Article

The 2001 Leadership Awards Hall of Fame: Christopher Alexander

01/06/2001

Article

Authors:

Bruce D. Snider

Published in:

Residential Architect, No. 5, pp. 42-50

Publisher:

Hanley Wood LLC., Washington, DC, U.S.A.

References

Projects

Sala House 1981 to 1983

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

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in Jun-1983

Client:

Mr. & Mrs. Andre and Anna Sala

C.E.S. staff:

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

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$180.000

Design and construction process:

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.

Project stages:

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

Three-story tower, 20 feet by 20 feet in plan on each floor, on a wooded, sloping site. The interior structure of the house is wood post and beam with pine panelling and hand-painted surfaces, and the exterior is a red ...
House for Ann Medlock and John Graham 1985 to 1988

Whidbey Island, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1988

Client:

Mrs. Ann Medlock and Mr. John Graham

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, James Maguire, Gary Black

Contractor:

Center for Environmental Structure in Joint Venture with Dow Corporation, Seattle - Curt Brown

Project cost:

$250,000

Project stages:

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 Direct Construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors und

All wood 3,000 square feet house, with extended landscaping, gardens and driveways. Its exterior is heavy timber and cedar paneling. All interior structures with built-in furnishings, walls, floors, ceilings, lighting, cabinets, desks, chairs, tables, were custom fitted to user layout ...
House for Daniel Potash and Maureen McCabe 1986 to 1988

1341 Butterfield Road, San Anselmo, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1988

Client:

Mr. Daniel Potash and Ms. Maureen McCabe

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Gary Black, Artemis Anninou, Chester Cervellino, Mark Brinner, Stephen Duff, Kleoniki Tsotropoulou

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$150,000

Project stages:

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

Complete reconstruction of existing house, with emphasis on the house kitchen. Hand painted interiors, hand-plaster work, furniture, and garden terraces; benches, seats, table, fireplace and floor of kitchen --all built and painted by C.E.S. Total construction 2,500 square feet.
House for Chris Upham and Stephanie Upham 1989 to 1994

37 Poppy Lane, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1994

Client:

Mr. & Mrs. Christopher and Stephanie Upham

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Randall Schmidt, Carl Lindberg, Gary Black, James Maguire

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$439,000

Project stages:

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

Two-story family house, with 2,400 square feet floor area, designed with the participation of the clients. The construction of a massive 15 high foot high retaining wall and sewer reconstruction caused by unusual hill condition added $96,000 to the house ...

SEE ALL Projects

Public Events

Hall of Fame 2001 Leadership Award 01/06/2001

Award-Honor, Architectural Journal Award

Awarded by:

Residential Architect Journal, Washington, DC, U.S.A. - the June 2001 issue featues the award

The ‘Residentail Architect’ journal editors selected Christopher Alexander to receive the 2001 leadership award Hall of Fame, for the houses he had built in the last 20 years and his contribution in the debate of what makes beautiful, functional and ...