--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The buildings that I build very often…" description: "\"The buildings that I build very often have a dreamlike reality. I don't mean by that they have a fantasy quality at all, in fact quite the reverse. The..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/christopher-alexander-14502_building_the-buildings-that-i-build-very-often-ha_2617882.jpg" --- # The buildings that I build very often have a dreamlike… ![“The buildings that I build very often have a dreamlike reality. I don't mean by that they have a fantasy quality at all, in fact quite the reverse. They contain in some degree the ingredients that give dreams their power... stuff that's very close to us.” quote by Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/christopher-alexander-14502_building_the-buildings-that-i-build-very-often-ha_2617882.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/christopher-alexander-14502_building_the-buildings-that-i-build-very-often-ha_2617882.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02e/christopher-alexander-14502_building_the-buildings-that-i-build-very-often-ha_2617882.jpg) > “The buildings that I build very often have a dreamlike reality. I don't mean by that they have a fantasy quality at all, in fact quite the reverse. They contain in some degree the ingredients that give dreams their power... stuff that's very close to us.” [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Design should reflect the subconscious power of dreams, grounding imagination in familiar reality. **In simple terms:** Dream‑like design feels real. Key Takeaway Blend imagination with everyday life. Themes design dreams reality Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - urban planning - interior design - product development - storytelling Key Concepts architectural theory psychology human experience Questions to Reflect On - How can designers keep dreams accessible? - What elements make a space feel both familiar and magical? A Different Perspective Too much abstraction can alienate users. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Build Dreamlike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/build-dreamlike-2083766/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreamlike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamlike/) [Dreamlike Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamlike-reality-2083767/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Fantasy Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy-quality-2083768/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Ingredients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingredients/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reverse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverse/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) ## Related quotes > [I was in a pharmacy and I saw the warnings on the backs of poisonous substances, and I thought, "Well, that's what I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-was-in-a-pharmacy-and-i-saw-the-warnings-on-the-backs-of-poisonous/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [I love suspense movies, because in a sense they're the most dreamlike of any genre, and I'm sure I'll make another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-love-suspense-movies-because-in-a-sense-they-re-the-most-dreamlike/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [“This dreamlike logic hung over the entire afternoon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard-2/this-dreamlike-logic-hung-over-the-entire-afternoon/) [J.G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard-2/) > [There's something very dreamlike about film, and I will always be very fascinated by that, and I'm always tempted to go in that direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/there-s-something-very-dreamlike-about-film-and-i-will-always-be-very/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [“...for a moment he seemed to see himself as if in a dreamlike film, surrounded by kindred spirits at the warm center of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/for-a-moment-he-seemed-to-see-himself-as-if-in-a-dreamlike-film/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [It's such a surreal experience, being shot out of the cannon for any kind of first season show. It all seems very dreamlike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/it-s-such-a-surreal-experience-being-shot-out-of-the-cannon-for-any/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [Realizing that nothing can last, that all is as dreamlike illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilopa/realizing-that-nothing-can-last-that-all-is-as-dreamlike-illusion/) [Tilopa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilopa/) > [In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight too unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-hofmann/in-a-dreamlike-state-with-eyes-closed-i-found-the-daylight-too/) [Albert Hofmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-hofmann/) > [“Mary stared at the dreamlike happenings on the page. Human figures faced each other; the man’s head was a golden ball with rays reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rowland/mary-stared-at-the-dreamlike-happenings-on-the-page-human-figures/) [Susan Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rowland/) > [“What happened after that had a dreamlike quality: in a dream I saw the jury return, moving like underwater swimmers, and Judge Taylor's voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/what-happened-after-that-had-a-dreamlike-quality-in-a-dream-i-saw-the/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Nights were so real that days began to seem dreamlike to him”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/nights-were-so-real-that-days-began-to-seem-dreamlike-to-him/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“You are the door of the doorless rooms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emir-demirkiran/you-are-the-door-of-the-doorless-rooms/) [Emir Demirkiran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emir-demirkiran/) > ['Another Brooklyn' came to me in this kind of dreamlike series of vignettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/another-brooklyn-came-to-me-in-this-kind-of-dreamlike-series-of/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Dreamlike sequencing is perhaps one of João Gilberto Noll's most remarkable triumphs in Quiet Creature on the Corner. I translated the novel and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-morris/dreamlike-sequencing-is-perhaps-one-of-jo-o-gilberto-noll-s-most/) [Adam Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-morris/) > [“And in the movement of the sun, I felt something I hardly know how to name: some huge, cosmic love. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/and-in-the-movement-of-the-sun-i-felt-something-i-hardly-know-how-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Christopher Alexander > [The more living patterns there are in a place - a room, a building, or a town - the more it comes to life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/the-more-living-patterns-there-are-in-a-place-a-room-a-building-or-a/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [I mean, making simulations of what you're going to build is tremendously useful if you can get feedback from them that will tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/i-mean-making-simulations-of-what-you-re-going-to-build-is/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [It is not possible to make great buildings, or great towns, beautiful places, places where you feel yourself, places where you feel alive, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/it-is-not-possible-to-make-great-buildings-or-great-towns-beautiful/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [In an organic environment, every place is unique, and the different places also cooperate, with no parts left over, to create a global whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/in-an-organic-environment-every-place-is-unique-and-the-different/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [Drawings help people to work out intricate relationships between parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/drawings-help-people-to-work-out-intricate-relationships-between-parts/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [There is one timeless way of building. 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Each pattern can exist in the world only to the extent that is supported by other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/in-short-no-pattern-is-an-isolated-entity-each-pattern-can-exist-in/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [In my life as an architect, I found that the single thing which inhibits young professionals, new students most severely, is their acceptance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/in-my-life-as-an-architect-i-found-that-the-single-thing-which/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [Speaking as a builder, if you start something, you must have a vision of the thing which arises from your instinct about preserving and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/speaking-as-a-builder-if-you-start-something-you-must-have-a-vision/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [It is possible to make buildings by stringing together patterns, in a rather loose way. A building made like this, is an assembly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/it-is-possible-to-make-buildings-by-stringing-together-patterns-in-a/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [All space and matter, organic or inorganic, has some degree of life in it, and matter/space is more alive or less alive according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/all-space-and-matter-organic-or-inorganic-has-some-degree-of-life-in/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [There are some geologists involved with prospecting for oil and other hidden resources who can pick up a rock and say, 'Yes, there's oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/there-are-some-geologists-involved-with-prospecting-for-oil-and-other/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [To work our way towards a shared language once again, we must first learn how to discover patterns which are deep, and capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/to-work-our-way-towards-a-shared-language-once-again-we-must-first/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) [Explore all 46 Christopher Alexander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The buildings that I build very often have a dreamlike reality. 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