Arcosanti
Category: Architecture
Posted by: James on 4/7/2005 10:35:00 PM | Digg | Stumble It! | del.icio.us
Paolo Soleri's experimental city in the Arizona high desert
I visited Arcosanti in 1998 on an extended field trip through Arizona while pursing my masters degree, and was reminded of this trip while reading an article in the Arizona State University student newspaper.

What a crazy place... crazy, and incredibly interesting. During our two day stay at Arcosanti, we learned about the concept of Arcology, explored the site, and partied all night with the locals.

Paolo Soleri is an Italian architect who was an apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright in the late 1940's. Soleri later developed the concept of Arcology, the fusion of architecture and ecology, an alternative urban development form. In 1970 construction began on Arcosanti, a prototype town for 5,000 people (there are currently about 60 residents).

...a highly integrated and compact three-dimensional urban form that is the opposite of urban sprawl with its inherently wasteful consumption of land, energy and time, tending to isolate people from each other and the community.
I bet Mr. Greenhut would freak. ;-)

Link: Arcosanti
Link: Cosanti Originals
Article: ASU Web Devil - In your own backyard: No roads, no conservatives (via The Dirt)
Visiting and taking the tour is fascinating, but staying the night is an experience from another world, at least it was for me. There is a definite free feeling atmosphere... almost cult like... that seems equal parts artists’ colony and apocalyptic outpost, with a dash of frat house. You half expect Mad Max Rockatansky to come rolling in. I remember feeling overwhelmed yet totally immersed in the place.

Arcosanti is a living urban laboratory and work continues, if slowly, to this day.

While Paolo Soleri is certainly known in academic circles for his theories, he is most widely known for his bronze and ceramic windbells. The bells, along with other items, are produced at Arcosanti and Costanti (Soleri's residence and studio in Paradise Valley) and are a source of funding for Arcosanti.


The original final design for Arcosanti (for scale reference, the arched shell shown in the picture at top right is the size of one of the small arc forms along the bottom of this drawing)

Arcology advocates cities designed to maximize the interaction and accessibility associated with an urban environment; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land, reducing waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment.

Top left: An overview of the current state of the Arcosanti site
Middle left: Interior of the Crafts III building
Bottom left: A recent composite overlaying an updated design over the existing structures
Right: One of Soleri's famous bronze bells which are among the products of Arcosanti


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recent visitor
Posted by Richard on 4/26/2005 8:16:00 AM

I visited Arcosanti last week while on vacation in Arizona. I have to say that for something I first heard about over thirty years ago I was entirely unimpressed by the utter lack of progress made by Soleri and his bunch there. Considering that a Wal Mart can go up in a few weeks and a resort hotel in a year, it doesn't bode well for the ecology set that this facility has scarcely developed into what was promised. If it takes 35 years to build a home for 4000 people, (and it's not NEAR finished) how long would it take to build one for 4,000,000? Also the staff with one exception (the tour guide who apparently was chosen because he was the only employee with people skills) was insufferably rude to the visitors and the entire facility has a run-down appearance in line with an old junior-high school. And considering that tourism seems to be one of the few funding methods available would it kill them to pave the road from the highway or at least put down enough gravel to cover the washboard sections? Had I been driving my own car instead of a rental I would have turned around before knocking my front end out of alignment. I had always wanted to visit Arcosanti after seeing the original arcology designs that Soleri made in the late 60s/early 70s but after seeing what has been actually constructed, which essentially is an elaborate factory for manufacturing very expensive wind chimes, I have no doubt he is on the wrong path if he wants to save the world. People want houses, not tiny apartments. If people in Tokyo had access to land like people in Phoenix Japan would have urban sprawl the likes of which we can scarcely imagine.
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Arcosanti or Bust
Posted by Patrick S. Doyle on 5/8/2005 4:13:00 PM

