Notes on the Synthesis of Form

Christopher Alexander
A Pattern Language:
Town, Building, and Construction (1977)

Timeless Way of Building (1979)

Notes on the Synthesis of Form (1964)

A Pattern Language:
Towns, Buildings,
Construction(1977)
A Pattern Language:
Towns, Buildings,
Construction(1977)
A Pattern Language:
Towns, Buildings,
Construction(1977)
The Quality without
A Name

Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Patterns of Events

Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Patterns of Space

Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
Timeless Way of
Building (1979)
 INDEPENDENCE
ABSTRACT

DIAGRAM PROCESS PATTERN

DESIGN METHOD
Notes on the Synthesis of Form
 The Need for Rationality

Notes Process of Design Physical Order

Organization

Form

Function
Problem

Requirements How to solve?

 performance

simplicity

jointing

economy
 Background
Need
Activity

Problems Design
Growing complexity of problem
Information
Experience
Increase in quantity, complexity & difficulty
Changes faster than before

Pattern
Mental Capacity of Man

Culture
Nature of design problems
Consciously by designer
Representation
Analysis
Mental Arithmetic

Form
Mathematical
Conceptual order and pattern
Logic
Rules
Analytical method Deduction
Form of abstract structure
 Goodness of Fit
Object of design: FORM – PATTERN
Homogenous and amorphous

Diagram

Design Problem
Functional origin - pattern
To achieve fitness - form In questioning
Its context Problem

Solution
Design Form To control, to shape
Fitness
Its context To achieve fitness - form

Characterizing Fit
Complementary
Same Process

Form - Context Boundary

Trial & error
Design Problem
Non experimental
FORM FITS WELL
 FIT Good
Social Behavior
Bad

GOOD FIT - HARMONY MISFIT

Neutralizing the incongruities / irritants / forces, which causes

misfit

Absence of certain negative qualities

A form which we haven’t yet designed and a context which we can’t properly
describe.
 FIT MISFIT

0 1

FORM 00 CONTEXT

GOOD FIT & HARMONY

 The Source of Good Fit

Design Form Simplified

Creating its own context
Abandoned basic problems
Based on intuition Good fit?

Misfit ?
Traditional house Answer problems
Based on context
 Form-Making Process
Self-conscious Process
 Taught and learned Weak form
 Formal education
 Basic general of “PRINCIPLES” Lack of self-criticism

Unself-conscious Process
 One generation to the next
generation Well Form
 Ability to imitate by practice
 Response to sanction, penalty Adaptation
 “TOTAL” feeling
 Learned informally through
imitation and correction
FIT MISFIT

0 1

Form-Making Process

Binary Variable

00100110101110110000

00000111101110110000

00000111101110010010
FIT MISFIT

FORM & CONTEXT

Systems

Sub-Systems Sub-Systems
Connected variables
A series of subsystems
Proses Tanpa Sadar
Budaya Tanpa Sadar

Tidak ada formulasi aturan

Tradisi – sulit berubah

Mitos dan Legenda

Ritual dan Tabu

Waktu yang amat lama --- tanggung jawab mencapai KESEIMBANGAN

Kebiasaan pada bangunan: BENTUK ----- POLA

Rumah – rumah di Mesir selalu sama dari gambar yang ada di
Hieroglyphs sampai sekarang yang mengarah ke sungai Nil
Trulli, Itali
“Black Houses”,
Outer Hebrides
Navajo
Sumatra
Igloo
Proses Tanpa Sadar
Budaya Tanpa Sadar

BENTUK SAMA ----- POLA JELAS

Kegagalan ----- koreksi ----- tidak cocok ---- cocok ----

KESEIMBANGAN

Material ---- percobaan

ADAPTASI : Keberlanjutan dan Tradisi

Tanpa usaha menjadi kreatif ---- memperbaiki subsistem

Proses Sadar
Budaya Sadar

Mencegah kegagalan

Tidak melalui percobaan terhadap material dalam jangka waktu

panjang

Menerima perubahan

Melanggar KESEIMBANGAN --- menciptakan masalah

Pendidikan Formal ---- ARSITEKTUR

BENTUK : Hasil pencapaian pribadi saja --- selara dan intuisi

1. Mudah diangkat ketika panas
2. Mudah disimpan di dapur
3. Mudah untuk mengisi air
4. Mudah untuk menuang air
5. Material tidak mahal
6. Dapat bertahan pada temperatur panas
7. Mudah dicetak/diproduksi dalam jumlah banyak
8. Tidak karatan
9. Dapat dibuat dalam berbagai ukuran
10. Mudah dipegang
11. Mencegah kecelakaan karena air panas atau metarial panas
A. Kapasitas
B. Keamanan
C. Ekonomis
D. Estetika
 kettle

function economics

production safety use capital maintenance

21 specific requirements
Diagram Tanpa Sadar
Diagram Tanpa Sadar --- Subsistem
Diagram Sadar
KONSEP

In Extension
Mengklasifikasikan setiap elemen yang saling berhubungan

In Intension
Menjelaskan secara analisis dengan konsep lain pada level yang sama

FIT ---- BENTUK ---- Masalah dan Makna

Tugas O  tahap 1
Anda telah menonton film “Nanook of the North”, ceritakan dan analisis:
KONTEKS
1. Jelaskan permasalahan = latar belakang, kebutuhan, aktivitas
2. Jelaskan perkembangan masalah berdasarkan informasi dan pengalaman
3. Jelaskan permasalahan dalam angka, kepelikan yang terus berkembang
4. Jelaskan bagaimana kaitan “performance”, “simplicity”, “ economy”, dan “jointing”
5. Jelaskan “Mental Capacity of Man” – budaya dan representasi
6. Jelaskan “Mental Arithmatic” – “form” dan “logic”
PROSES
1. Jelaskan proses dari suatu masalah ke bentuk
2. Jelaskan proses transfer pengetahuan/pengalaman
BENTUK
1. Jelaskan “form” desain yang ada
2. Jelaskan fit dan misfit pada studi kasus tersebut.

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Tugas O  tahap 1

1. Apa yang anda pelajari dari film “Nanook of the North”?

2. Kaitkan dengan proses sadar dan tidak sadar.

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