Correspondence

Low-Cost Houses for Mexicali: Expressing thoughts and impressions after reading “The Production of Houses”, and also his desire to address the need of providing solutions to the urbanization problems of Cape Town. Also, requesting specific information on the project in Mexicali before visiting the project site, and a meeting with Christopher Alexander, upon his visit to the United States, for discussing the project

01/04/1991

Expression of Interest, Request for Feedback

Sender:

Peter Southworth, Nedperm Bank Limited Baperk, Cape Town, South Africa

Recipient:

Christopher Alexander, Center for Environmental Structure , Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Medium:

Letter

Content of

Project

Low Cost Houses for Mexicali 1975 to 1977

Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

Low Cost Housing, Realized , Construction completed in 1977

Client:

Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Mexicali - Mr. Jorge Nunez, Director of the School of Architecture

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, Julio Martinez, Howard Davis, Donald Corner, students and families

Contractor:

Built by the families and local subcontractors under the management of the Center for Environmental Structure

Sponsor:

University of Baja California

Project cost:

$70,000

Project stages:

Pattern language for the project by C.E.S. Layout on the ground by clients and C.E.S. Preliminary Design drawings done after layout Direct Construction management along with on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control Users in

A cluster of houses for large families, with a builders yard, built by the families themselves with the help of students from the Universidad Autonoma of Mexico, and a team of builders from the Center for Environmental Structure. Each house ...

References

Published Books

The Production of Houses 01/01/1985

Publication, Original Book

Authors:

Christopher Alexander, Howard Davis, Julio Martinez, Donald Corner

Publisher:

Oxford University Press, New York, NY, U.S.A.

The fifth volume in “The Center for Environmental Structure Series” on architecture published by Oxford University Press, “The Production of Houses” puts Alexander’s theories to the test and shows what sort of production system can create the kind of environment Alexander ...