I leave for Arcosanti from my home in upstate New York in one week. I first visited Arcosanti on a cold and windy March day. If I had been quick to judge the place I might of thought of it as somewhat desolate or stark, but the following year I went back to attend a five-week workshop and become part of the construction crew. From the point of view of a tourist one can feel a bit left out from what's really going on. My experience of the workshop and of returning for another month last year has been powerful. I worked and became friends with people from all over the world who know that progress is made by true participation. Paolo Solari's ideas can be beyond many peoples ideas of the "American dream", but if you have a yearning to learn about and experience an alternative to suburban sprawl, and you don't mind a little hard work, Arcosanti is a precious jewel.
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Soleri's quest...
Posted by Art Fogg on 6/10/2007 11:18:00 AM

Not many remeber, as I, Soleri's first grand advertisement or himself on the "Playboy After Dark"TV show with Norman Mailer acting as the guide for the clear acrylic model of "Arconsanti". I was not impressed with what I thought was an "elitist colony"for the wealthy (of course Soleri was appealing for fundsand to whom would one appeal but the rich?). I later saw a review in the first Whole Earth Catalogue (at the time, a co-worker in the architectural office where I was employed, was preparing his resignation from the firm to go and live and work at Arcosanti)and investigateed further, I still think Soleri is, like many European architects of his era, is a medievalist at his core; nonetheless, I am intrigued and curious about their manner of water collection and would say it is one hell of an art project at best and a failed attempt at urban planning...
Soleri's bells are beautiful!
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The Road to Somewhere...
Posted by Allison Moore on 8/1/2007 11:44:00 AM

Ouch- that first comment is harsh! But it is true about the road. Unfortunately it costs upwards of $200,000 to pave that road. I was there for a workshop in '93 and had the time of my life- it was inspiring, emotionally soul-searching and more- and I think to slam people for at least trying to 'save the world' is just mean spirited. He's done a lot more than 99.9% of people on this planet, and for a lot of those people, having a house will never be an option. Arcosanti is an experimental project, with a focus on philosophical and spiritual development, a re-examination of the motives behind a human beings compulsive tendancy to control nature instead of caretake and find our non-violent place within the web of life and what is really sad is the lack of interest in this direction by most people, in my opinion!
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Shame on you Richard
Posted by Susan on 8/3/2007 1:26:00 PM

In reference to Richard 4/26/05...you sir are a prime example of no vision, no history sense, no pioneer spirit or compassion...how sad you cannot accept the conception of such a peaceful place---with your biggest complaint a bumpie road? For anyone else reading this review...Arcosanti is a wonderful place full of imagination, vision and wonder. As for the bumpie road....you are in the wild west...that is another part of the charm. Tokyo is exactly the kind of place that could benefit from such a place----Shame on you for such petty remarks. To the rest of you...enjoy your visit to this wonderful place....it's worth the side trip and you just might learn something....I sure did.
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Richard was 1/2 right.
Posted by jcb on 8/19/2007 9:13:00 PM

I visited Arcosanti today. Not much has changed since Richard was there in '05.

We have lots of dirt roads in AZ, so that's nothing to get upset over.
The place did look run-down and not well maintained, the cafe and bakery could have been cleaner.

Some of the design concepts are good, and need to be incorporated into our cities; but I don't think many Americans are ready for one room apartments with shared kitchens and bathrooms. Do you want an apartment that opens onto the foundry?

I skimmed some of the "philosophy" tracts for sale in the gift shop and they bordered on the incoherent. The whole place has the feeling of a cult. "Paolo did this, Soleri did that, etc, etc."

Its worth the $8 bucks for the tour, but I'm not about to spend $700+ for the privelege of working there for a month.

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to richard...
Posted by elisabeth gater on 11/18/2007 4:19:00 PM

at first i felt mad at Richard while reading his comment but then i realized he is a narrow minded person without any artistic interests. Richard, ask yourself a question if those people really are after a luxury life and a big houses? Living the life they do, probably they don't care much for what you would never be able to live without. They have much more that your money would ever buy you, they are free in their hearts, open minded and much wiser than you. And if you don't like dirt road what on earth are you doing in Arizona still? I pity you..they are not after progress and Wal Mart shopping, they are not in rush...Go and get some education Richie, you really need it
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re
Posted by tyler on 3/3/2008 9:45:00 PM

Don't confuse the architect with the developer. Developers have the money to make these things happen. Paolo's just doing what he can with what he has.
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Just visited for the first time in April '08
Posted by Tom on 5/5/2008 10:36:00 AM

Arcosanti is such a joke its pathetic. I visited this eyesore in the desert just this weekend. I've lived in Arizona for 22 years and have heard about Arcosanti ever since I moved here in '86. My wife and I decided to stop by on a weekend trip to Prescott. What I found there was even far less than I would have expected.

