Paolo Soleri
Paolo Soleri (
June 21,
1919,
Turin, Italy) is an Italian-American visionary architect.
Soleri was awarded his "laurea" (M.Sc. degree) with highest honors in
architecture from the
Politecnico di Torino in
1946. He visited the
United States in
1947 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." The processes he became familiar with in the ceramics industry led to his award-winning designs of ceramic and bronze
windbells and siltcast architectural structures. For over 30 years, the proceeds from the windbells have provided funds for construction to test his theoretical work.
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 not-for-profit educational foundation. Soleri's philosophy and works have been strongly influenced by the
Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
The Foundation's major project is
Arcosanti, a planned community for 5,000 people designed by Soleri, under construction since
1970. Located near
Cordes Junction, about 70 miles north of
Phoenix and visible from Interstate I-17 in central
Arizona, the project is based on Soleri's concept of "
Arcology,"
architecture coherent with
ecology. An arcology is a hyperdense city designed to maximize human interaction; maximize access to shared, cost-effective infrastructural services like water and 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 the prototype of the desert arcology.
Since 1970, over 6000 people have participated in Arcosanti's construction. Their international affiliation group is called the
Arcosanti Arcology Network (alternate URL: http://www.arcologycentral.org). As of 2005 Arcosanti stands some fraction of 1% complete.
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 at the
Xerox Square Center in
Rochester, New York, in
1976. In
1989 "Paolo Soleri Habitats: Ecologic Minutiae," and exhibition of arcologies, space habitats and bridges, was presented at the New York Academy of Sciences. Most recently, "Soleri's Cities, Architecture for the Planet Earth and Beyond" was featured at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts in
Scottsdale, AZ. His work has been exhibited worldwide.
Soleri has received one fellowship from the
Graham Foundation and two from the
Guggenheim Foundation. He has been awarded three honorary doctorates, the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Craftmanship in
1963, the Gold Medal from the World Biennieal of Architecture in
Sofia, Bulgaria, in
1981, and the Silver Medal of the Academied' Architecture in
Paris,
1984. In 2000 Paolo Soleri received the
leone d'oro at the
Mostra di Architettura di Venezia (Venice Architecture Biennale) for his life long achievement on architecture. Soleri is a distinguished lecturer in the College of Architecture at
Arizona State University.
The International Architecture Symposium "Mensch und Raum" (man and space) at the
Vienna University of Technology (Technische Universität Wien) in
1984 received in 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 member of the
Lindisfarne Association.
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
Cosanti, the original site for his research located in Scottsdale, and
Arcosanti.
*
Arcology*
Arcosanti*
Yavapai County, Arizona*
Mayer, Arizona*
Cosanti*
List of architects*
List of urban planners
