Paolo Soleri
Encyclopedia
Paolo Soleri is an Italian-American architect. He established Arcosanti
and the educational Cosanti
Foundation. Soleri is a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University
and a National Design Award recipient in 2006.
from the Politecnico di Torino in 1946. He visited the United States
in December 1946 and spent a year and a half in fellowship with Frank Lloyd Wright
at Taliesin West
in Arizona
, and at Taliesin
in Spring Green, Wisconsin
. During this time, he gained international recognition for a bridge design displayed at the Museum of Modern Art
.
Soleri returned to Italy
in 1950 where he was commissioned to build a large ceramics factory, "Ceramica Artistica Solimene" in Vietri on the Amalfi coast. The ceramics industry processes he became familiar with during its construction led to his award-winning designs and production of ceramic and bronze windbells and siltcast architectural structures. For over 40 years, proceeds from sales of the windbells have provided funds for construction to test his theoretical work. Ceramic and bronze bells are still produced and sold at Arcosanti
and Cosanti
in Arizona.
In 1956 he settled in Scottsdale, Arizona
, with his late wife, Colly, and their two daughters. Dr. and Mrs. Soleri made a life-long commitment to research and experimentation in urban planning
, establishing the Cosanti
Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation. Soleri's philosophy and works have been strongly influenced by the Jesuit
paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
.
, a community planned for 5,000 people, designed by Soleri; Arcosanti has been in construction since 1970. Located near Cordes Junction, about 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Phoenix
and visible from Interstate I-17 in central Arizona
, the project intends to provide a model demonstrating Soleri's concept of "Arcology
", architecture
coherent with ecology
. Arcology is envisioned by Soleri as a hyperdense city, designed to maximize human interaction; it should maximize access to shared, cost-effective infrastructural services, conserve water and reduce sewage; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land; reduce waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment. Arcosanti is a prototype of a desert arcology. Soleri's other arcology designs envisioned sites such as the ocean (Nova Noah), et al. (see: Arcology: City in the Image of Man).
Since 1970, well over 6000 people have participated in Arcosanti's construction. Their international affiliation group is called the Arcosanti Alumni Network. As of 2010, construction is underway to complete Arcosanti's Greenhouse Apron.
(Technische Universität Wien) in 1984 received international attention. Paolo Soleri participated, among others: Justus Dahinden
, Dennis Sharp
, Bruno Zevi
, Jorge Glusberg
, Otto Kapfinger, Frei Otto
, Pierre Vago
, Ernst Gisel, Ionel Schein.
Soleri is a distinguished lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University
and a member of the Lindisfarne Association
.
In 1966, Paolo Soleri began working on the design for the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater
in Santa Fe
, New Mexico
. It was built on the campus of the Santa Fe Indian School
using large silt cast forms. The amphitheater is owned by the nineteen Native American Pueblos of New Mexico and is therefore not protected by local or state preservation laws .
A landmark exhibition, "The Architectural Visions of Paolo Soleri," organized in 1970 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art
in Washington, DC, traveled extensively in the U.S.
and Canada
, breaking records for attendance. "Two Suns Arcology, A Concept for Future Cities" opened in 1976 at the Xerox Square Center in Rochester, New York
. In 1989 "Paolo Soleri Habitats: Ecologic Minutiae," and exhibition of arcologies, space habitats and bridges, was presented at the New York Academy of Sciences. More recently, "Soleri's Cities, Architecture for the Planet Earth and Beyond" was featured at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts in Scottsdale, AZ. A Soleri bell appears in the film What the Bleep Do We Know? His work has been exhibited worldwide.
The Paolo Soleri Archives, the collection of all of Soleri's art and letters, is located at Arcosanti. The Soleri Archives is managed by Sue Kiersch under the direction of Cosanti Board Trustee Director of Special Projects Tomiaki Tamura, who resides at Arcosanti.
Soleri was interviewed in the 2007 environmental documentary "The 11th Hour (film)
".
December 10, 2010 - Completion of Soleri Bridge and Plaza commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art.