What is Arcosanti? Essentially its a manufacturing facility for the "famous" Soleri bells. The Bells themselves are artistic and interesting, but also quite a bit overpriced. Call something art and I suppose you can get a lot more for it. The place itself, well its a 40 year old project that is run down and never completed. Work in progress? Please. More like Soleri's source of income and fun. Its an unorganized mess with poor planning, zero execution and a '60's hippie commune feel.

The people who live there are essentially slackers who either don't want to live in the real world or can't make it in the real world. I'm not by any means saying they are bad or lazy people, simply that they are artisans with a different view of the world. I can certianly appreciate and even commend their lifestyle, but the idea that a major city can be born out that type of lifestyle is pure lunacy. The idea of Arcosanti is more Science Fiction than Science. Quite honestly, the architecture contrasted with nature on all accounts. It felt cold and distant, sort of what I would envision Orwells world of 1984 to be.

With regard to the progress made there over the last 40 years, think about this. I learned from our guide that the Bells generate about a million dollars a year in revenue, add to that 50,000 visitors a year at $8 a pop, and you have another $400K. Not to mention the 5 week workshops at $1k a piece and you're probably making about $1.5 million dollars per year at Arcosanti. That doesn't account for events held at the site. 80-100 people on average live there, so why exactly hasn't more progress been made??? Where is all this money going? It obviously isn't going into building. Nor is it going into maintenance. I don't know how many broken windows, cracked concrete and other run down areas I witnessed.

City of the future? Nah, more like one man's egotistical vision of deluded self importance being fed by transient artisans looking for a place to crash for a few months.

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hang in there Arcosanti
Posted by Patrick Doyle on 5/7/2008 1:13:00 AM

Wow. Obviously by that last comment, Arcosanti is not for everyone. In the past six years I have collectively spent over a year there. It's true that after 38 years a lot of maintenance is needed. But as Tom noted, Arcosanti produces thousands of bells, gives 50,000 tours, holds 5-week workshops, and hosts many events every year. I guess we all can't be as hard working as someone who complains about the places he went on vacation. Thanks for your input, but in my eyes, the sore is your attitude.
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Posted by Kitten One on 5/24/2008 6:47:00 PM

Hmm. When I visited there the people were rude, but the place was interesting. I'd visit again, but I'd avoid the people...
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Posted by Kitten One on 5/24/2008 6:47:00 PM

Hmm. When I visited there the people were rude, but the place was interesting. I'd visit again, but I'd avoid the people...
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??Arcosanti??
Posted by Kurt on 6/30/2008 8:10:00 PM

I visited Arcosanti this past weekend and came away with mixed feelings.
I work in the trades and was interested in attending one of their workshops. I took the tour and came away with a feeling of sadness that this place was so rundown and behind schedule. My tour guide informed us that the next workshop group was going to have the pleasure of digging and pouring the handicap access ramps that were being added. The other big item was the soon to be operational hot tub..Wow, how exciting. Yes, this place has the feel of a commune and our guide informed us quite proudly that only the right kind of people got asked to be permanent residents based on how they got along with everyone at the work shop they payed to attend. I guess that if you believe that wishing something is so will make it so, then this place is for you. I saw a lot of empty beer bottles and cigarette??? buts but I didn't see a lot of signs of progress but hey, the hot tub and pool will be pretty nice if you happen to be the right kind of person who gets asked to stay on and live in a hot concrete cube!!
You guys go ahead and hold hands and chant, I will go out in the real world and build real houses that real people can live in and they wont need window mounted AC units to make them habitable!
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Arcosanit has inspired construction of FIVE eco-cities in China!
Posted by Eric Sommer on 4/27/2009 6:14:00 AM

