Pattern (architecture)

Pattern in architecture is the idea of capturing architectural design ideas as archetypal and reusable descriptions. The term "pattern" is usually attributed to Christopher Alexander, an Austrian born American architect. The patterns serve as an aid to design cities and buildings. The concept of having collections of "patterns", or typical samples as such, is much older. One can think of these collections as forming a pattern language, whereas the elements of this language may be combined, governed by certain rules.

Alexander's idea of patterns

Alexander's patterns seek to provide a source of proven ideas for individuals and communities to use in constructing their living and working environment. As such their aim is both aesthetic and political: to show how beautiful, comfortable and flexible built environments can be constructed, and to enable those people who will inhabit those environments to challenge any solution forced upon them.

A pattern records the design decisions taken by many builders in many places over many years in order to resolve a particular problem. Alexander describes a problem in terms of the so-called forces that act in it, and the solution is said to resolve those forces.

Pattern language

Patterns may be collected together into a pattern language that addresses a particular domain. A large body of patterns was published by Alexander and his collaborators as A Pattern Language. The patterns in that book were intended to enable communities to construct and modify their own homes, workplaces, towns and cities.

Other than Alexander's own projects, few building projects have tried to use Alexander's patterns. Those that have, have met a mixed responses from other architects and builders, architectural critics and users. Alexander has come to believe that patterns themselves are not enough, and that one needs a "morphogenetic" understanding of the formation of the built environment; he has published his ideas in the four-volume work The Nature of Order.

While the pattern language idea has so far had limited impact in the building industry, it has had a profound influence on many workers in the information technology industry.

See also

• Pattern language
• Design pattern (disambiguation)
• Design pattern (computer science)

Patterns of Architecture AD (Guest-Edited by Mark Garcia, published by Wiley in Nov 2009) ISBN: 978-0-470-69959-1 is a new theorisation of patterns in interior, architectural, urban and landscape design. Throughout history, pattern making has been ubiquitous and unavoidable. The human propensity for pattern recognition and fabrication is innate, reflecting the self-organising, emergent and complex processes of the natural world. Encompassing the historical, vernacular and parametric, this title explores the creation, materialisation and theorisation of some of the world’s most significant and spectacularly patterned spaces. It investigates how interiors, buildings, cities and landscapes are patterned through design, production and manufacturing, use, time, accident and perception. It new research into how contemporary advanced spatial practices and CAD/CAM are now pushing patterns to a greater range of structural, technical, functional, programmatic, aesthetic and material qualities. Extending patterns far beyond the surface notion of style, decoration, ornament, taste and fashion, The Patterns of Architecture AD explores how the performance of patterns form complex emotive and multisensory systems such (as with branding, identity and place-making) which are often intangible and invisible. Projective and speculative, this issue of AD assesses how and why the deployment of patterns as new critical, experimental, sustainable and active forms of spatial, organisational and intelligent systems are shaping the futures of architecture and patterns.

• Analysed through a multidisciplinary and international series of essays and designs from architects, engineers, academics, researchers and expert professionals in the field. • Key contributors include: Patrik Schumacher, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Hanif Kara, Julian Vincent, Mark Garcia, Achim Menges and Michael Hensel, Mark Taylor, Brian McGrath and Simon Swaffield. • Includes projects from Zaha Hadid Architects, Adams Kara Taylor, Foreign Office Architects, Jun Aoki and Schools of Architecture including the Royal College of Art, Architectural Association, Cornell University, Queensland University of Technology and the Vienna University of Technology.

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470699590.html

Mark Garcia is the Research Co-ordinator in the Department of Architecture, Royal College of Art, London.