| Paolo Soleri | |
| Nationality: | Italian American |
| Years Active: | 19442012 |
| Birth Date: | 21 June 1919[1] |
| Birth Place: | Turin, Italy |
| Death Place: | Paradise Valley, Arizona |
| Alma Mater: | Polytechnic University of Turin |
| Significant Buildings: | Cosanti |
| Significant Projects: | Arcosanti |
| Awards: | 1963 – American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Craftmanship 2000 – Leone d'oro at the Venice Biennale of Architecture |
Paolo Soleri (21 June 1919 – 9 April 2013)[1] was an American architect and urban planner. He established the educational Cosanti Foundation and Arcosanti. Soleri was a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University and a National Design Award recipient in 2006. He coined the concept of 'arcology' – a synthesis of architecture and ecology as the philosophy of democratic society.[2] He died at home of natural causes on 9 April 2013 at the age of 93.[3]
Soleri authored several books, including The Bridge Between Matter & Spirit is Matter Becoming Spirit and Arcology – City In the Image of Man.[4]
Soleri was born in Turin, Italy. He was awarded his "laurea" (master's degree) in architecture 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 that was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art.[5]
In 1950, Soleri, with his wife Colly (née Corolyn Woods), returned to Italy where he was commissioned to build a large ceramics factory, Ceramica Artistica Solimene, in Vietri on the Amalfi coast.[6]
Soleri adapted ceramics industry processes learned at this time to use in his award-winning designs and production of ceramic and bronze windbells and silt-cast architectural structures. For more than 40 years, proceeds from sales of the wind-bells have been an important source of funds for construction that is meant to test his theoretical work. Ceramic and bronze bells continue to be produced and sold at Arcosanti and Cosanti in Arizona.[7]
In 1956, Soleri settled in Scottsdale, Arizona, with Colly and the elder of their two daughters; the younger was born in Arizona. He began building Arcosanti in 1970 with the help of architecture and design students, as a place to test his urban design hypotheses. This "urban laboratory" (so-dubbed by Ada Louise Huxtable, who at the time was the architecture critic of The New York Times) became internationally renowned.
Paolo and Colly Soleri made a lifelong commitment to research and experimentation in urban planning. They established the Cosanti Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational non-profit foundation. Soleri's philosophy and works were strongly influenced by the Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
The International Architecture Symposium "Mensch und Raum" (Man and Space) at the Vienna University of Technology in 1984 received international attention. Paolo Soleri participated with, among others: Justus Dahinden, Dennis Sharp, Bruno Zevi, Jorge Glusberg, Otto Kapfinger, Frei Otto, Pierre Vago, Ernst Gisel, and Ionel Schein.
Soleri was 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 for the IAIA (Institute of American Indian Arts) on what is now the campus of the Santa Fe Indian School using large silt cast forms. The property is owned by the nineteen Native American Pueblos of New Mexico and is therefore not protected by local or state preservation laws.[8]
A landmark exhibition, "City in the Image of Man – The Architectural Visions of Paolo Soleri", organized in 1970 by the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, traveled extensively thereafter 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", an 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.[9]
In 1976, Paolo Soleri was a key participant at UN Habitat I, the first UN forum on human settlements, held it Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, North America. Soleri appeared there together with Buckminster Fuller.
In 1986, four years after the death of his wife from cancer, Soleri was commissioned to design the Arizona Cancer Center Chapel at the University of Arizona. The highly personal architectural expression featured a sand-cast barrel vault ceiling with botanical motifs, sculptural elements and a bell system. [10]
On 10 December 2010, the Soleri Bridge and Plaza was completed.[11] The structure had been commissioned by Scottsdale Public Art. The 130feet pedestrian bridge based on Paolo Soleri's design is located on the South Bank of the Arizona Canal and connects a developed retail area of the Scottsdale Waterfront with Old Town Scottsdale. The bridge is incorporated into a 22000square feet plaza including silt cast artwork, as well as a large bell assembly called The Goldwater Bell, also designed by Paolo Soleri.
The feature-length documentary film (2013) contains interviews with Morley Safer, Paul Goldberger, Catherine Hardwicke, Will Bruder, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Steven Holl, and Eric Lloyd Wright.[12]
The Cosanti Foundation's major project is Arcosanti. Arcosanti, as originally designed by Soleri, was intended for 5,000 people; it has been in construction since 1970. Located near Cordes Junction, about 70miles north of Phoenix and visible from Interstate I-17 in central Arizona, the intention of the project is to provide a model that can demonstrate Soleri's concept of "Arcology", architecture coherent with ecology. Arcology was envisioned by Soleri as a hyper-dense city, designed to: maximize human interaction with ready 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; increase interaction with the surrounding natural environment. In 2010, construction was underway to complete Arcosanti's Greenhouse Apron, but that initiative was put on hold not long after Soleri's death in 2013.
