The Oregon Experiment
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Experiment is a 1975 book by Christopher Alexander
and collaborators Murray Silverstein, Shlomo Angel, Sara Ishikawa, and Denny Abrams. It describes an experimental approach to campus community planning at the University of Oregon
, in Eugene, Oregon
which resulted in a theory of architecture and planning described in the group's later published and better-known volumes A Pattern Language
and The Timeless Way of Building
.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, students and faculty at the University of Oregon protested against log trucks driving through campus; against the destruction of a 19th century cemetery; against the military draft and the invasions and occupations in Southeast Asia; and against the idea that the University was acting in loco parentis
, in place of students' parents. On top of this, buildings created since the end of World War II were increasingly Brutalist and dystopian.
The campus community wanted more control over their lives, and their environment. The University administration took the conciliatory measure of hiring an award-winning, radical, professor from University of California, Berkeley
to design a process by which the community of the university could create its own space.
This process was Alexander's first journey into community-based design and construction. The University of Oregon became the experimental testbed for material that later became the bestselling book A Pattern Language.
The book prescribed that "feeling" should be the primary criteria used for making changes to any place. Improvements to the campus should be made first to those places that needed the most help. Patterns, or good solutions to generic problems, should be available in a community encyclopedia. Care should be taken to curb the economic and political power of large monolithic projects. Places should be shaped for people, to make them feel more whole, and to nourish them. And people should be involved in the construction of their community.
Christopher Alexander
Christopher Wolfgang Alexander is a registered architect noted for his theories about design, and for more than 200 building projects in California, Japan, Mexico and around the world...
and collaborators Murray Silverstein, Shlomo Angel, Sara Ishikawa, and Denny Abrams. It describes an experimental approach to campus community planning at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
which resulted in a theory of architecture and planning described in the group's later published and better-known volumes A Pattern Language
A Pattern Language
A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction is a 1977 book on architecture, urban design, and community livability. It was authored by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein of the Center for Environmental Structure of Berkeley, California, with writing credits also to...
and The Timeless Way of Building
The Timeless Way of Building
The Timeless Way of Building is a 1979 book by Christopher Alexander that proposes a new theory of architecture that relies on the understanding and configuration of design patterns...
.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, students and faculty at the University of Oregon protested against log trucks driving through campus; against the destruction of a 19th century cemetery; against the military draft and the invasions and occupations in Southeast Asia; and against the idea that the University was acting in loco parentis
In loco parentis
The term in loco parentis, Latin for "in the place of a parent"" refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent...
, in place of students' parents. On top of this, buildings created since the end of World War II were increasingly Brutalist and dystopian.
The campus community wanted more control over their lives, and their environment. The University administration took the conciliatory measure of hiring an award-winning, radical, professor from University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
to design a process by which the community of the university could create its own space.
This process was Alexander's first journey into community-based design and construction. The University of Oregon became the experimental testbed for material that later became the bestselling book A Pattern Language.
The book prescribed that "feeling" should be the primary criteria used for making changes to any place. Improvements to the campus should be made first to those places that needed the most help. Patterns, or good solutions to generic problems, should be available in a community encyclopedia. Care should be taken to curb the economic and political power of large monolithic projects. Places should be shaped for people, to make them feel more whole, and to nourish them. And people should be involved in the construction of their community.