Software pre-patterns as architectural knowledge

Christopher Alexander's introduction of patterns inspired their application in fields such as software engineering. However, their current realization deviates from his original intent in how and when they are used. In this paper, we contrast Alexander's concept of patterns to their current realization in software engineering and suggest a new approach to creating patterns which are broader and can be applied at the early phases of the design process, and thus adhere to Alexander's original intent as a format for capturing and sharing important design knowledge.