Truly brilliant.
Read it, then buy it as Christmas presents for your friends and family.
It is more about Philosophy than Building or Architecture.
Posted by chrismatts at October 8, 2003 5:28 PMI agree with your assessment. Though I love A Pattern Language, Timeless Way continues to provide deep insight into everything from software design, to human relationships, to design of work environments (e.g. agile, lean, etc.).
And, you're in store for even more treasures: The Nature of Order is coming out in volumes. Volume I: The Phenomenon of Life is out, as is I think Volume II: The Process of Creating Life. Volume I is amazing! There is more here than I could possibly summarize in a few sentences.
I think some of the most important ideas of the last 50 years.
Alexander tried to show that architecture connects people to their surroundings in an infinite number of ways, most of which are subconscious. For this reason, it was important to discover what works; what feels pleasant; what is psychologically nourishing; what attracts rather than repels. These solutions, found in much of vernacular architecture, were abstracted and synthesized into the "Pattern Language" about 20 years ago.
Posted by: alvin at December 10, 2004 10:10 AM