Alternate Worlds; Arcosanti
Long before a solar-paneled roof became de rigueur, therewere communities experimenting with ways of living cleaner, greener lives. I’ve spent time at three of these of late;Arcosanti, the Biosphere project and the Earthships community in New Mexico.
The Grand Vision
Arcosanti was the most hard core, and hard to reach, of mytrips. About 70 miles north of Phoenixnear Cordes Junction, the last 20 minutes of the drive into the compound are ongnarly desert tracks. The brainchild ofItalian-American architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti was intended as a new kindof town, a place where 5,000 residents would have easy access to culture andone another, where decisions would be made collectively by the community throughdebate in an open air amphitheater. Carswould be redundant as the community would be small and dense enough to traverseon foot, and the town would grow much of its own food, recycle water andminimize energy usage.
Construction began in 1970, and continues to this day. There are about 50 folks living on site atany given time, and a far wider community of Arcosanti Alumni who contributedto the build over the years. Livingconditions are pretty basic – there’s not much in the way of air conditioningdespite the crazy Arizona heat – and compromises have inevitably been madealong the way. Some residents missedmeat, for example, so the diet is no longer strictly vegetarian.
Mr Soleri – now 91 – splits his time between Arcosanti(where his modest quarters boast an extraordinary view across a valley floor)and the more urban and accessible Cosanti, in suburban Scottsdale. There are some pics of Cosanti at the bottomof this archive.
The Takeaways
The project clearly didn’t work out the way that Soleriintended, and this has to be partly because it was swimming against thetide. We now live further distances fromone another in ever larger houses, not in the tight communities that Soleri envisaged. There’s also a hint of architecturalarrogance to the project; it expects that you’ll adapt your lifestyle aroundit. Some of the living quarters look outover the amphitheater, for instance, so there’s no padding round your livingroom naked when a meeting’s afoot! Ofcourse, Soleri interned with Frank Lloyd Wright, so that may be where thattrait came from…
That said, the project has clearly had cultural impact;Soleri’s concept of arcology (densely populated self sufficient communities) appearedin an early version of SimCity for example. Sometimes, it’s good to take a look at how stuff used to work. We’re really quick to throw technologysolutions at green issues nowadays, so it’s nice to see answers than involvebrain power rather than RAM. The ‘semidomes’ which form much of the architecture are placed for maximum insulationfrom the weather.
Our definition of ‘green’ has also changed over the years;the abundant concrete on the site would doubtless raise eyebrows among today’sgreen architects.
More Information
ArcoSanti’s official website
ArcoSanti Wikipedia
Long before a solar-paneled roof became de rigueur, therewere communities experimenting with ways of living cleaner, greener lives. I’ve spent time at three of these of late;Arcosanti, the Biosphere project and the Earthships community in New Mexico.
The Grand Vision
Arcosanti was the most hard core, and hard to reach, of mytrips. About 70 miles north of Phoenixnear Cordes Junction, the last 20 minutes of the drive into the compound are ongnarly desert tracks. The brainchild ofItalian-American architect Paolo Soleri, Arcosanti was intended as a new kindof town, a place where 5,000 residents would have easy access to culture andone another, where decisions would be made collectively by the community throughdebate in an open air amphitheater. Carswould be redundant as the community would be small and dense enough to traverseon foot, and the town would grow much of its own food, recycle water andminimize energy usage.
Construction began in 1970, and continues to this day. There are about 50 folks living on site atany given time, and a far wider community of Arcosanti Alumni who contributedto the build over the years. Livingconditions are pretty basic – there’s not much in the way of air conditioningdespite the crazy Arizona heat – and compromises have inevitably been madealong the way. Some residents missedmeat, for example, so the diet is no longer strictly vegetarian.
Mr Soleri – now 91 – splits his time between Arcosanti(where his modest quarters boast an extraordinary view across a valley floor)and the more urban and accessible Cosanti, in suburban Scottsdale. There are some pics of Cosanti at the bottomof this archive.
The Takeaways
The project clearly didn’t work out the way that Soleriintended, and this has to be partly because it was swimming against thetide. We now live further distances fromone another in ever larger houses, not in the tight communities that Soleri envisaged. There’s also a hint of architecturalarrogance to the project; it expects that you’ll adapt your lifestyle aroundit. Some of the living quarters look outover the amphitheater, for instance, so there’s no padding round your livingroom naked when a meeting’s afoot! Ofcourse, Soleri interned with Frank Lloyd Wright, so that may be where thattrait came from…
That said, the project has clearly had cultural impact;Soleri’s concept of arcology (densely populated self sufficient communities) appearedin an early version of SimCity for example. Sometimes, it’s good to take a look at how stuff used to work. We’re really quick to throw technologysolutions at green issues nowadays, so it’s nice to see answers than involvebrain power rather than RAM. The ‘semidomes’ which form much of the architecture are placed for maximum insulationfrom the weather.
Our definition of ‘green’ has also changed over the years;the abundant concrete on the site would doubtless raise eyebrows among today’sgreen architects.
More Information
ArcoSanti’s official website
ArcoSanti Wikipedia
One of the 'apses' or semi-domes; this one was used as a work room for potters
A view through one of the larger 'apses'; it was actually fairly cool inside despite the desert heat outside!
Part of the amphitheater, with living quarters immediately behind it. The amphitheater hosts concerts as well as acting as a central meeting place for the community.
Looking out over the valley floor from the dining room, and a decent example of the circular architecture common to all of the buildings
A stack of bronze ready for forging into windbells
Both Arcosanti and Cosanti are funded by the sale ofbeautiful (and pricey) windbells and by educational programs.
All of the tiles for the build are hand made on site
Another example of how 'green' has changed over the years; these poplar trees were imported from Soleri's native Italy. Non-native plants, the horror!
Cow & calf wandering along the roadside; they were untagged so I'm assuming they're wild
The view on the way out of the compound
Windbells hanging at Cosanti
Apse at Cosanti; there's only one there as it's a much smaller site than ArcoSanti
Visitor's center at Cosanti
Small sculptures on amphitheater steps at Cosanti
