The Morphology of Living Architecture, 2 / A Collection of Examples

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Book 1 Items

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

“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 2 Items

Geometry and Fifteen Fundamental Properties

Christopher Alexander recognized the importance of the geometry of centers and for years he was looking for the common structural features among buildings, paintings, streets, carpets, doors, windows, etc. which have "life" and "wholeness". He identified fifteen structural features which ...
Strong Centers in all Levels of Scale

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 ...

Projects 9 Items

Etna Street Cottage 1974

Etna Street, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1974

Experimental building project, two-story 400 sq. ft. cottage, with a hollow wooden structure filled with concrete and featherweight concrete vaults. Completed in ten weeks, without a building permit at the back of the C.E.S. office on Etna Street, and was ...
Linz Café 1980

Linz , Austria

Commercial, Realized , Construction completed in Jul-1980

Built as part of the international exposition "Forum Design" and designed to be "portable". Wooden building overlooking the Danube, with the first floor of the building raised to clear the ten-foot-high river embarkment. Yellow and red exterior, three stories, 2,300 ...
House for John and Mara Lighty 1981 to 1989

2675 Harness Drive, Berryessa Estates, Pope Valley, Napa County, CA, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in Aug-1989

Terraced house built for a couple; the house consists of six building volumes, gracefully positioned on a wooded slope among white oak trees, and includes the living room - kitchen volume, the studio volume, the bedroom - library volume, a ...
Eishin Campus - High School: Campus Pedestrian Streets Network 1986 to 1989

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

Educational, Realized , Construction completed in 1989

The Eishin Campus pedestrian network includes a main square connected to the homebase wide street, narrow streets, arcaded alleys, paths and courtyards, fences, gates and terraces. It starts with a small square in front of the small gate, continues with ...
Julian Street Inn - Shelter for the Homeless 1986 to 1990

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

Civic, Realized , Construction completed in 1989; final interior painting in 1990

Design and construction of a shelter for homeless people, to serve 50 to 100 people, on a site of 13,000 sf. The building of 15,000 square feet includes offices, living areas with a dining hall, sleeping rooms, courtyards and gardens. ...
Nyingma Buddhist Monastery 1988 to 1989

Kathmandu, Nepal

Civic, Designed , Not built

Tibetan Buddist Study Center, a monastic and educational facility for 300 monks, at the outskirts of Kathmandu, to be built by the monks themselves using 70% self help and 30% professional labor. Approximate area of construction 122,000 square feet, ...
Exhibition Galleries: Ancient Color and Geometry, De Young Museum 1990

San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Other, Realized , Construction completed in Oct-1990

Four gallery reconstruction and installation in the De Young Museum, San Francisco, including interior construction, color, lighting, and installation and hanging of the carpets.
Neighborhood of Five Houses: Goddu House 1992 to 1996

Lake Travis, Austin, TX, U.S.A.

Residential, Realized , Construction completed in 1995

Design and construction of a family house for Mike and Patricia Goddu, with an area of 2.500 square feet.
West Dean College Gardens Visitor's Center 1994 to 1996

Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Civic, Realized , Construction completed in Nov. 1995

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 ...

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Works of Art 2 Items

Tile with white slips on black glaze 1980

Personal Work of Art, Hand-glazed Tilework

Porcelain tile glazed in black with white slips; made at the same tile with the Linz café and resembles the painting on its interior walls.
Series of drinking glasses for Dutch Glassworks 1997

Personal Work of Art, Glasswork

Series of drinking glasses commissioned by Stichting Glasmanifestatie at Leerdam in The Netherlands in 1996, following an international glass event focused on the drinking glass.

Construction Innovations 4 Items

C.E.S. Office - Martinez House: Fireplace 1981

Work of Art for Project, All Concrete Fireplace

Count Rumford all concrete fireplace, has a flat and broad fire chamber, a very wide opening and a curved fire back; the flatness results form the exceptionally narrow hearth, which is the cause for the high heat effectiveness.
Sala House: Ornaments on the east and south facing walls of the house 1982

Work of Art for Project, Ornament

White precast concrete ornaments embedded in the rose colored concrete walls; secured on the formwork during the concrete pouring. A series of small ornaments spaced in equal intervals in the rose perimeter concrete band running on top of the windows; ...
Eishin Campus - High School: Roof eave detail for the homeroom buildings 1985

Building Detail, Roof & Eave

Heavy concrete cornice on the Homeroom buildings, when roof meets wall.
Julian Street Inn - Shelter for the Homeless: Exterior wall made of repetitive recessed bays framed by massive columns 1987

Building Detail, Wall Treatment

A long wall along the main street; the first floor wall is organized as an alternating repetition of cast concrete columns and plain recessed wall bays, all on a thick wall base, in contrast with the second floor wall, all ...

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