PUARL Symposium
Portland architecture symposium addresses future of pattern language
Original authors of A Pattern Language will attend weekend of keynotes, discussions
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 29, 2009) The Portland Urban Architecture Research Laboratory (PUARL) of the University of Oregon’s Portland architecture program hosts its second symposium, “Current Challenges for Patterns, Pattern Languages and Sustainability,” during the last weekend of October. The symposium tackles the future development of pattern languages, in terms of urban morphology, building typology and urban sustainability. Are there applications for new generative codes or generative systems of rules for design?
The three-day event in the UO’s White Stag Block building in Portland features original authors of A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings and Construction, during the evening session on Oct. 30 beginning at 6 p.m. First published in 1977, by Christopher Alexander and members of the Center for Environmental Structure at Berkeley, California, the book compiles 253 guidelines, rules and methods for architectural design derived from historic and traditional examples. Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, Max Jacobson, and Ingrid King, will present the PUARL lecture and participate in a panel discussion on the “Origins of Patterns and Pattern Languages.” They will be signing books on Saturday and will be presented with the first PUARL Award, given for fundamental improvements in the human experience of architecture and urban design.
The symposium continues on Sat., Oct. 31 at 9 a.m. with moderated sessions with case study examples and the application of the pattern language worldwide. UO architect Chris Ramey, AIA, Stuart Cowan of Autopoiesis, Sustainable Systems Design, and David Week of Assai, will deliver keynote speeches. The symposium concludes Sun., Nov. 1 at 12:30 p.m. with current challenges, future directions, and horizons. An exhibit of published and unpublished material will be on display in the White Stag lobby.
Hajo Neis, Director of PUARL and organizer of the symposium with UO Professor Howard Davis, explains that PUARL intends to take an active role in pattern language development and research. One such project is adding to a repository of pattern language publications and documents for practical applications as well as PUARL’s ongoing research.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.