The 130 feet (39.6 m) pedestrian bridge, based on Paolo Soleri's design, is located on the South Bank of the Arizona Canal and connects newly developed retail area Scottsdale Waterfront with Old Town Scottsdale. The bridge is incorporated into a 22000 sq ft (2,043.9 m²) plaza including silt cast artwork and a large bell assembly, The Goldwater Bell, also designed by Paolo Soleri.
(1964, Architecture, Planning, & Design).
He has been awarded three honorary doctorates and several awards from design groups worldwide:
, the original site for his research located in Scottsdale, and Arcosanti
.
Arcosanti
Arcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet...
and the educational Cosanti
Cosanti
Cosanti is the gallery, studio and residence of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA and open to the public, Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping and experimental earth-formed concrete structures....
Foundation. Soleri is a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and a National Design Award recipient in 2006.
Early life
Soleri was born in Turin, Italy. He was awarded his "laurea" (PhD degree with highest honors) in architectureArchitecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
from the Politecnico di Torino in 1946. He visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in December 1946 and spent a year and a half in fellowship with Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
at Taliesin West
Taliesin West
Taliesin West was architect Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and school in the desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 91. Today it is the main campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and houses the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.Open to the public for tours, Taliesin...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and at Taliesin
Taliesin (studio)
Taliesin , near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was the summer home of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright began the building in 1911 after leaving his first wife, Catherine Tobin, and his Oak Park, Illinois, home and studio in 1909. The impetus behind Wright's departure was his affair with...
in Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,444 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green.-Geography:Spring Green is located at ....
. During this time, he gained international recognition for a bridge design displayed at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
.
Soleri returned to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in 1950 where he was commissioned to build a large ceramics factory, "Ceramica Artistica Solimene" in Vietri on the Amalfi coast. The ceramics industry processes he became familiar with during its construction led to his award-winning designs and production of ceramic and bronze windbells and siltcast architectural structures. For over 40 years, proceeds from sales of the windbells have provided funds for construction to test his theoretical work. Ceramic and bronze bells are still produced and sold at Arcosanti
Arcosanti
Arcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet...
and Cosanti
Cosanti
Cosanti is the gallery, studio and residence of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA and open to the public, Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping and experimental earth-formed concrete structures....
in Arizona.
In 1956 he settled in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
, with his late wife, Colly, and their two daughters. Dr. and Mrs. Soleri made a life-long commitment to research and experimentation in urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, establishing the Cosanti
Cosanti
Cosanti is the gallery, studio and residence of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA and open to the public, Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping and experimental earth-formed concrete structures....
Foundation, a non-profit educational foundation. Soleri's philosophy and works have been strongly influenced by the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ was a French philosopher and Jesuit priest who trained as a paleontologist and geologist and took part in the discovery of both Piltdown Man and Peking Man. Teilhard conceived the idea of the Omega Point and developed Vladimir Vernadsky's concept of Noosphere...
.
Arcosanti
The Cosanti Foundation's major project is ArcosantiArcosanti
Arcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet...
, a community planned for 5,000 people, designed by Soleri; Arcosanti has been in construction since 1970. Located near Cordes Junction, about 70 miles (112.7 km) north of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and visible from Interstate I-17 in central Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, the project intends to provide a model demonstrating Soleri's concept of "Arcology
Arcology
Arcology, a portmanteau of the words "architecture" and "ecology", is a set of architectural design principles aimed toward the design of enormous habitats of extremely high human population density. These largely hypothetical structures would contain a variety of residential, commercial, and...
", architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
coherent with ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
. Arcology is envisioned by Soleri as a hyperdense city, designed to maximize human interaction; it should maximize access to shared, cost-effective infrastructural services, conserve water and reduce sewage; minimize the use of energy, raw materials and land; reduce waste and environmental pollution; and allow interaction with the surrounding natural environment. Arcosanti is a prototype of a desert arcology. Soleri's other arcology designs envisioned sites such as the ocean (Nova Noah), et al. (see: Arcology: City in the Image of Man).
Since 1970, well over 6000 people have participated in Arcosanti's construction. Their international affiliation group is called the Arcosanti Alumni Network. As of 2010, construction is underway to complete Arcosanti's Greenhouse Apron.
