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Arcosanti and Cosanti, Thought Provoking Arizona Destinations
Rate it! Votes (1) | Comments (0) By Adam Abraham Photos: Adam Abraham Posted August 6th, 2007 FabulousFoods.com Recommends: The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 262 Key Modern American Buildings, Revised Edition, by Sydney LeBlanc, (2005, W. W. Norton & Company)	The Architecture Traveler: A Guide to 262 Key Modern American Buildings, Revised Edition

ARIZONA, USA - Though we often place the bulk of emphasis on having fun, vacationing does not have to leave the mind unenriched. Travel to any region of the United States or the world and you will be awed by how much there is to learn and even be inspired by. Indeed, some of the best thrills that await vacation travelers come from the enrichment they gain by visiting lesser-known places that are of historical, cultural, or social interest. The social dividends gained from such experiences can last a lifetime.

While traveling in Arizona recently, we came across a case-in-point; two prototype urban experiments: Cosanti (located in Scottsdale) and Arcosanti (about 65 miles north along I-17, near Cordes Junction). Both are worth investigation.

Cosanti and Arcosanti are the brain-children of Italian-born architect, Dr. Paolo Soleri, a resident of Arizona since 1956. They represent his proposal for more socially open and environmentally friendly communities. Located in a state whose personality is steeped in our historical ties with the Old West, Cosanti and Arcosanti could be said to serve as models for a conceptual "New West," forming the basis of a concept he calls "arcology." Arcology is the product of the synergistic integration of architecture and ecology.

An Italian emigré whose education included a year and a half fellowship with architectural legend Frank Lloyd Wright, Dr. Soleri gained international recognition in the late 1940s for a bridge design displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and published in The Architecture of Bridges by Elizabeth Mock.

According to his biography, the Cosanti and Arcosanti vision began to evolve when Dr. Soleri returned to Italy in 1950. The ceramic processes he developed led to several award-winning designs of ceramic and bronze windbells in addition to dramatic siltcast architectural structures. Foundries were built to produce the windbell designs and sell to the public. For over 30 years, proceeds from the sale of windbells at Cosanti have provided funds for construction to test his theoretical work, Arcosanti, in which Dr. Soleri has striven to create a new paradigm for an environmentally and (one would suspect) socially friendly community, with innovative responses to the architectural and environmental challenges.

Cosanti
Cosanti is the first site built by Dr. Soleri. Located in Scottsdale, it is comprised of a series of interconnected studios and offices, a bronze foundry, and living quarters.

An example of what is termed "the integration of manmade and natural elements," Cosanti is the original model of the conceptual framework that would eventually be called "arcologies."

In 1956 Dr. Soleri settled in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his late wife, Colly, and their two daughters. Dr. and Mrs. Soleri made a life-long commitment to research and experimentation in urban planning, establishing the Cosanti Foundation, a not-for-profit educational organization devoted to the support of Soleri's noted architectural and urban planning research, and promoting the concept of arcology.

Arcology advocates the development of cities designed to:

• maximize human interaction, cooperation, and accessibility associated with an urban environment
• minimize energy usage, raw materials and land, thereby reducing waste and environmental pollution
• be as non-invasive as possible and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment.

In comparison to Arcosanti, the Cosanti compound presents the architectural interpretation of the arcology dream on a small scale. It is comprised of concrete buildings in various amorphous shapes and sizes, which appear to have been cast from giant earthen molds. There, you can purchase the now famous ceramic and bronze windbells, see the foundry in which they are made, and wander through a small museum where you can view a videotape about Dr. Soleri's Arcosanti vision.

Architecturally, the Soleri building designs make liberal use of apses, which are quarter spheres, or half domes that are oriented along a north or south directional axis depending on its purpose. (The Hollywood Bowl, located in Los Angeles is one of the more famous apse-based structures.)

Soleri uses apses in his architecture as passive energy collectors. Their function changes dynamically (from heat collector to protector) during the course of the day and year, as their orientation to the sun changes. Other buildings appear to be dug out of the ground, allowing for maximum cooling efficiency at a minimum energy cost.

The major structures in the Cosanti compound include the Cosanti Gallery, Ceramics Studio, Foundry Apse, Office, Earth House (once Soleri's living quarters), Cat-Cast House (a dormitory for Cosanti staff artisans), Student Apse (shelters the first-generation model of Arcosanti), Northern Apse (displays windbells for purchase), and a pool and canopy.

Arcosanti
If Cosanti is the seed of Dr. Soleri's architectural and social aspirations, then Arcosanti is the tree (or perhaps the sapling). It represents Dr. Soleri's concept for a habitat that would house and support a community of 5,000 people with respect to living, commerce, recreation, living, and entertainment. It is quarter-century old a work-in-progress.

Located two and one-half miles down a washboard-like dirt road, this post-millennium urban vision doggedly, resolutely moves forth into being. Started in 1970, during what some might argue to be the end of an idealistic era, the construction of Arcosanti has been, in a word, slow.

At the present stage of construction, Arcosanti consists of a series of mixed-use buildings and public spaces constructed by 4,000 past workshop participants. Each year more than 60 full-time residents host 80,000 visitors in the Gallery, Café and Bakery. Additionally, they produce nearly 15,000 windbells in the Foundry and Ceramic Studios, conduct educational seminars for over 400 people, while being involved in the ongoing construction of the project.

Though the reasonableness of Soleri's austere "arcological" approach might be subject to question (it features a preponderance of poured concrete, no air conditioning, no solar energy, etc.), it warrants your interest and support, that you can make up your own mind, and perhaps encourage the builders to modify their vision.

Guided tours are conducted regularly, at a reasonable cost. Dr. Soleri has written six books and numerous essays and monographs. When he is not traveling on the international lecture circuit, he divides his time between Cosanti and Arcosanti.

Practicalities
Visiting Cosanti
Located in Paradise Valley, Cosanti is at 6433 Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale, AZ (480) 948-6145. An Arizona State Historic Site, Cosanti is open Monday through Saturday from 9 to 5 and on Sunday are from 11 to 5. Closed major holidays.

Visiting Arcosanti
Arcosanti is open from 9A.M. to 5P.M. every day of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's a Gallery, Cafe, and Bakery at the Visitor's Center. Tours of the site are available every hour on the hour from 10A.M. until 4P.M.Visit the Arcosanti website at www.arcosanti.org.

From Phoenix: Drive about 65 miles north on Interstate Highway 17. Take the Cordes Junction turn-off, (Exit 262). From there, follow the signs 2.5 miles to Arcosanti. Unless you're driving a sport utility vehicle, take it slow.

From Flagstaff: About 80 miles south on I-17 to Exit 262. From Prescott: 36 miles west on State Highway 69 until it meets I-17. Then follow the signs.

Adam Abraham is a writer, visual artist, entrepreneur, and technology consultant. He is president of PHILOS Press, founded to promote his first book, A Freed Man: The Latter-Day Memoirs, and other works of authors, poets, and musical and visual artists who present a positive outlook for the future

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