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| Tuesday May 13, 2008 |
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by Adam Abraham  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. 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
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:
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
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. 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. Practical InformationVisiting Cosanti Visiting Arcosanti
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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. 
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. 
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.
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. 
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.