Lindsay M: Arcosanti

Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti: Mayer, Arizona
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During my sophomore year at Parsons I discovered an architect Paolo Soleri as a consequence of researching for a History of Architecture paper. Soleri is an Italian artist, architect, urban theorist, who – in basic book talk – has devoted his life to re-imaging the way that humanity lives, with the environment and most importantly, with each other. His physical work as an architect isn’t much, when compared with architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright or Alvar Aalto, but on paper he has developed thousands upon thousands of beautiful, thought provoking diagrams and urban development plans under the titles “Linear Cities” or “Cosmic Potentials.” Just the vast amount of work that he has created over the years is mind-boggling! But when I first discovered Soleri I wasn’t even interested in all that. Short-sightedly, I just wanted to know about the basics and how his modern take on old ways of building could be integrated into my paper. It wasn’t until I visited Cosanti, his home base in Phoenix Arizona, one Christmas break that I really got interested. Walking through the spaces of Cosanti I just understood (for reasons unbeknownst to me still) that I had to experience more, to interact with the organic forms that had risen up from the earth when he first started experimenting with the site in the late 1950’s. A workshop at Arcosanti, his second experimental project in Mayer, Arizona, was my chance. Every year Arcosanti holds 8-9 workshops for five weeks each that give participants an opportunity to live, work and learn about Arcosanti and Soleri’s theories. Originally, I signed up for a two-week workshop, but after those two weeks were through, I felt I couldn’t leave yet and changed my plane ticket. Two and a half months later, I was finally making travel arrangements. Arcosanti turned out to not only be a place where my education as a design/interior architecture student could be expanded, but also a place where I could learn more about myself and what in life was important to me.
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Photos: provided by Lindsay Marsh and arcosanti.org


1. top left intro photograph: The Vaults at Sunset, Arcosanti. 2008
2. One of the apses at Cosanti [arcosanti.org]
3. Southern view from Arcosanti of South Mesa 2008
4. The making of ceramic bells, Arcosanti 2008
5. The Vaults, Arcosanti 2008
6. View towards the Ceramics Apse, Arcosanti 2008
7. Back view of Colly Soleri Music Center and Theatre, Arcosanti 2008
8. Produce from Arcosanti Gardens at Farmers Market, Arcosanti 2008