Professor Alexander was the first recipient of the AIA medal for Research in 1970. He was honored at that time for his "exceptional willingness to share his scientific findings with the architectural community." In 1996, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In the May 2002 issue of RECORD, William Saunders wrote a Commentary column (page 93) on Christopher Alexander's new book The Nature of Order, Book One: The Phenomenon of Life and his 1977 classic A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. The following essay is the full version of Alexander's response to Saunders.