A Pattern Language by

A Pattern Language was written by a group of designers trying to change the way we plan our living spaces. Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein with Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King and Shlomo Angel use the book to discuss different approaches towards architecture, buildings and planning. The writers believe that people should design their homes, streets and communities to suit their own needs. These books are radical in their ideas. The group of writers believe that people and not architects designed the most wonderful places in the world. The name of the book Pattern Language gives the book its core point that when people design their environments they use a kind of language. This language allows them to correspond in different ways within a design setting that can give them coherence.

The units of this Language Patterns has the answers to design problems such as how many stories you should have on your home, and how much grass and tree’s should be in a city park. There are more than 250 patterns that give design problems a solution. The book also gives diagrams to show how the authors think the pattern should work in design situations.

The Authors look at classical cities and towns and the way they are planned out.  Unfortunately they do not specify within the text where these locations are which they are referencing from, although some of the sketches are places that will be recognizable to people that live locally. 

The way the book has been written is that if you don’t not take the authors line of thought then you are not designing in the right way according to their laws. I feel that this is not right I would prefer the book if you were able to feel as if it was just guidelines.

The main points within the book is that they believe that you should follow their laws in the building of towns, house and other spaces.