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Arcosanti is a self-contained experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, 70 miles (110 km) north of Phoenix, at 34°20′34.72″N, 112°06′05.93″W, elevation 3,732 feet (1,130 meters). Architect Paolo Soleri, using a concept he calls arcology (a portmanteau of architecture and ecology), designed the town to demonstrate ways urban conditions could be improved while minimizing the destructive impact on the earth. See New Town for places with that name. ...
Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ...
Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State County Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government - Type Council-Manager - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area - City 515. ...
Paolo Soleri (June 21, 1919, Turin, Italy) is an Italian-American visionary architect with a life-long commitment to research and experimentation in design and town planning. ...
The Try2004 Hyperstructure or Megacity as featured on the Discovery Channels Extreme Engineering programs. ...
A portmanteau (IPA: ) is a word or morpheme that fuses two or more words or word parts to give a combined or loaded meaning. ...
This article is about building architecture. ...
For the journal, see Ecology (journal). ...
Image File history File links Arcosanti-Panorama-800. ...
Image File history File links Arcosanti-Panorama-800. ...
Overview
Arcosanti is being built on only 25 acres (0.1 km²) of a 4,060 acre (16 km²) land preserve, keeping its inhabitants near the natural countryside. The Arcosanti web site describes how an arcology functions in Arcosanti: "The built and the living interact as organs would in a highly evolved being. Many systems work together, with efficient circulation of people and resources, multi-use buildings, and solar orientation for lighting, heating and cooling." Solar power describes a number of methods of harnessing energy from the light of the sun. ...
The long-term design of Arcosanti has changed multiple times since work began. The eventual target population is somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000. The current population generally varies between 70 and 120, depending on the number of students and interns working at the time. Existing structures include a four-story visitors' center/cafe/ gift shop, the bronze-casting apse (half-dome) carefully situated to admit maximal winter sun and minimal summer sun, two large barrel vaults, a ring of apartment residences around an outdoor amphitheatre, a community swimming pool, and Soleri's suite. A two-bedroom "Sky Suite" occupies the highest point in the complex and is available for overnight guests. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (847x1024, 125 KB) Created by Chris Ohlinger, General Manager of Cosanti Originals, Inc. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (847x1024, 125 KB) Created by Chris Ohlinger, General Manager of Cosanti Originals, Inc. ...
This article is about the metal alloy. ...
This article is about the manufacturing process. ...
This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ...
Barrel vault In architecture, a barrel vault is an extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. ...
The Colosseum in Rome, Italy. ...
For the 2003 film, see Swimming Pool (film). ...
In Arcosanti, apartments, businesses, production, technology, open space, studios, and educational and cultural events are all accessible, while privacy is paramount in the overall design. Greenhouses are planned to provide gardening space for public and private use, and act as solar collectors for winter heat. Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to control the flow of information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. ...
The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken. ...
Architecturally, Arcosanti is remarkable for its use of tilt-up concrete panels cast in a bed of silt from the local landscape. The silt gives the concrete a unique texture and color, helping the structure to blend with the land.
The city serves as an educational complex where workshops and classes are offered. Students from around the world are constructing Arcosanti. In addition, about 50,000 tourists visit Arcosanti each year.
Funds to build Arcosanti are raised through the sale of art objects, notably the famous bronze and ceramic Soleri Windbells. More funds are raised from workshop tuitions, which people ("workshoppers") pay for a four-week hands-on experience. The workshops are the principal means by which Arcosanti is constructed.
Criticism It has been noted that at the current rate of construction, it may take several hundred years to complete Arcosanti.[citation needed] Therefore, it is suggested that advancing technologies may solve the problems of overpopulation and environmental degradation well before completion, making the Arcosanti project redundant. Similarly, it has also been criticized for a lack of funding to realize its vision within a practical timeframe.
It has been suggested that even if any major discoveries or theories are achieved through the gradual development of the Arcosanti project, there is now no formal structure to gather, record, and disseminate these ideas to interested stakeholders. It is argued that, as of 2005, the 35-year project has yielded few tangible results in scientific theory or development toward advancing our knowledge of arcology in theory or practice.
Others argue that Arcosanti has succeeded more as an educational project; rather then a working arcology. It has hosted over 6,000 participants over the 40 plus years. Each person that participates brings part of their experience home with them and to their communities and professional disciplines, disseminating the principles learned. Even if what they learn is just concrete casting techniques from the 1950's, this creates an international network of teachers.
See also Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arcosanti Image File history File links Commons-logo. ...
The Try2004 Hyperstructure or Megacity as featured on the Discovery Channels Extreme Engineering programs. ...
Cosanti In the year 1956, Paolo Soleri, moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, and settled with his late wife, Colly Soleri in what is now called Cosanti. ...
Paolo Soleri (June 21, 1919, Turin, Italy) is an Italian-American visionary architect with a life-long commitment to research and experimentation in design and town planning. ...
External links - Official Arcosanti website
- Arcosanti alumni address book
- The Arcosanti Work Song (c)1972
- Sky Suite guest review
- A review of a trip to Arcosanti
- New York Times travel article on Arcosanti (Sept. 2007)
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