Arcosanti- City of man and sun
Updated: Jan 9, 2020
In the middle of the Arizona desert exists a mini eco city, centred around arcology, breathtaking contemporary architecture and the sun- it's called Arcosanti. Arco being from arcology and cosa, with cosa meaning “thing” and anti, meaning “before”... and that's exactly what this place is but so much more. Although originally a vision and design of Paolo Soleri, it's a collective effort of teams of people, many of whom have passed through on their own. Whilst there, they are aided in perfecting their craft and in return, leaving behind their own little part of the place they call Arcosanti. The initial intention of the project was to demonstrate how urban conditions could be improved while minimising the destructive impact on the earth, a notion that has picked up pace through the years. As it remains a work in progress you can visit and even stay there to study, or just buy one of their bronze cast bells. I visited back in 2014 and remember being in complete awe of this place, it was like nothing I had ever seen. I recently found some of the photos I took on an old phone that travelled the globe with me. It reignited an excitement for natural materials, from building and interiors to craft and I wanted to share them.
The core values of this project covers frugality, resourcefulness, ecology, accountability, experiential learning and limiting our footprint. It's a beautiful balance between creation and conservation and provides possibilities for ways we can still live harmoniously with our planet in modern society.
“Our throw-away culture has made obsolescence the measure of its dynamism… The pernicious effect of planned obsolescence is the erosion of excellence.” – Paolo Soleri
For more inspiration and ways you could be involved (and slightly better quality photos) head over to the Cosanti foundation https://arcosanti.org/about/cosanti-foundation/
