Computer scientists who have encountered Alexander only secondhand through the literature on design patterns in software may be surprised to discover, on reading Alexander’s work, that he writes not so much as a designer, let alone as an engineer, but more as a poet, reveling in the spirituality of good design (especially in his latest books [6]). The spiritual and aesthetic components of concept design have yet to be explored, but may be essential if we want to go beyond software that works to software that delights and inspires.
