Chapter 7. The Character of Gardens

Book title:

The Nature of Order – An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe.
Book Three – A Vision of a Living World

Pages:

228-256

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Content of

Book

The Nature of Order - An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe. Book Three - A Vision of a Living World 2005

Authors:

Christopher Alexander

Publisher:

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

No of pages:

697 pp

“A Vision of a Living World”, the third volume of “The Nature of Order” series, presents, for the first time, a full spectrum of Alexander’s and CES built and unbuilt works. The book describes hundreds of buildings, plans, neighborhoods, drawings, ...

References

Scientific Research

The Unfolding of Public Space and Gardens as Positive Space

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Structure Preserving Transformations

Outdoor space is positive when it is shaped just as a room is shaped. It has a contained character, it is bounded by walls, fences, natural vegetation, enclosure of some kind. It looks into other positive spaces, some larger, some ...
Strong Centers in all Levels of Scale

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Structure Preserving Transformations

A building can only amount to something as a living thing when the various physical elements which appear in it are profound centers. The dominant feature of the process that is working correctly is that new centers are formed, and ...
A New Approach to Design and Construction Management

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Construction Process

A new kind of design/construction/management process, especially for large projects, is required, which will allow the building to be conceived, designed and built so that it comes to life. Below are the ground rules of such a process, already tried ...

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 ...
Eishin Campus - High School: Campus Gardens and Landscape 1986 to 1989

Nihongi 112-1, Iruma-shi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan

Educational, Realized , Construction completed in 1989

Client:

Higashino High School - Hisae Hosoi, Managing Director

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Hans-Joachim Neis, Gary Black, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King

Contractor:

Center for Environmental Structure, Japan

Project cost:

$1,500,000

Design and construction process:

The design of the landscape for the Eishin School Campus is created by, and influences the buildings on the site. The intent was to create a complete environment to compel learning and creativity in the most positive and beautiful way. Various elements designed into the landscape work to create this harmonious atmosphere, of which the following are examples. Gates were designed to invite the visitor to continue along the paths and streets of the site, as well as to create an act of entrance and passage. The main homebase street is formed by the individual homeroom buildings. It is a wide, lively, sunny street, which creates a forum where the students can come together outdoors, as a larger group, and where lively activity can unfold. In between the buildings, small gardens are created, separated from the activity of the street by fences. Other gardens are formed along the galleries which connect the rooms of the faculty hall. In front of the lounge is a teacher's garden for resting and enjoyment. The lake was created as a major element of the campus. In the early phase of design for the school, teachers and students indicated that one element they felt most important to be a part of the school, was a body of water. It is a focus for activity, with ducks and boats accessible by students, as well as for quiet reflection and beauty. A wooden bridge arches over the lake, making the entire campus accessible.

Project stages:

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Direct construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control

The 62-hectare Campus site is mostly covered by green areas and is organized with gardens, sport fields, trees, a grove, a lawn, and a large number of tea bushes in strategic positions, preserved as found on the site. A lake ...
Farmers' Market 1982 to 1985

North Blackstone Avenue and West Shaw Avenue, Fresno, CA, U.S.A.

Commercial, Realized , Construction completed in 1985

Client:

Mr. Richard Erganian

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Carl Lindberg, Jonathan Fefferman, Artemis Anninou

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$80,000

Project stages:

Layout on the site by C.E.S. 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 Innovative construction methods

A trellised structure to form the main spine for the weekly Farmer's open air market in Fresno, with 6,000 square foot floor area. Redwood arched trusses, on concrete block piers, 120 feet long, and 40 feet wide. Floor of grey ...
Two Swimming Pools and House Extension 1984 to 1985

Sonoma, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in Nov-1985

Client:

Mr. George Sarlo

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Mark Briner, Eleni Coromvli, others

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure

Project cost:

$25,000

Project stages:

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Use of full scale mock-ups No drawings were produced Direct construction management and on-site design decisions

Hot tub and cold tub hand-worked in yellow, green and white terrazzo, surrounded by a marble decked outdoor room with seats. Trellised walk, stairs and decking through the house gardens leading to the spa area.
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 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 ...
West Dean College Gardens Visitor's Center 1994 to 1996

Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Civic, Realized , Construction completed in Nov. 1995

Client:

Edward James Foundation

C.E.S. staff:

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

Contractor:

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

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 Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control Innovativ

The West Dean Center is a simple one-story masonry building with a large red-tiled roof and intricate brickwork for its thick walls. The building is surrounded by gardens, and its south facing wall has large arched windows overlooking the garden ...
Reconstruction of an Urban Neighborhood 1996

Progresso, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, U.S.A.

Neighborhood Planning, Designed , Completed in 1996

Client:

City of Ft. Lauderdale

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Saul Pichardo, Chris Andrews, Shawn Bradbury

Project stages:

Generative rules for urban growth process Generative rules for the neighborhood layout process Implementation process

Plan for the rejuvenation of the Flagler Heights/Progresso community, an urban neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a congested slum-like, unprepossessing and disordered quite large area of the city, about half a mile by three-quartes of a mile. The project proposal ...

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