Participation of the Users in the Design Process – Testing and Applying Pattern Languages and Layout Rules

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

269-270

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

270-273

St.Quentin-en-Yvelines, Paris , France

French Ministry of Housing - Francois Choay

Christopher Alexander, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Walter V. Wendler

Preliminary Design Construction Schedule

Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

City of Berkeley Master Plan Revision Committee

Christopher Alexander, Howard Davis, Halim Abdelhalim

Pattern language for the project by C.E.S. Generic rules for urban growth process

Galilee, Israel

The Jewish Agency of Israel; the Ministry of Housing; the Garin Sof Ma'arav

Christopher Alexander, Amos Gitai, Howard Davis, Artemis Anninou, Nili Portugali

Jewish Agency general contractor and subcontractors

$3,000,000

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Generic rules for urban growth process Design Development drawings done after layout

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

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

Higashino High School - Hisae Hosoi, Managing Director

Christopher Alexander - Chief Architect, Hans-Joachim Neis - Executive Architect, Gary Black - Structural Engineer, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King - Architect, Artemis Anninou - Architect

Fujita Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

The work on the design of project performed by C.E.S. was divided in four phases. 1) Creation of a pattern language; 2) Layout on the site; 3) Design of the individual buildings; 4) Working drawings 1) The first step in the project was to create a pattern language for the school. This was achieved by spending a total of 1200 man-hours discussing the many requirements with the various teachers, professors and staff of the Eishin School. The results of these interviews and discussions were condensed into a coherent vision, which was written up in the form of patterns (a written documentation that describes a physical reality). A copy of the pattern language that was created had been included as part of the submission to the client. 2) The next step in the process was to lay out the various buildings and outdoor spaces on the site. The main goal in this step was to position the buildings so that they form positive outdoor spaces, and to use stakes to mark the corners so that all of the concerned parties can get an actual physical sense of how the site will feel when the buildings were built. When the site felt as though it was laid out just right, the position of each building was recorded. From this record an overall site plan was drawn. At the same time that this process was going on, a large-scale site model was under continuous development in the C.E.S. office in Japan, where the users could see it and discuss it, day by day, as the work proceeded. This played an important role in helping to establish a direct connection between the users, and the site plan of the finished campus. 3) The third step in the process was the design of the individual buildings. In the Eishin School project, 35 buildings in all were designed. During this phase, various types of construction were considered which could capture the vision of the project. Some of the buildings were designed as concrete block, some were plastered concrete, and others were constructed out of heavy timber. 4) In the fourth stage, preparation of working drawings and permission, C.E.S. did its own engineering and construction estimation. Many of the buildings have unique engineering behavior, which was developed on the C.E.S. computer programs by the C.E.S. engineering staff. C.E.S. also did extensive full-scale mock-ups of crucial materials and construction details during this stage, to guarantee that the final buildings would have the emotional reality with project staff was seeking.

Pattern language for the project by clients and C.E.S. Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Generic rules for urban growth process Use of full scale mock-ups Design Development and Construction Drawings done after layout Innovative construction m

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

Mrs. Ann Medlock and Mr. John Graham

Christopher Alexander, James Maguire, Gary Black

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

$250,000

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

1509A San Pablo Avenue, 94702, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Mrs. Anna Sala, Ms. Josie Jurcivina

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black, Mark Brinner

Center for Environmetal Structure

$20,000

1) Layout of the offices by "Sweet Potatoes" employees: They used a patented office furniture layout process developed by C.E.S. This process allowed users to work with C.E.S. staff to lay out all common areas and individual workstations for themselves. The result was a highly personalized plan of the office, generated entirely by "Sweet Potatoes" employees. 2) Design and fabrication of the individual pieces of furniture at the C.E.S. Workshop in Martinez 3) Installation of the furniture by C.E.S. Personnel: As pieces were completed, they were shipped to Sweet Potatoes, where the C.E.S. assembly crew installed the different items, including thick walls, columns, doorways, desks, lighting, ceilings, floors, cabinets, screens, chairs.

Office layout process used by clients Layout on site by clients and C.E.S. Design Development drawings done after layout Direct Construction management and on-site design decisions

Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda, Colombia

The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) - John A. Neilson, Professional Advisor; "Construyamos" La Camara De Vivienda Popular Por Autogestion Communitaria - Mr. Hernan Mesa, President

Christopher Alexander, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Artemis Anninou, Kleoniki Tsotropoulou, Fanta Lawrence, Seth Wachtel, Jeannie Radcliffe

