![[15.jpg]] The graphic I created above is a genuine fake borrowing from multiple artists expressing the 15 properties. [Christopher Alexander](https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=w1-pfREAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao) is accessible and in my work I’ve grown fond of asking people, ==“How does this design make you feel?”== I had the privilege of attending both Lane Community College (amidst brutalist anxiety-inducing concrete buildings) and the University of Oregon — wondering winding pathways through a charming arboretum on my way to study Graph Theory in a red brick building. I appreciate the work laid out in [The Oregon Experiment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Experiment) — currently at the top of my stack of books. ## Observed properties These properties exist in things that are *alive*. When I construct some design — be it my son’s bedroom or a button on a page — I keep these in mind. They deeply inform my [[Design Philosophy]]. 1. Levels of scale 2. Strong centers 3. Thick boundaries 4. Alternating repetition 5. Positive space 6. Good shape 7. Local symmetries 8. Deep interlock and ambiguity 9. Contrast 10. Gradients 11. Roughness 12. Echoes 13. The void 14. Simplicity and inner calm 15. Not-separateness ## Sources I’ve stumbled upon a few resources — some partially read and ready to revisit. - [Understanding Christopher Alexander’s Fifteen Properties via Visualization and Analysis](https://debategraph.org/handler.ashx?path=ROOT%2Fu14400%2FPURPLSOC14_Properties.pdf&att=1) - [Christopher Alexander's 15 Fundamental Properties](https://patterns.architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-172521) - [Alexander’s Oregon patterns: Campus design, part 2](https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2018/05/16/alexander%E2%80%99s-oregon-patterns-campus-design-part-2) - [Christopher Alexander, who died in March at 85, offered ways to unf\*ck the world](https://www.archpaper.com/2022/05/christopher-alexander-who-died-in-march-at-85-offered-ways-to-unfck-the-world/) - [Algorithmic Sustainable Design: The Future of Architectural Theory](https://patterns.architexturez.net/system/files/algorithmic6.pdf) - Visual Expressions - [Image 1](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/73/3d/60733d51608550fc3d86995dbc4c69b3.png) - [Image 2](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/5e/ad/a6/5eada6d4e04cee49a2959445eca4d0cc--urban-analysis-site-analysis.jpg?nii=t) - [Image 3](https://mofussilthoughts.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/vismaya1-1.jpg?w=484&h=685) - [Image 4](https://patterns.architexturez.net/data/styles/az_cf_core_l-region-content/public/Alexander-15-Principles.jpg?itok=iAa9eA_j)