Phenomenon of Life: the Nature of Order, Book 1

In Book One of this four-volume work, Alexander describes a scientific view of the world in which all space-matter has perceptible degrees of life, and establishes this understanding of living structures as an intellectual basis for a new architecture. He identifies fifteen geometric properties which tend to accompany the presence of life in nature, and also in the buildings and cities we make. These properties are seen over and over in nature and in the cities and streets of the past, but they have almost disappeared in the impersonal developments and buildings of the last hundred years. This book shows that living structures depend on features which make a close connection with the human self, and that only living structure has the capacity to support human well-being.

“...Alexander's approach presents a fundamental challenge to us and our style-obsessed age. It suggests that beautiful form can come about only through a process that is meaningful to people...""- Thomas Fisher, Former Editor, Progressive Architecture ; ""Alexander's genetic scripts are likely to... play a role so fundamental in the future,that their widespread use cannot even be imagined today. This will change the world as effectively as the advent of printing changed the world.""- Doug Carlston, Co-founder, Broderbund Software, Founder & CEO, icPlanet.com; ""...I can think of no one, certainly no one in the last thirty or so years, who has produced a deeper, more profoundly meaningful, visionary and lasting body of work that both unifies and transcends science and spirituality, than Christopher Alexander.""- Andy Ilachinsky, Theoretical Physicist ; ""Five hundred years is a long time, and I don't expect that many of the people I interview will be known in the year 2500. Alexander may be an exception.""- David Creelman, Author, Interviewer, and Editor, HR Magazine ""...I believe Alexander is likely to be remembered most of all, in the end, for having produced the first credible proof of the existence of God...""- Eric Buck, Department of Philosophy, University of Kentucky - -”

"...Alexander's approach presents a fundamental challenge to us and our style-obsessed age. It suggests that beautiful form can come about only through a process that is meaningful to people..." - Thomas Fisher, Former Editor, Progressive Architecture

"Alexander's genetic scripts are likely to... play a role so fundamental in the future,that their widespread use cannot even be imagined today. This will change the world as effectively as the advent of printing changed the world." - Doug Carlston, Co-founder, Broderbund Software, Founder & CEO, icPlanet.com

"...I can think of no one - certainly no one in the last thirty or so years - who has produced a deeper, more profoundly meaningful, visionary and lasting body of work that both unifies and transcends science and spirituality, than Christopher Alexander." - Andy Ilachinsky, Theoretical Physicist

"Five hundred years is a long time, and I don't expect that many of the people I interview will be known in the year 2500. Alexander may be an exception." - David Creelman, Author, Interviewer, and Editor, HR Magazine

"...I believe Alexander is likely to be remembered most of all, in the end, for having produced the first credible proof of the existence of God..." - Eric Buck, Department of Philosophy, University of Kentucky

Christopher Alexander is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, architecture, builder and author of many books and technical papers. He is the winner of the first medal for research ever awarded by the American Institute of Architects, and after 40 years of teaching is Emeritus Professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

In Book One of this four-volume work, Alexander describes a scientific view of the world in which all space-matter has perceptible degrees of life, and

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