An Interview with Christopher Alexander: Part I

Christopher Alexander

The Center for Environmental Structure Publishing, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander

The Center for Environmental Structure Publishing, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander

The Center for Environmental Structure Publishing, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

700 Hillside, 94706, Albany, CA, U.S.A.

Mr. & Mrs. Andre and Anna Sala

Christopher Alexander, Gary Black, Bob Smith, David Turtle, Seth Wachtel, Andre Sala

Center for Environmetal Structure

$180.000

1) Personal vision: C.E.S. worked with the Sala family to gain an understanding of their needs and to derive from them a deep and personal vision of their house. 2) Layout on the site: several sessions on the site, laying out the exterior edges of the house volume along with outside courtyards, completed by C.E.S. staff working with the Salas. The interior rooms of the ground floor were also laid out on the site. 3) Preparation of drawings: At the end of the layout process it was possible for C.E.S. to prepare a set of drawings for the building permit from the City of Albany. 4) Construction commences and design continues; C.E.S. was the general contractor, and so the design process which had been begun in the first phase was carried through the construction phase, with many crucial on-site design decisions being made weekly, even daily, while the house was under construction. 5) Finishing touches: Hand-painted woodwork, color, details, furnishings, were done by C.E.S. staff and construction crews.

Pattern language for the project by clients and C.E.S. Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout Use of full scale mock-ups Direct Construction management along with on-site design decis

Julian St. & Montgomery St., San Jose, CA, U.S.A.

Housing for Independent People - Al DiLudovico, Executive Director

Christopher Alexander, Gary Black, Artemis Anninou, Carl Lindberg, James Maguire, Eleni Coromvli, Kleoniki Tsotropoulou

Oliver and Company, with Center for Environmetal Structure as major specialty subcontractor

$1,700,000

Pattern language for project by clients and C.E.S. Layout by clients and C.E.S. Use of full scale mock-ups Design Development and Building Permit drawings Direct Construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E

Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Edward James Foundation

Christopher Alexander, John Hewitt, students from "The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture", students from Portsmouth University

Center for Environmetal Structure, as Management Contractor and General Contractor of record, with John Hewitt as Project Manager

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Use of full scale mock-ups Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout Direct construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control Innovativ

Eli Bornstein