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

World Bank; Canadian Government (CETA); University of California

The step-by-step process on design consisted of discrete design phases, in the following order. 1) Site: The overall configuration of the project arose from the qualities and features of the land.The layout was done directly on the site, working with stakes and earth-moving equipment, in parallel to working with models. Common space in the form of central terraces, formed the central axis across the contours. Roads run on contours, perpendicular to the axis. The final layout was surveyed and presented as an initial subdivision map. 2) Streets: The forming of the streets was tightly connected to the "contribution" of each house to the formation of a larger whole, this being a public space --street, alley, terrace. Simple rules were followed with regards to the location of the main volume of each house and the determination of main levels -- sidewalk, front garden and main floor. As a result, the house volumes form a continuous street wall behind a front garden, while both house volume and width of parcel vary. The result of this phase was, besides giving shape to the streets and open public space, the plan and sections of foundation and retaining wall for each lot, and consequently the levels of the streets. This process was conducted with stakes on the site by the members of C.E.S. with representatives of Construyamos and the housing group. The detailed layout and lot subdivision was surveyed and presented. 3) House Design: Individual families working with a C.E.S. "layout coordinator" took over, working with stakes for the layout of their house directly on the individual site. Phase One of the House Layout: The first phase involves designing "five major centers": garden, veranda, comedor, final configuration of exterior volume, final configuration of front yard. Phase Two of the House Layout: The second phase is devoted to the interior layout of the house in detail: entering sequence, kitchen, sala, main stair, etc. 4) Construction: Members of the families were involved in the construction of the project. The first house was completed in Nov. 1990 to serve as a prototype house for the project as a whole.

Pattern language for the project by clients and C.E.S. Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Layout on the site by the families and C.E.S. Generative rules for urban growth process Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout D

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

Zeeland, MI, U.S.A.

Herman Miller, Inc. - Rob Harvey, Vice President

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black

Theree design principles guided the development of the project: 1) Layout of the personal work space by their users in order to meet their own personal needs; this process is achievable through the use of a computer program developed at C.E.S. which carries a worker through the design process. 2) Use of flexible manufacturing techniques, which allow individualisation of each piece of furniture, without increasing costs; the purpose of this feature is to eliminate the modularity that is part and parcel of current systems. 3) The basis of design is the real human needs and desires, not on the latest trend.

Generic rules for office layout process Use of full scale mock-ups Fabrication of full size furniture prototypes and office rooms by C.E.S. Design Development drawings done after fabrication

Nagoya, Japan

City of Nagoya and Nagoya Forum for Living Environment - Mr. Tokio Kamiya, Director of Urban Improvement Project

Christopher Alexander, Miyoko Tsutsui

Expected construction cost: $45,000,000

Preliminary Design stage completed

Hazama & Kusunoki areas, Nagoya, Japan

Christopher Alexander, Miyoko Tsutsui, Hiroshi Nakano, Keiko Ono

Preliminary Design stage completed

Hoechst, Frankfurt, Germany

Hoechst Pharmaceutical Company, Housing Department - Dr. Harald Kloetsch

Christopher Alexander

Innovations in user participation

Generative rules for urban growth process Generative rules for layout on the site by users Preliminary Design stage completed

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

City of Ft. Lauderdale

Christopher Alexander, Saul Pichardo, Chris Andrews, Shawn Bradbury

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

Christopher Alexander, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Original on Paper

8 1/2"x11"

Christopher Alexander, Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Original on Tracing Paper

16 3/8"x23"

Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein, Shlomo Angel, Sara Ishikawa, Denny Abrams, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

8 1/2"x11"

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Nili Portugali, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Sepia

34"x40"

1:1000

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

5 1/2"x5 1/2", 6 1/2"x8 1/2", 8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

5 1/2"x5 1/2", 6 1/2"x8 1/2", 8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

5 1/2"x5 1/2", 6 1/2"x8 1/2", 8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

5 1/2"x5 1/2", 6 1/2"x8 1/2", 8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

5 1/2"x5 1/2", 6 1/2"x8 1/2", 8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Nili Portugali, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Photocopy

8 1/2"x11"

1:50

Christopher Alexander, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King, Hansjoachim Neis, Hiroshi Nakano, Ken Petermann, Artemis Anninou, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

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

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

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander, et al., Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.
Hansjoachim Neis, Hajo Neis and Associates, Frankfurt, Germany

English, German

Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein, Shlomo Angel, Sara Ishikawa, Denny Abrams, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander, Murray Silverstein, Shlomo Angel, Sara Ishikawa, Denny Abrams, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Danny Bell-Kligler, Garin Sof Ma'arav, San Jose, CA, U.S.A.

Nili Portugali, Center for Environmental Structure, Jerusalem, Israel

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

Nili Portugali, Center for Environmental Structure, Jerusalem, Israel

People of Moshav, Garin Sof Ma'arav, Jerusalem, Israel

Artemis Anninou, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Artemis Anninou, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

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

Christopher Alexander, Artemis Anninou, Gary Black, Center for Environmental Structure, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

PMT

12"x18", 8"x10", B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

PMT

8"x9", B&W

Artemis Anninou/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

Color

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Digital, Print

8"x10", B&W

Mark Darley/Esto, Albany, CA, U.S.A.

Digital, Slide

Color

Artemis Anninou/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Print

4"x6", Color

Artemis Anninou/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Negative

35mm, Color

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Slide

Color

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Martinez, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Miyoko Takeda, Nagoya, Japan

Digital

Color

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Digital

B&W