Other achievements
The International Architecture Symposium "Mensch und Raum" (Man and Space) at the Vienna University of TechnologyVienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology is one of the major universities in Vienna, the capital of Austria. Founded in 1815 as the "Imperial-Royal Polytechnic Institute" , it currently has about 26,200 students , 8 faculties and about 4,000 staff members...
(Technische Universität Wien) in 1984 received international attention. Paolo Soleri participated, among others: Justus Dahinden
Justus Dahinden
Justus Dahinden is a notable Swiss architect, teacher and writer about architecture.- Life :From 1945 to 1949, he studied architecture at ETH Zürich , graduating in 1956 with his Ph.D. In 1955 he started his own architecture office in Zürich...
, Dennis Sharp
Dennis Sharp
Dennis Sharp was a British architect, professor, curator, historian, author and editor.Dennis Sharp studied at Bedford Modern School and at Luton School of Art...
, Bruno Zevi
Bruno Zevi
Bruno Zevi was an Italian architect, historian, professor, curator, author and editor. Zevi was a vocal critic of 'classicising' modern architecture and postmodernism.-University years:...
, Jorge Glusberg
Jorge Glusberg
Jorge Glusberg is an author, publisher and curator as well as professor.Glusberg is longtime director of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes MNBA in Buenos Aires and co-director of Comité Internacional de Críticos de Arquitectura CICA. In 2002 he was leader of the Buenos Aires Biennale...
, Otto Kapfinger, Frei Otto
Frei Otto
Frei Paul Otto is a German architect and structural engineer.- Life :Otto was born in Siegmar . He studied architecture in Berlin before being drafted into the Luftwaffe as a fighter pilot in the last years of World War II...
, Pierre Vago
Pierre Vago
Pierre Vago was a notable French architect who worked on the Hansaviertel in Berlin. Known Internationally as the publisher of L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui and General Secretary of the UIA...
, Ernst Gisel, Ionel Schein.
Soleri is a distinguished lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and a member of the Lindisfarne Association
Lindisfarne Association
The Lindisfarne Association is a group of intellectuals of diverse interests organized by cultural historian William Irwin Thompson for the "study and realization of a new planetary culture"...
.
In 1966, Paolo Soleri began working on the design for the Paolo Soleri Amphitheater
Paolo Soleri Amphitheater
The Paolo Soleri Amphitheater was an amphitheater in Santa Fe, New Mexico which was founded 1970 and closed in 2010. The structure, which was never finished due to design flaws, was designed by Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri....
in Santa Fe
Santa Fe
Santa Fe or Santa Fé may refer to:-Places:*Argentina**Santa Fe, Argentina, a city in Argentina**Santa Fe Province, a province of Argentina*Bolivia**Santa Fé , Bolivia...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It was built on the campus of the Santa Fe Indian School
Santa Fe Indian School
The Santa Fe Indian School is a secondary school in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It was founded in 1890 as a boarding school for Native American children from the state's Indian pueblos. But in the course of its history, the school has also served as a major cultural catalyst for the...
using large silt cast forms. The amphitheater is owned by the nineteen Native American Pueblos of New Mexico and is therefore not protected by local or state preservation laws .
A landmark exhibition, "The Architectural Visions of Paolo Soleri," organized in 1970 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
in Washington, DC, traveled extensively in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, breaking records for attendance. "Two Suns Arcology, A Concept for Future Cities" opened in 1976 at the Xerox Square Center in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. In 1989 "Paolo Soleri Habitats: Ecologic Minutiae," and exhibition of arcologies, space habitats and bridges, was presented at the New York Academy of Sciences. More recently, "Soleri's Cities, Architecture for the Planet Earth and Beyond" was featured at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts in Scottsdale, AZ. A Soleri bell appears in the film What the Bleep Do We Know? His work has been exhibited worldwide.
The Paolo Soleri Archives, the collection of all of Soleri's art and letters, is located at Arcosanti. The Soleri Archives is managed by Sue Kiersch under the direction of Cosanti Board Trustee Director of Special Projects Tomiaki Tamura, who resides at Arcosanti.
