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Christopher Alexander Quotes


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Quotes by Christopher Alexander

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In an organic environment, every place is unique, and the different places also cooperate, with no parts left over, to create a global whole - a whole which can be identified by everyone who is part of it.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Also Cooperate Create Different Different Places Environment Every Everyone Global Identified Left Organic Over Part Parts Place Places Unique Which Who Whole

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Speaking as a builder, if you start something, you must have a vision of the thing which arises from your instinct about preserving and enhancing what is there.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: About Arises Builder Enhancing Instinct Must Preserving Something Speaking Start Thing Vision Which You Your

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I believe that all centers that appear in space - whether they originate in biology, in physical forces, in pure geometry, in color - are alike simply in that they all animate space. It is this animated space that has its functional effect upon the world, that determines the way things work, that governs the presence of harmony and life.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Alike Animate Animated Appear Believe Biology Centers Color Determines Effect Forces Functional Geometry Governs Harmony Life Originate Physical Presence Pure Simply Space Things Way Whether Work World I Believe I Believe That

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A building or a town will only be alive to the extent that it is governed in a timeless way. It is a process which brings order out of nothing but ourselves; it cannot be attained, but it will happen of its own accord, if we will only let it.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Accord Alive Attained Brings Building Cannot Extent Governed Happen Nothing Only Order Ourselves Out Own Process Timeless Town Way Which Will

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The more living patterns there are in a place - a room, a building, or a town - the more it comes to life as an entirety, the more it glows, the more it has that self-maintaining fire which is the quality without a name.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Building Entirety Fire Life Living More Name Patterns Place Quality Room Town Which Without

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In short, no pattern is an isolated entity. Each pattern can exist in the world only to the extent that is supported by other patterns: the larger patterns in which it is embedded, the patterns of the same size that surround it, and the smaller patterns which are embedded in it.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Each Embedded Entity Exist Extent Isolated Larger Only Other Pattern Patterns Same Short Size Smaller Supported Surround Which World

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This is a fundamental view of the world. It says that when you build a thing you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent, and more whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature, as you make it.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Around Becomes Build Cannot Coherent Fundamental Isolation Larger Make Merely More Must Nature Place Repair Says Takes Thing View Web Which Whole Within World You

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We define organic order as the kind of order that is achieved when there is a perfect balance between the needs of the parts, and the needs of the whole.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Achieved Balance Between Define Kind Needs Order Organic Parts Perfect Whole

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Nowadays, the process of growth and development almost never seems to manage to create this subtle balance between the importance of the individual parts, and the coherence of the environment as a whole. One or the other always dominates.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: Almost Always Balance Between Coherence Create Development Environment Growth Importance Individual Manage Never Nowadays Other Parts Process Seems Subtle Whole

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I mean, making simulations of what you're going to build is tremendously useful if you can get feedback from them that will tell you where you've gone wrong and what you can do about it.

~Christopher Alexander

Topics: About Build Feedback Get Going Gone Making Mean Tell Them Tremendously Useful Where Will Wrong You

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Biography

Nationality: American

Type: Architect

Born: October 4th, 1936

Links

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