Service Systems Thinking

A joint project of the ISSS, INCOSE and ISSIP

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a_pattern_language_which_generates_multi-service_centers_1968

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This book, with a 1968 copyright by The Center for Environmental Structure at the University of California at Berkeley, is authored by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein. A preview is available on Google Books.


Introduction

In this report we present a prototype for multi-service center buildings.

A multi-service center is a community facility, which provides a variety of special services to citizens. It is intended especially to help solve some of the problems of low income communities. Experimental multi-service centers have been started in many cities throughout the United States. However, there is not yet any agreement about the form which multi-service centers should take – either in their human organization, or in their spatial organization.

Our report deals chiefly with the spatial organization, but since human and spatial organization cannot properly be separated, many of the specifications given in this report, go deeply into queetions of human organization as well. [p. 1]


We have not designed a prototype in quite the conventional sense, and must begin with a word of explanation about the nature and purpose of prototype buildings. [p. 1]

A prototype is a generic scheme. It has not special site, no real client, no climate, no particular size. It is a kind of imaginary building, which is meant to convey certain essential ideas to designers of similar buildings. It is usually presented by means of loosely drawn schematic drawings, so that designers who are designing a building of this type, can mould it to fit whatever specific local conditions they are confronted with. It is meant to convey some essential, generic ideas, which can be applied many times over to special cases. It defines a family of buildings; and its meant to define this family of buildings in such a way that anyone who understands the prototype will be able to design specific members of this family. [pp. 1-2]


The Summaries of 64 Patterns follow.


References

Alexander, Christopher, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein. 1968. A Pattern Language Which Generates Multi-Service Centers. Center for Environmental Structure. http://books.google.ca/books?id=FGdPAAAAMAAJ.

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