architypes.net is a library of architectural design issues, solutions and ideas.

At the heart of architypes.net are two simple but powerful ideas:

• Patterns: The principles and ideas are organized into "patterns". Each pattern describes a solution for a specific problem or design goal. (see also: Understanding Patterns)
• Open Collaboration: architypes.net is a continuously evolving peer-reviewed project that you are invited to participate in.
  
  

While architypes.net also has a sizable library of architectural images along with information on those buildings and their designers, our purpose is not be be an extensive database of any photograph, building or architect. Instead we focus on images and information on buildings that serve to illustrate of one or more of the patterns.

Unlike an encyclopedia, which limits itself to facts, we encourage content that is a matter of opinion. You may even find that some patterns seem to contradict one another. Usually such patterns are intended to achieve different goals - part of the challenge of architectural design is to make the appropriate tradeoffs between such conflicting goals.

All textual content and most images on architypes.net are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License, which permits you to share this work and create derivative works, provided that you give credit to the source of the work. Although we are not affiliated with the Creative Commons project, we share their philosophy of "expanding the range of creative work available for others to build upon and share." If you choose to reproduce textual content, credit should be given to "architypes.net". For some images, the photographer or artist has elected to retain their own copyright. Such images may not be reused without the permission of the copyright holder. For the majority of image, which are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution license, you may reuse the images so long as credit is given to the photographer or artist. Clicking on the thumbnail of any image will show its copyright and license information.

People from around the world are invited to contribute to architypes.net by proposing new patterns, by discussing and refining existing patterns, and by providing images that help to illustrate these patterns.

This site is designed and hosted using Apple Macintosh computers. The primary server is an Apple Mac Mini running Apache, PHP and custom software. DNS services are provided by http://freedns.afraid.org/.