The phenomenon of life An essay on the art of building and the nature of the universe

Christopher Alexander

Book - 2002

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Subjects
Published
Berkeley, Calif. : Center for Environmental Structure c2002.
Language
English
Corporate Author
Center for Environmental Structure
Main Author
Christopher Alexander (-)
Corporate Author
Center for Environmental Structure (-)
Physical Description
x, 476 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9780972652919
9780972652902
  • Book 1. The Phenomenon of Life
  • Prologue to Books 1-4
  • The Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe
  • Preface
  • Part 1.
  • 1.. The Phenomenon of Life
  • 2.. Degrees of Life
  • 3.. Wholeness and the Theory of Centers
  • 4.. How Life Comes From Wholeness
  • 5.. Fifteen Fundamental Properties
  • 6.. The Fifteen Properties in Nature
  • Part 2.
  • 7.. The Personal Nature of Order
  • 8.. The Mirror of the Self
  • 9.. Beyond Descartes: A New Form of Scientific Observation
  • 10.. The Impact of Living Structure on Human Life
  • 11.. The Awakening of Space
  • Conclusion
  • Appendices. Mathematical Aspects of Wholeness and Living Structure
  • Book 2. The Process of Creating Life
  • Preface: On Process
  • Part 1. Structure-Preserving Transformations
  • 1.. The Principle of Unfolding Wholeness
  • 2.. Structure-Preserving Transformations
  • 3.. Structure-Preserving Transformations in Traditional Society
  • 4.. Structure-Destroying Transformations in Modern Society
  • Interlude
  • 5.. Living Process in the Modern Era: Twentieth-Century Cases Where Living Process Did Occur
  • Part 2. Living Processes
  • 6.. Generated Structures
  • 7.. A Fundamental Differentiating Process
  • 8.. Step-by-Step Adaptation
  • 9.. Always Helping to Enhance the Whole
  • 10.. Always Making Centers
  • 11.. The Sequence of Unfolding
  • 12.. Every Part Unique
  • 13.. Patterns: Rules for Making Centers
  • 14.. Deep Feeling
  • 15.. Emergence of Formal Geometry
  • 16.. Form Language
  • 17.. Simplicity
  • Part 3. A New Paradigm for Process in Society
  • 18.. The Character of Process in Society
  • 19.. Massive Process Difficulties
  • 20.. The Spread of Living Processes Throughout Society
  • 21.. The Architect in the Third Millenium
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix. An Example of a Living Process: Building a House
  • Book 3. A Vision of a Living World
  • Preface: The Fundamental Process Repeated Ten Million Times
  • Part 1.
  • 1.. Our Belonging to the World
  • 2.. Our Belonging to the World: Part Two
  • Part 2.
  • 3.. The Hulls of Public Space
  • 4.. The Form of Public Buildings
  • 5.. Production of Giant Projects
  • 6.. The Positive Pattern of Space and Volume in Three Dimensions on the Land
  • 7.. Positive Space in Structure and Materials
  • 8.. The Character of Gardens
  • Part 3.
  • 9.. Forming a Collective Vision for a Neighborhood
  • 10.. Reconstruction of an Urban Neighborhood
  • 11.. High Density Housing
  • 12.. Further Dynamics of a Growing Neighborhood
  • Part 4.
  • 13.. The Uniqueness of People's Individual Worlds
  • 14.. The Character of Rooms
  • Part 5.
  • 15.. Construction Elements as Living Centers
  • 16.. All Building as Making
  • 17.. Active Invention of New Building Techniques
  • Part 6.
  • 18.. Ornament as a Part of All Unfolding
  • 19.. Color Which Unfolds From the Configuration
  • Epilogue: The Morphology of Living Architecture Archetypal Form
  • Conclusion: The World Created and Transformed
  • Book 4. The Luminous Ground
  • Preface: Towards a New Conception of the Nature of Matter
  • Part 1.
  • 1.. Our Present Picture of the Universe
  • 2.. Clues From the History of Art
  • 3.. The Existence of an "I"
  • 4.. The Ten Thousand Beings
  • 5.. The Practical Matter of Forging a Living Center
  • Mid-Book Appendix: Recapitulation of the Argument
  • Part 2.
  • 6.. The Blazing One
  • 7.. Color and Inner Light
  • 8.. The Goal of Tears
  • 9.. Making Wholeness Heals the Maker
  • 10.. Pleasing Yourself
  • 11.. The Face of God
  • Conclusion to the Four Books
  • A Modified Picture of the Universe
  • Epilogue: Empirical Certainty and Enduring Doubt
  • Acknowledgements