Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander

22/01/1977 to 29/06/1977

Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Interview

In 1975 the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Steven Grabow, Professor at the University of Kansas, School of Architecture and Urban Design, an Independent Study and Research Fellowship for the intellectual biography of Christopher Alexander. The terms of the fellowship provided for six monthes of independent study and research at the Center for Environmental Structure between January and June 1977. During these six months Steven Grabow had thirty-four meeting with Christopher Alexander, interviewing him, recording the conversations and then transcribing them. These interviews was the raw material for the book Steven wrote on Chris, published in 1983 as “Christopher Alexander – The Search for a New Paradigm in Architecture”.

Contents

Records 35 Items

Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The first transcript includes the Jan-22 interview 22/01/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

17-page handwritten transcript of the first interview titled “Main Points of 1/22/77 Interview”, including twenty-three bullet points. Most of the text is in the form of “Q” and “A” –questions by Stephen Grabow and answers by Christopher Alexander.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The second transcript includes the Jan-30 interview 30/01/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

28-page handwritten transcript of the second interview titled “Biographical Material”; it also includes “Addendum to Biographical 2/6/77”. Most of it is a narrative by Alexander on this childhood years, the years at Cambridge, how he ended up at Harvard in ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The third transcript includes part of the Jan-30 and the Jan-31 interviews 31/01/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

34-page handwritten transcript of the third interview titled “Bare Facts – Notes on 1/30/77 Interview + 1/31/77”. In the middle of the transcript there is a second underlined title “Alexander’s theory of generativity”. The discussion between the two is marked ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The fourth transcript includes the Feb-13 and the Feb-20 interviews 13/02/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

46-page handwritten transcript of the fourth interview titled “Why am I doing all this – The One – Science”, mainly discusses the ideas included in “The Timeless Way of Building” and “A Pattern Language”, the way they evolved, and the ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The fifth transcript includes the Feb-23 interview 23/02/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

14-page handwritten transcript of the fifth interview being a continuation of the previous one on the subject of “Science” and the notion of “IT”. The last three pages are titled “Addendum to 2/23/77”, which includes notes, questions and a diagram ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The sixth transcript includes the first part of the Feb-27 interview 27/02/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

7-page handwritten transcript of the sixth interview titled “Blackness & Whiteness + Inner Freedom” with the explanation ‘Interlude on the blackness and whiteness of judgement concerning IT’.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The seventh transcript includes the second part of the Feb-27 interview 27/02/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

15-page handwritten transcript of the seventh interview titled “Biographical material cont.)” with long narratives by Alexander about the years in Harvard, finishing the “The Notes”, recalling his work for the Indian village and the meeting with Prestini in Ahmedabad, his ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The eighth transcript includes the first part of the Mar-06 interview 06/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

3-page handwritten transcript of the eighth interview titled “Misgivings about empiricism with Whitehead Husserl”. Alexander clarifies his position on the subject of empitical reality.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The nineth transcript includes the second part of the Mar-06 interview 06/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

17-page handwritten transcript of the nineth interview titled “Biographical material cont.)”. It includes the months he spend in Europe during 1965-66, his research work in London and the events and ways that led him to start thinking about the ideas ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The tenth transcript includes the Mar-13 interview 13/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

30-page handwritten transcript of the tenth interview titled “The Question of Implementation”. It discusses the conditions which make the implementation of a project really successful, required processess and pattern languages developed for the project and its users, successes and difficulties ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The eleventh transcript includes the first part of the Mar-20 interview 20/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

15-page handwritten transcript of the eleventh interview titled “On Working with Others”. Alexander discusses his need and preference to work with others in order to make progress in his theories and works; he refers to student seminars and to the ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twelveth transcript includes the second part of the Mar-20 interview 20/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

30-page handwritten transcript of the twelveth interview titled “Biographical (cont,) – The first seminar in the pattern language”. It discusses the preparation for the 1967 first institutional seminar of CES in Inverness, the questions and subjects addressed in the seminar, ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirteenth transcript includes the Mar-23 interview 23/03/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

20-page handwritten transcript of the thirteenth interview titled “On Diagrams, Quality Without a Name and Fear”. It starts with a discussion on diagrams, their initial use for the Indian village, several articles, the BART project, and how Alexander started to ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The fourteenth transcript includes the Apr-6 interview 06/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

28-page handwritten transcript of the fourteenth interview titled “About the Book – On the possibility of Utopia – Seeding Process”. The issue of how the book will be organized and in what form Alexander’s narratives will be included in the ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The fifteenth transcript includes the Apr-10 interview 10/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

27-page handwritten transcript of the fifteenth interview titled “The Problem-Solving Abilities and Aesthetic Qualities of the Paradigm – Why Public not Private”. Aesthetics enter the discussion along with the geometric properties and the issue of a theory in scientific terms. ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The sixteenth transcript includes the first part of the Apr-17 interview 17/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

24-page handwritten transcript of the sixteenth interview titled “Continuation of ‘yearning, ‘awakening’, and the ‘reality of patterns + The Peak”. The importance of the well-being of society and the intense attention paid on human minutiae are brought up as characteristics ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The seventeenth transcript includes the second part of the Apr-17 interview 17/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