It's often true that the work of great visionaries reverberates and is hear far away its origins. Think of Ghandhi influencing Martin Luther King in America. In the case of Paolo Soleris' work, and Arcosanti, these have significantly impacted the planning and designs for five (!) new eco-cities being built from the ground up, with strong government support and funding, in China. After decades of relatively ignoring environmental degradation resulting from rapid economic development, the Chinese government in the past five years has embraced greening, sustainability, recycling, and environmental protection (hundreds and hundreds of polluting factories have been closed down and environmental protection requirements for new industries are much more stringent). At the same time, with an eye to the future, five eco-cities, not exactly like Arcosanti, and not concentrated in one building, but with the concept of compression of home, work, and shopping into short distances to minimize automobile use and unnecessary resource use, are being built. One of them is on an island adjacent to Shanghai.

No vision, and no, visionary, is perfect. But they do help to lead the way for humanity.

Eric Sommer, Beijing and Rizhao, China
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More on: Arcosanit has inspired construction of FIVE eco-cities in China!
Posted by Eric Sommer on 4/27/2009 6:24:00 AM

Ooops: It's true that Solaris' vision was a direct influence on the planners of the Chinese eco-cities. But I have just discovered that the Chinese eco-city projects mentioned in my previous post have mostly been abandoned. Not because of any lack of will by the central government to promote sustainability; rather various conjuncural factors, such as inattention by the local citye governements and the nmostly western archetectural firms involved to the cultural and other realities of the local people; a Shanghai mayor who had helped sponsor the projet landing in jail for unrelated corruption; and various other factors. I think it remains true, however, that Solari's visions will continue to inspire attempts at sustainable city design. See this url for details on the failures of the eco-cities plans in China: http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2138
Eric Sommer
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It's been years but I am still in Love.
Posted by Rita Joy on 5/12/2009 10:33:00 PM

I remeber going to Arcosanti four years ago and I did back flips over how amazing it was. People need to look beyound perfection and see the pure intention in every piece of art on the whole land. I love how interesting it was. Seeing it is beliveing it. I could feel the love that was, is, and is still to come all around the dreams that constently circle around it. Dreams of having faith in humans and how harmony can live in any of life's many indevers. Building, eating, sleeping, playing all together. With a audience on top of it. Wow this place is radical and rebelouse and thats why I like it. So go for it I dare all who read to try it becouse God know's I would love to have the ambition to build a village like this one...but may be in the woods! Love n Light
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What It Is
Posted by Dirk on 8/16/2009 11:12:00 PM

I found Arcosanti to have the feel of a [post-]modern monastery for [recovering] Catholics and other secular Westerns. There are the daily meetings, the chores, vows of poverty, the grand visions of hope and peace, the ideas of transformation; even the ideas of heretical Jesuit priest Teilard de Chardin were invoked. I presume that Frank Lloyd Wright (a good Unitarian) and Soleri's clash was at essence religious (though never consciously so).

My only problem with any of that it is that Soleri's latter-day monastery, and the humanist faith community it represents, simply are not honest about what they are, nor do they seem to realize their place within the context of the Western religious and secular tradition. I find that troubling. It's as if Soleri invented it out of whole clothe in the Arizona desert.

Oh, the nonsense that anyone of this is about architecture or ecology is just nonsense. It's about sociology. What is everyone talking about? It's about the renunciation of middle-class comfort and privacy and property. That might be good for the planet. It is what nuns and monks do, within in Christianity and in other religions too.

It's not new. Soleri has just placed in within a humanist, secular context. You can even stay at the monastery at Arcosanti, they way one can visit any number of monastic institutions for a sense of peace and quite and wholeness. Many make bread or jam. They make bells at Arcosanti.

Oh, and the place is a mess and falling apart. Like so many monastic institutions these days. A pity.
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Little Tommy has a Tantrum
Posted by Anthony Thompson on 2/16/2010 2:54:00 PM

I would like to see the place where "Tom" has lived for the past 22 years in Arizona. My guess? A faux-adobe McMansion with lush green lawns and perhaps a few transplanted cactuses. Yuck!!!
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