project.