A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction

Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein (Oxford University Press, 1997)

Alexander and his colleagues have identified more than 200 patterns associated with environments that are satisfying, environments that really WORK. This perspective answers questions like why is it that some building courtyards are uninviting and full of dead plants while others are magical retreats. Although these patterns are about physical space, they have a lot of implications for designing virtual spaces.