Soleri was interviewed in the 2007 environmental documentary "The 11th Hour (film)
The 11th Hour (film)
The 11th Hour is a 2007 documentary film, created, produced and narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, on the state of the natural environment. It was directed by Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners and financed by Adam Lewis and Pierre André Senizergues, and distributed by Warner Independent...
".
December 10, 2010 - Completion of Soleri Bridge and Plaza commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art.
The 130 feet (39.6 m) pedestrian bridge, based on Paolo Soleri's design, is located on the South Bank of the Arizona Canal and connects newly developed retail area Scottsdale Waterfront with Old Town Scottsdale. The bridge is incorporated into a 22000 sq ft (2,043.9 m²) plaza including silt cast artwork and a large bell assembly, The Goldwater Bell, also designed by Paolo Soleri.
Awards
Soleri has received fellowships from the Graham Foundation and from the Guggenheim FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
(1964, Architecture, Planning, & Design).
He has been awarded three honorary doctorates and several awards from design groups worldwide:
- 1963 - American Institute of Architects Gold MedalAIA Gold MedalThe AIA Gold Medal is awarded by the American Institute of Architects conferred "by the national AIA Board of Directors in recognition of a significant body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."...
for Craftmanship - 1981 - Gold Medal at the World Bienniale of Architecture held by the International Academy of ArchitectureInternational Academy of ArchitectureThe International Academy of Architecture - a non-profit-making company for performing activities for private benefit is a non-governmental and non-profit organization with special status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council , located in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Bulgarian name is also...
in Sofia, Bulgaria - 1984 - Silver Medal of the Academie d' Architecture in ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- 1996 - Honorary Fellow, Royal Institute of British ArchitectsRoyal Institute of British ArchitectsThe Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
- 2000 - Leone d'oro at the Mostra di Architettura di VeneziaVenice Biennale of architectureMostra di Architettura di Venezia, the Architecture section of the Venice Biennale, was established in 1980, although architecture had been a part of the art biennale since 1968....
(Venice Architecture Biennale) for his lifelong achievement - 2006 - Cooper Hewitt National Design AwardCooper-Hewitt, National Design MuseumCooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum, a subsidiary of the Smithsonian Institution, is the United States' national museum of design history and contemporary design and the only museum in the U.S. whose collection is solely focused on contemporary and historic design...
for lifetime achievement
Writings
He has written six books and numerous essays and monographs. When he is not traveling on the international lecture circuit, Soleri divides his time between CosantiCosanti
Cosanti is the gallery, studio and residence of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA and open to the public, Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping and experimental earth-formed concrete structures....
, the original site for his research located in Scottsdale, and Arcosanti
Arcosanti
Arcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet...
.
See also
- ArcologyArcologyArcology, a portmanteau of the words "architecture" and "ecology", is a set of architectural design principles aimed toward the design of enormous habitats of extremely high human population density. These largely hypothetical structures would contain a variety of residential, commercial, and...
- ArcosantiArcosantiArcosanti is an experimental town that began construction in 1970 in central Arizona, north of Phoenix, at an elevation of 3,732 feet...
- Yavapai County, ArizonaYavapai County, Arizona-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
- Mayer, ArizonaMayer, ArizonaMayer is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,408 at the 2000 census. Mayer includes three sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Mayer Apartments, Mayer Business Block, and Mayer Red Brick Schoolhouse.The 1993-1994 CBS...
- CosantiCosantiCosanti is the gallery, studio and residence of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA and open to the public, Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping and experimental earth-formed concrete structures....
- List of architects
- List of urban planners
- Paolo Soleri AmphitheaterPaolo Soleri AmphitheaterThe Paolo Soleri Amphitheater was an amphitheater in Santa Fe, New Mexico which was founded 1970 and closed in 2010. The structure, which was never finished due to design flaws, was designed by Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri....
- Lisa A. Scafuro. Phoenix Home & Garden. March, 2008, Page 270. “Paolo Soleri: The Lifetime Achievements of a Living Legacy”