In the spring of 1983, the transcript of a debate at Harvard between two up- and-coming architects was making the rounds of the “Xerox circuit.” Christopher Alexander represented what the audience took to be an enigmatic new West Coast approach to design, while Peter Eisenman alternated between playing the charming host, fending off incendiary attacks, and attempting to sustain an intellectual conversation. The debate, which was originally published under the title “Discord Over Harmony in Architecture” (and can now easily be found online), has come to be seen as a defining document of the era. We reached Peter Eisenman via Zoom at his office in New York.
Matthew Allen: You mention at the beginning of the debate that Alexander’s work “so infuriated you that you were moved to do a PhD.” What was it that infuriated you?
Peter Eisenman: I never worried about Chris Alexander. I never lost any sleep over him. In those days, nobody was doing a doctorate in architecture. I arrived at the University of Cambridge in the fall of 1960 after having done very well in the Liverpo…