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Christopher Alexander Quotes


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Quotes by Christopher Alexander

Showing 1-10 of 27 Quotes by Christopher Alexander

There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has ever been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Always Been Building Buildings Center Close Ever Feels Great Home Made Man Old Past People Same Temples Thousand Thousand Years Timeless Today Traditional Very Villages Way Were Which Who Years

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To seek the timeless way we must first know the quality without a name. There is a central quality which is the root criterion of life and spirit in a man, a town, a building, or a wilderness. This quality is objective and precise, but it cannot be named.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Building Cannot Central Criterion First Know Life Man Must Name Named Objective Precise Quality Root Seek Spirit Timeless Town Way Which Wilderness Without

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We are searching for some kind of harmony between two intangibles: a form which we have not yet designed and a context which we cannot properly describe.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Between Cannot Context Describe Designed Form Harmony Kind Properly Searching Some Two We Cannot Which

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To work our way towards a shared language once again, we must first learn how to discover patterns which are deep, and capable of generating life.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Again Capable Deep Discover First Generating How Language Learn Life Must Once Our Patterns Shared Towards Way Which Work

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It is not possible to make great buildings, or great towns, beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive, except by following this way. And, as you will see, this way will lead anyone who looks for it to buildings which are themselves as ancient in their form, as the trees and hills, and as our faces are.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Alive Ancient Anyone Beautiful Beautiful Places Buildings Except Faces Feel Following Form Great Hills Lead Looks Make Our Places Possible See Themselves Towns Trees Way Where Which Who Will You Yourself

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The structure of life I have described in buildings - the structure which I believe to be objective - is deeply and inextricably connected with the human person, and with the innermost nature of human feeling.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Believe Buildings Connected Deeply Feeling Human Innermost Life Nature Objective Person Structure Which I Believe

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But in practice master plans fail - because they create totalitarian order, not organic order. They are too rigid; they cannot easily adapt to the natural and unpredictable changes that inevitably arise in the life of a community.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Adapt Arise Because Cannot Changes Community Create Easily Fail Inevitably Life Master Natural Order Organic Plans Practice Rigid Too Totalitarian Unpredictable

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When you make something, cleaning it out of structural debris is one of the most vital things you do.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Cleaning Make Most Out Something Structural Things Vital You

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Drawings help people to work out intricate relationships between parts.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Between Drawings Help Help People Intricate Out Parts People Relationships Work Work Out

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Everyone is aware that most of the built environment today lacks a natural order, an order which presents itself very strongly in places that were built centuries ago.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Aware Built Centuries Environment Everyone Itself Lacks Most Natural Natural Order Order Places Presents Strongly Today Very Were Which

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Architect

Born: October 4th, 1936

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