13-page handwritten transcript of the seventeenth interview titled “The Peak”. Alexander explains what he considers to be a “peak” and the way towards it.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The eighteenth transcript includes the Apr-21 interview 17/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

36-page handwritten transcript of the eighteenth interview titled “Biographical – The Center: Phase I + Emergence of consequences”. Discussion on the work of CES during the first years of its operation –1967 to 1972– which focus on research and experimentation ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The nineteenth transcript includes the Apr-25 interview 17/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

29-page handwritten transcript of the nineeenth interview titled “Biographical (cont.) – Consequences (cont.) – Transition to Phase II of the Center”. Discussion on the work of CES during the period from 1972 to 1977, during which the three first books ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twentieth transcript includes the Apr-27 interview 27/04/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

19-page handwritten transcript of the twentieth interview titled “The Actual Peak: What does it take to Make a Beautiful Building – why that’s difficult”. Discussion on the theory, the process and the importance of the actual physical thing.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-first transcript includes the May-01 interview 01/05/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

50-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-first interview titled “Biographic Cont. – Phase II of the Center”. Alexander expands the discussion into the social and practical politics that shape neighborhoods, the need for improving this structure, the importance of the architect-builder ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-second transcript includes the May-04 interview 04/05/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

35-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-second interview titled “Biographic (Cont.)”, being a foloow–up of the previous interview on phase II of the Center. Similar matters are discussed and expanded with reference to new CES projects. The question of making building ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-third transcript includes the May-07 interview 07/05/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

33-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-third interview titled “Biographic (Cont.) – The One cont.) + Color – Freedom”. The discussion starts with the topic of color, its relation to geometric properties and the process and continues with “The One” and ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-fourth transcript includes the May-26 interview 26/05/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

19-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-fourth interview titled “Smiling; Cosmic impiety; Cosmology; What about public buildings”. Alexander persists in explaining what he means by “beauty” and compares it with what a smile does on a face. The relevance of cosmology ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-fifth transcript includes the May-29 interview 29/05/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

28-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-fifth interview titled “Working with women – Art and Science – Cambridge Interview and Construction – Addendum to Search the Rules”. The transript text has for the first time subtitles — “The People” pp. 2-9, ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-seventh transcript includes the Jun-5 interview 05/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

23-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-seventh interview titled “Discussion of Publications (cont.) – Ty Lin story -Retaining wall Theory story”. The transcript of interview #26 has not been found. The first sentence on the transcript reads “Continuation of relationship between ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-eighth transcript includes the Jun-12 interview 12/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

32-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-eighth interview titled “Ingrid’s choosing of pictures – Three Hobbies – Patterns and Environments as living Systems (social change) + Ordinariness revisited – The sourse of yearning for things to be all right”. The largest ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The twenty-nineth transcript includes the Jun-14 interview 14/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

13-page handwritten transcript of the twenty-nineth interview titled “Mobility – Systems Generating Systems – The City is not a Tree (cont.) – On Making Things – Users – Memories of the Center years”. The largest section is on what it ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirtieth transcript includes the Jun-25 interview 25/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

7-page handwritten transcript of the thirtieth interview titled “About the Conclusuion: Art Science Unity, other Dualities”. Brief discussion and debate on the book ending.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirty-first transcript includes the first part of the Jun-27 interview 27/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

20-page handwritten transcript of the thirty-first interview titled “Political Structure (of an organic unity) – Processes (also unity of space idea)”. How patterns, processess, principles, ways of setting up a project shape the political and social structure of a project. ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirty-second transcript includes the second part of the Jun-27 interview 27/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

7-page handwritten transcript of the thirty-second interview titled “The Mapping Density Theorem”. Alexander talks about the aforementioned paper he wrote after “Subsymmetries” and how his lost manuscript “the Universe of Forms” inspired him on that direction.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirty-third transcript includes the first part of the Jun-29 interview 29/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

4-page handwritten transcript of the thirty-third interview titled “Second Waking up”. Alexander’s thoughts and experiences when reading “The Supreme Doctrine” by H. Benoit.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - The thirty-fourth transcript includes the second part of the Jun-29 interview 29/06/1977

Event Document, Interview Transcript

9-page handwritten transcript of the thirty-fourth interview titled “Computer Program for Sunlight – Construction of Shells”. Discussion on Alexander’s attempts to create a computer program which maximizes sunlight given a height and density limit, and on his work for new ...
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - Inventory of Conversation with Steve 01/07/1977

Event Document, Informative

Two typewritten pages with the list of items discussed during the interviews with brief explanatory texts, followed by a page with handwritten notes.
Steven Grabow Interviews Christopher Alexander: Grabow recorded and transcribed the interviews, being the raw material for his book on Alexander - Steve's Transcript Numbers 01/07/1977

Event Document, Informative

List of the thirty-four transcripts of the interviews with dates. The #26 transcript, dated Jun-1 has not been found in the physical archive.

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