Pattern Language and Form Language
By Nikos A. Salingaros
A mini-course online that introduces the work of Christopher Alexander as well as that of the author. It proposes a new way of thinking about architecture that values regionalism, while opposing globalization and uniformity. Prepared in July of 2015.
30-minute video lecture: Pattern Language and Form Language
List of readings online taken from chapters of my books, plus new articles:
- The Pattern Technology of Christopher Alexander
- The Structure of Pattern Languages, also in GREEK, ITALIAN, PERSIAN, and SPANISH
- Pattern Language and Interactive Design, also in FRENCH, PORTUGUESE, and SPANISH
- Pattern Language vs. Form Language
- The Adaptive Design Method
- Why Primitive Form Languages Spread
- Form Languages and Their Vocabulary, also in PORTUGUESE and SPANISH
- Complexity of Form Languages, With Checklist
- Against Ecophobia and Towards a Human Habitat, also in GREEK and ITALIAN
- Degree of Complexity Measures a Form Language's Adaptivity
The key reference is Christopher Alexander's book "A Pattern Language" (look also HERE and HERE). A SPANISH translation was published in 1980, but it is now out of print.
For those who are interested: 1 is from Design for a Living Planet: Settlement, Science, and the Human Future, 2 & 3 are from Principles of Urban Structure, 4 & 5 are from the new book-in-progress Architecture's New Scientific Foundations, 6, 7 & 8 are from A Theory of Architecture, and 9–12 are from Unified Architectural Theory: Form, Language, Complexity.