Arcosanti is intended as 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, over 7000 people have participated in Arcosanti's construction. Their international affiliation group is called the Arcosanti Alumni Network.[13]
In October 2010, Daniela Soleri – Paolo Soleri's daughter – resigned from the Cosanti Foundation board, citing abuse by her father. She stated that some of Soleri's inner circle had been told decades earlier, but nothing had been done about it at the time. After the resignation, Soleri stepped down as chairman, but the board made no public statement on the reasons.[14]
After the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art had a major retrospective exhibition on Paolo Soleri in October 2017, Daniela published an article on the website Medium on 13 November 2017 accusing her father of persistent sexual abuse,[14] writing:
Encouraged to publish the article by the
, Daniela wrote that she had already come forward to many of her father's colleagues but received little response:
In the article, Daniela wrote about her lingering admiration for some of Soleri's work and ideas. However, she also warned against uncritical praise of artists with abusive tendencies and the tendency to "accept abusive behavior as a necessary and justified cost for the contributions of intellect or creativity". Of her father, Daniela wrote:
As noted in Dezeen, Daniela's article suggested that she had approached The New York Times or other news publishers to discuss her father's abuse, but had been turned away.[15] The Cosanti Foundation Board released an official statement in response to Daniela Soleri's:
Curbed editor-in-chief Kelsey Keith wrote "[Daniela] Soleri's account is breathtaking not only for its thorough and very personal reckoning with the truth, but for its clear-eyed articulation of the reasons why assigning all intellectual power to a solitary genius is so harmful." Keith noted that architecture as a profession "hasn't (yet) experienced its Weinstein moment", referring to the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations and the resulting "Weinstein effect" of reporting sexual misconduct committed by powerful men in media and other industries. In a 2018 Curbed article, Hilary George-Parkin said:
Soleri died on 9 April 2013 and was buried at Arcosanti in its private cemetery, beside his wife.[16]
Soleri received fellowships from the Graham Foundation and from the Guggenheim Foundation (1964, Architecture, Planning, & Design[17]). He was awarded three honorary doctorates and several awards from design groups worldwide:
Paolo Soleri's architectural and philosophical contributions have left a lasting impact on the fields of architecture, urban planning, and environmental design. His legacy can be observed through various aspects:
Soleri's experimental urban laboratory, Arcosanti, serves as a testament to his commitment to the concept of arcology — the fusion of architecture and ecology. The ongoing development of Arcosanti since its inception in 1970 underscores Soleri's vision of creating compact, sustainable communities.[18]
Soleri's work reflects a deep ecological consciousness, emphasizing the need for harmonious coexistence between human settlements and the natural environment. His theoretical framework proposed efficient land use, resource conservation, and a reconsideration of societal norms in favor of ecological balance.[19]
Many contemporary architects and urban planners acknowledge Soleri's influence on their work. His innovative ideas have inspired a generation of designers to explore sustainable and efficient urban solutions, contributing to the ongoing discourse on environmentally conscious architecture.[20]
Soleri's writings, including his seminal work "Arcology
Soleri's impact is further evident in the numerous awards and honors he received during his lifetime, including the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal (2010) for his enduring commitment to blending architecture with ecology.
The Paolo Soleri Archives, the collection of Soleri's drawings and writings, is located at Arcosanti.[22] The Soleri Archives is managed by Sue Kirsch. This collection is shared through exhibits, publication and is made available to scholars and historians.
While Paolo Soleri's arcological vision has faced both praise and criticism, his legacy persists as a source of inspiration for those seeking innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges of urbanization and environmental stewardship.
A number of films and recorded interviews have focused on Soleri's life and architectural contributions including: Paolo Soleri: Ideas and Work (1972), Soleri's Cities: Architecture for Planet Earth and Beyond Reviews (1993), Paolo Soleri: Beyond Form (2013), (2013), and Paolo Soleri: Citizen of the Planet (2016). An interview with Soleri was featured in the environmental documentary The 11th Hour (2007).[23]
Notes
Bibliography