A noted architect, urban planner, and artist, Paolo Soleri (1919-2013) was best known for Arcosanti, a planned community about 70 miles north of Phoenix.  A native of Turin, Italy, he earned a Ph.D. in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Turin in 1947 and apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West in Arizona and Taliesin in Wisconsin.  In 1965, Soleri established the educational non-profit Cosanti Foundation in the Scottsdale-Paradise Valley area north of Phoenix to develop his architectural and urban planning theories, in particular the concept of “arcology,” architecture coherent with ecology. 

Arcology as envisioned by Soleri included dense urban development designed to maximize human interaction and access to infrastructural services, conserve natural resources, reduce pollution, and foster interaction with the surrounding natural environment.  Soleri was also a lecturer in the College of Architecture at Arizona State University, a National Design Award recipient, and the author of six books and numerous essays.

This collection originated in 1972 with a grant given to Professor Jeffrey Cook of the ASU College of Architecture to preserve materials about Paolo Soleri. It includes audiovisual materials, slides, photographs, ephemera, drawings, and newspaper clippings.  The audiovisual materials in the collection document construction and other activities at Arcosanti as well as in-depth discussion and analysis of Soleri’s architectural concepts and philosophy. The slides in the collection document buildings designed by Paolo Soleri and also include pictures of Paolo and Colly Soleri, activities and buildings at Cosanti and Arcosanti, and architectural models, drawings, and designs by Soleri.

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94987-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Interior photograph of Barrel Vault at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona showing plaster and cloth form work

94988-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing south exterior view of Barrel Vault at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona

97263-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph of vaults under construction at Arcosanti

97264-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing people working on construction of vaults at Arcosanti

90155-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing people standing under vaults at Arcosanti

90206-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing people standing under vaults at Arcosanti

89998-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing south exterior view of Barrel Vaults at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona

90066-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing exterior view of and steps leading to Barrel Vault at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona

90228-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1972-10
Description

Photograph of vaults under construction at Arcosanti

90400-Thumbnail Image.jpg
ContributorsSoleri, Paolo, 1919-2013 (Architect) / Del Zoppo, Annette (Photographer)
Created1973
Description

Photograph showing exterior view of Barrel Vault and Cat-Cast House at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona