The Timeless Way of Building

In the 70’s the architect Christopher Alexander wrote a trilogy of books and like George Lucas he released them out of order.

• 1975, Volume 3, The Oregon Experiment demonstrates his incremental process as applied to the University of Oregon campus.
• 1977, Volume 2, A Pattern Language is a list of 253 architectural patterns that embody common design problems and their solutions.
• 1979, Volume 1, The Timeless Way of Building is the more philosophical foundation for Alexander’s approach to architecture.

The most popular, most discussed, and most influential book is A Pattern Language which went on to influence software design after a group of engineers called the “Gang of Four” made their own pattern language. It’s a shame, though, because they really cut the heart out of the series of books. The Timeless Way deserves to be the first book of the series because without it, the pattern language is just a catalog of clever moves.

The Timeless Way is written to be read in two ways, skimmed in one sitting, or chapter by chapter. There are italicized portions you can read through in one sitting by skipping over the roman text. Or you can read all the text like any other book. Alexander didn’t want readers to just read the first chapter or two and stop there. He gave them a path to skim the entire book so they can get the gist of the whole process. Because of that, the book reads like a liturgy, with a section for the priest to read out and a response for the audience.

Imagine trying to build sentences by shuffling words around on a piece of tracing paper.

What terrible sentences. The act of speech is a spontaneous, and immediate response to a situation. The more spontaneous it is, the more directly related to the situation, and the more beautiful. This spontaneity is governed by the rules of English which are disciplined and ordered; but the use of these rules, and the creation of a totality from them, takes place in the immediacy and fluidity of your own mind.

– Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building

This is a book I come back to when I want to reorient my thinking. When I’ve become too obsessed with frameworks and methodology. When I’m writing so carefully that I might as well be wandering in a hedge maze. At those times, I use this book to set myself free from my own overblown strictures.