Didn’t go to architecture school?

Nah; me neither.

I was banished to the ultra uncool project managers’ corner.

Never mind.

You can devour “A Pattern Language” instead. 

This book of design heuristics will help you think about building design and converse with design professionals more effectively.

Admittedly not a short-flight read, this hefty 1,000-page encyclopedia contains two hundred design patterns found in the buildings and cities that people love.

Read it, understand it, and you’ll know why they love them so.

For instance, consider pattern number 167:

“Balconies and porches less than 6 feet deep are hardly ever used. Therefore make balconies wider than 6 feet.”

Each pattern is what computer programmers call a heuristic: a compressed principle that can be unpacked in many ways.

Each pattern is illustrated with exemplary examples and photos, and sociological evidence from studies of real places.

Employ this book to design attractive, timeless buildings (or towns) by combining as many of these patterns as can be consistently contained in one project.

Does the house have a hat? An obvious central entrance? A transition zone between public and private space?

All these are eternal patterns that have worked in the past and will make a place better when they are present in a design.

First published 45 years ago by Christopher Alexander and team, this book has influenced tens of thousands of architects and urban planners who credit it with giving them tools to make buildings and towns that operate at human scale.

Spaces that embody these principles are comfortable, humane, inviting, and the structures treat inhabitants intelligently.

Granted, it’s of boomer vintage, but it’s no Karen.

You can get it from Amazon here.

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