Cosanti Foundation

The Cosanti Foundation was established in 1965 and is actively engaged to explore the Experiential and Educational benefits of integrating Architecture and Ecology.

Arcosanti
Conceived by the late architect Paolo Soleri (1919–2013) in mid-1960s, the Arcosanti Project broke ground in 1970 in Arizona Highlands, 70 miles north of metropolitan Phoenix, with intention of developing and demonstrating a resilient urban system featuring robust cultural, educational and economic activities.

Arcosanti is intended as a prototype arcology, a compact, three dimensional framework in which to develop a town which is urban in character and which consumes only a fraction of the land required by a conventional town of comparable population. The Arcosanti Project is planned as a town for 5000 people developed as an urban environment confined to 20-acre limited footprint within an 860-acre land sanctuary. This riparian habitat, owned by the Cosanti Foundation non-profit educational organization dedicated to investigation of new urban alternative, is bounded by the Agra Fria National Monument on the east and two parcels leased from the State of Arizona totaling 3200 acres; Arcosanti thus sits within a 4000 acre property most of which is intended as open space. Arcosanti will provide a pedestrian environment, in which automobiles are marginalized from the townscape. Arcosanti would define a new relationship between city and country, a compact, lively urban habitat within a vast natural landscape.

Arcosanti's design is intended as an experimental demonstration of design innovation and construction techniques. A primary innovative construction technique is the use of silt as a casting medium for concrete construction. One example of the characteristic design elements in Arcosanti is called apse, a quarter sphere structure oriented to the south so as to relate to the sun's annual path across the sky to take advantage of passive solar effect.

Images in this collection are from the Archives at Arcosanti, Mayer Arizona.

Cosanti
Cosanti in Scottsdale (Paradise Valley), Arizona, is the residence and sculpture studio of Paolo Soleri and his staff. Soleri (later joined by his students) began work on the experimental buildings in the mid 1950's. Designated as an Arizona Historic Site in 1975, Cosanti presents a unique bio-climatic architectural environment. Its structures feature many imaginative design elements, reflecting Soleri's innovative construction techniques.

The conceptual framework for Soleri's architecture at Cosanti is the integration of man made and natural environments. Soleri began his work on the experimental buildings at this location in the mid-1950's and continued for 20 years with the help of workshop participants who came to learn his methods. Many of the workshops were in collaboration with students around the world, including groups from the College of Architecture of Arizona State University. Most of the structures were built using the earth-casting technique; concrete poured over pre-shaped earthen molds, the earth is excavated once the concrete solidified. Soleri also practiced creative resourcefulness by integrating various recycled materials into the buildings.

The general orientation of the buildings is important. Many are situated below ground level and surrounded by mounds of earth. This acts as natural insulation to help moderate interior temperatures year round. Apses, the Latin word for quarter sphere, or half dome, are heavily featured as they act as a passive energy collector running solely on how they display themselves to the ever-changing journey of the sun. A south-facing apse is sunny in the winter and shady in the summer due to the changing angle of the sun. Other structures, such as the pool, have southern exposures to maximize the warmth of the winter sun and its earth-cast canopy provides adequate shade for the summer.

Images in this collection are from the Archives at Arcosanti, Mayer Arizona.

Paolo Soleri
Through his work as an architect, urban designer, artist, craftsman, and philosopher, Paolo Soleri has been exploring the countless possibilities of human aspiration. One outstanding endeavor is Arcosanti, an urban laboratory, constructed in the Arizona high desert. It attempts to test and demonstrate an alternative human habitat which is greatly needed in this increasingly perplexing world. This project also exemplifies his steadfast devotion to creating an experiential space to "prototype" an environment in harmony with man.

In his philosophy “arcology” (architecture + ecology), Soleri formulated a path that may aid us on our evolutionary journey toward a state of aesthetic, equity, and compassion. For more than a half century, his work, marked by a broad-ranging and coherent intellect has influenced many in search of a new paradigm for our built environment.

If the act of living includes the pioneering of reality through imagination and sweat, Soleri has given us more than enough food for thought in the examples he has left on paper and in the desert wind.

Images in this collection are from the Archives at Arcosanti, Mayer Arizona.