In this July 2025 lecture, Christopher and Christine Perrin discuss the implications of architect Christopher Alexander’s (1936–2022) discovery of patterns of building that cohere with the the created cosmos and with ourselves as human creatures. Alexander’s curiosity and contemplative mindset led him to study why certain built environments invariably produced the same kinds of subjective responses in humans, and he came to the conclusion that the world is a cosmos of ordered beauty and enjoyable harmonies. Christopher Perrin explains three noted building patterns that Alexander thought were cosmic and human realities: an entrance pattern, windows, and the alcove. For each, Perrin asks his listeners to consider how those patterns might be applied to anything we seek to build, create, or restore. Then, Christine Perrin discusses the implications of Alexander’s thought for poetry and teaching. She contemplates his insight that cosmic, objective things are being communicated to us not only through Creation, but through our responses to the built environment.
This lecture is provided courtesy of the CiRCE Institute. The full title of the lecture is “A Timeless Way of Building . . . a Classical School: Reflections on Christopher Alexander’s Principles of Building Anything Beautiful.”
59 minutes
PREVIEW
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