Items related to Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Harvard Paperbacks)

Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Harvard Paperbacks) - Softcover

 
9780674627512: Notes on the Synthesis of Form (Harvard Paperbacks)
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

“These notes are about the process of design: the process of inventing things which display new physical order, organization, form, in response to function.” This book, opening with these words, presents an entirely new theory of the process of design.

In the first part of the book, Christopher Alexander discusses the process by which a form is adapted to the context of human needs and demands that has called it into being. He shows that such an adaptive process will be successful only if it proceeds piecemeal instead of all at once. It is for this reason that forms from traditional un-self-conscious cultures, molded not by designers but by the slow pattern of changes within tradition, are so beautifully organized and adapted. When the designer, in our own self-conscious culture, is called on to create a form that is adapted to its context he is unsuccessful, because the preconceived categories out of which he builds his picture of the problem do not correspond to the inherent components of the problem, and therefore lead only to the arbitrariness, willfulness, and lack of understanding which plague the design of modern buildings and modern cities.

In the second part, Mr. Alexander presents a method by which the designer may bring his full creative imagination into play, and yet avoid the traps of irrelevant preconception. He shows that, whenever a problem is stated, it is possible to ignore existing concepts and to create new concepts, out of the structure of the problem itself, which do correspond correctly to what he calls the subsystems of the adaptive process. By treating each of these subsystems as a separate subproblem, the designer can translate the new concepts into form. The form, because of the process, will be well-adapted to its context, non-arbitrary, and correct.

The mathematics underlying this method, based mainly on set theory, is fully developed in a long appendix. Another appendix demonstrates the application of the method to the design of an Indian village.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
“One of the most important contemporary books about the art of design, what it is, and how to go about it.”Industrial Design

“Christopher Alexander has outlined an ambitious proposal that could revolutionize the approach to architectural design... His method cannot help but become ‘a very powerful tool indeed’ for those who would deal with projects of the complex present and the growing complexity of the future.”Progressive Architecture

“The success or failure of the designed environment will remain, as always, a human responsibility... Alexander’s assertions are not only challenging and stimulating but informative.”American Institute of Architects Journal

“An important book for the urban designer and planner...stimulating and certainly controversial... It may one day prove to be a landmark in design methodology.”Journal of the American Institute of Planners

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780674627505: Notes on the Synthesis of Form

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780674627505
Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1964
Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Seller Image

Alexander, Christopher W.
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Softcover Quantity: 5
Seller:
GreatBookPrices
(Columbia, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 414728-n

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 30.44
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 2.64
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

C Alexander
Published by Harvard University Press (1974)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New PAP Quantity: 15
Seller:
PBShop.store US
(Wood Dale, IL, U.S.A.)

Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # WH-9780674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 33.09
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Christopher Alexander
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New paperback Quantity: 10
Seller:
Blackwell's
(Oxford, OX, United Kingdom)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 31.14
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.68
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Seller Image

Christopher Alexander
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Grand Eagle Retail
(Wilmington, DE, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "These notes are about the process of design: the process of inventing things which display new physical order, organization, form, in response to function." This book, opening with these words, presents an entirely new theory of the process of design.In the first part of the book, Christopher Alexander discusses the process by which a form is adapted to the context of human needs and demands that has called it into being. He shows that such an adaptive process will be successful only if it proceeds piecemeal instead of all at once. It is for this reason that forms from traditional un-self-conscious cultures, molded not by designers but by the slow pattern of changes within tradition, are so beautifully organized and adapted. When the designer, in our own self-conscious culture, is called on to create a form that is adapted to its context he is unsuccessful, because the preconceived categories out of which he builds his picture of the problem do not correspond to the inherent components of the problem, and therefore lead only to the arbitrariness, willfulness, and lack of understanding which plague the design of modern buildings and modern cities.In the second part, Mr. Alexander presents a method by which the designer may bring his full creative imagination into play, and yet avoid the traps of irrelevant preconception. He shows that, whenever a problem is stated, it is possible to ignore existing concepts and to create new concepts, out of the structure of the problem itself, which do correspond correctly to what he calls the subsystems of the adaptive process. By treating each of these subsystems as a separate subproblem, the designer can translate the new concepts into form. The form, because of the process, will be well-adapted to its context, non-arbitrary, and correct.The mathematics underlying this method, based mainly on set theory, is fully developed in a long appendix. Another appendix demonstrates the application of the method to the design of an Indian village. "These notes are about the process of design: the process of inventing things which display new physical order, organization, form, in response to function." This book, opening with these words, presents an entirely new theory on the process of design. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 36.98
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Alexander, Christopher
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 33.07
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Alexander, Christopher
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
ACJBooks
(Staten Island, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description paperback. Condition: New. This is a trade paperback. Seller Inventory # mon0000027201

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 31.75
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 5.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Christopher Alexander,
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Trade Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Hennessey + Ingalls
(Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Trade Paperback. Condition: New. 'These notes are about the process of design: the process of inventing things which display new physical order, organization, form, in response to function.' This book, opening with these words, presents an entirely new theory of the process of design. In the first part of the book, Mr. Alexander discusses the process by which a form is adapted to the context of human needs and demands that has called it into being. He shows that such an adaptive process will be successful only if it proceeds piecemeal instead of all at once. It is for this reason that forms from traditional unselfconscious cultures, molded not by designers but by the slow pattern of changes within tradition, are so beautifully organized and adapted. When the designer, in our own self-conscious culture, is called on to create a form that is adapted to its context he is unsuccessful, because the preconceived categories out of which he builds his picture of the problem do not correspond to the inherent components of the problem, and therefore lead only to the arbitrariness, willfulness, and lack of understanding which plague the design of modern buildings and modern cities. In the second part, Mr. Alexander presents a method by which the designer may bring his full creative imagination into play, and yet avoid the traps of irrelevant preconception. He shows that, whenever a problem is stated, it is possible to ignore existing concepts and to create new concepts, out of the structure of the problem itself, which do correspond correctly to what he calls the subsystems of the adaptive process. By treating each of these subsystems as a separate subproblem, the designer can translate the new concepts into form. The form, because of the process, will be well-adapted to its context, non-arbitrary, and correct. The mathematics underlying this method, based mainly on set theory, is fully developed in a long appendix. Another appendix demonstrates the application of the method to the design of an Indian village. Seller Inventory # 306240

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 34.00
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 6.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Christopher Alexander
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Ergodebooks
(Houston, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # DADAX0674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 40.81
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Christopher Alexander
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Paperback / softback Quantity: 8
Seller:
THE SAINT BOOKSTORE
(Southport, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. "These notes are about the process of design: the process of inventing things which display new physical order, organization, form, in response to function." This book, opening with these words, presents an entirely new theory on the process of design. Seller Inventory # B9780674627512

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 36.86
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 11.30
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Alexander, Christopher
Published by Harvard University Press (1964)
ISBN 10: 0674627512 ISBN 13: 9780674627512
New Softcover Quantity: 3
Seller:
Ria Christie Collections
(Uxbridge, United Kingdom)

Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780674627512_new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 36.49
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 12.60
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book