The Relative “Oneness”

Winter 1977

On “Oneness”, as wholeness was initially approached; introduction of the centering process and the geometric properties. Tasks focused on definition of properties and their relationship to patterns; on the process for making a good rug; and on the process for a small building recognizing three phases – 1. Definition of space, 2. Creation of structure, 3. Creation of ornament and color.

Contents

Course Material 9 Items

Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Student notes on how to determine and measure "Oneness" 01/03/1977

Student Work, Essays

9-page student essay with the following headings: An Experiment to determine the Relative “Oneness” of a collection of structures; Further objective measure of oneness, possibly; Further Notes for an Experimental Determination of Oneness; Excerpts from “Altered States of Awareness: Reading ...
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Course work on the formulation of patterns and the relationship between patterns and properties of space 01/03/1977

Student Work, Design Studio Course Notes

Two sets of student class notes: a) 19-page copy of a section from “A Pattern Language” which presents the sequence of patterns as a ‘base map’; b) 18-page student notes on the formulation of patterns mostly for public buildings, with ...
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Notes on the course, possibly by Christopher Alexander 01/03/1977

Design Studio Course, Handout to Students

Four pages with notes on the course named “Possible list of topics” and one more titled “A note on method and metaphysics” .
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Centering Process, Second Draft, March 3 1977: Part I - Overview; Part II - The Operation; Part III - The Definition of a Center 03/03/1977

Research Paper, Handout to Students

7-page paper by Christopher Alexander, one of his first attempts to define the Centering Process.
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Notes from different students for a class assignment with a proposed seven part outline: I. The Unnamable; II. The force and the 12 properties; III: The state of mind; IV. The generative process; V. The relationship to the PL; VI. Universal Implications; VII: Appendix - Experiments? 01/03/1977

Student Work, Essays

Five different incomplete essays, mostly thoughts noted in the form of bullet points; essays do not bear the names of authors.
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Review of Results, Axioms, Assumptions 01/03/1977

Research Paper, Handout to Students

8-page notes with 60 bullet points starting with the statement “There are some buildings which have more feeling than others” and through a series of sequential statements introduces certain recognizable geometric properties, and further continuing the trail of thought on ...
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Course description with bibliography 01/01/1977

Design Studio Course, Syllabus, Bibliography

14-page description of the course, which includes the following four items: The list of student names, tasks which will be coming up in the next few weeks, ten pages of bibliography, and two pages with the library hours. .
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Four student Essays on the design process with references to "Oneness" and geometric properties 01/03/1977

Student Work, Essays

Four student essays: a) eight pages on “What do we mean by saying that Nature is trying to come to a state of Oneness”, unidentified author; b) five pages on “The Minimum Energy Principle”, unidentified author; c) five pages on ...
Arch 280, Winter 1977 - The Relative "Oneness": Course work on defining the process and sequential steps for the design of ornaments 01/02/1977

Student Work, Essays

Ten essays by students on the geometric properties a good ornament must have and the design process to be followed; essays include descriptive text, rule outlines and sketches .

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References

Scientific Research 1 Items

Wholeness and the Theory of Centers

Christoper Alexander defined and described wholeness as an idea to view and shape space, and searched for ways to formulate and represent wholeness in precise terms, as a structure. He idenfied the entities with 'strength' give structure to what is ...

Books 1 Items

The Nature of Order - An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe. Book One - The Phenomenon of Life 2002

“The Phenomenon of Life”, the first volume of “The Nature of Order” series proposes a scientific view of the world in which all space-matter has perceptible degrees of life and sets this understanding of order as an intellectual basis for ...