The Arcosanti story
Arcosanti is the built expression of arcology, Paolo Soleri’s groundbreaking vision for bringing architecture and ecology together to create more sustainable, human-centered cities.
First introduced in his landmark 1969 book Arcology: The City in the Image of Man, the concept became the catalyst for Arcosanti, the experimental micro-city midway between Phoenix and Sedona. Over the past five decades, thousands of volunteers, residents, artists, and students have helped shape this internationally recognized landmark into a living experiment in architecture, ecology, and community.
Blending the Italian words “cosa” and “anti,” meaning “against things”
Soleri named both his architectural design studio and the nonprofit foundation he founded “Cosanti,” as a deliberate critique of the rampant culture of consumerism he saw taking hold in the world. Cosanti – whether as a place of imaginative, provocative architectural experiments or a foundation exploring a built world in balance with the environment – both embody a radically different perspective and aesthetic.
In 1970, The Cosanti Foundation began construction of Arcosanti, a prototype arcology in the higher-elevation Arizona desert that proved to become a testing ground for Soleri’s progressive urban planning concepts. Over the subsequent decades, workshops volunteers, known as Arcosanti Alumni, began to build the iconic architecture of the Arcosanti we know today.
In the high desert of Arizona, Arcosanti sits on a mesa of basalt, a volcanic rock that provides a strong foundation for its structures. By ingeniously constructing the micro-city on basalt,the need to pour large concrete footings was eliminated, allowing for several structures to be under construction at once.
The basalt itself also helps insulate buildings during the winter months, and cool them somewhat in the summer months. The relationship between Arcosanti’s structures and the naturally occurring basalt rock it sits on underscores the central idea of what an arcology attempts to do: integrate architecture and ecology in a sensible way. Arcosanti has used nature as its guide from the very beginning.
To shelter and house the waves of volunteers – the Workshoppers – who came as part of a 5-week workshop to build Arcosanti, a base camp on the edge of the Agua Fria River was set up. Measuring only 8×8 ft, modular precast concrete panels were used to create a cube where one person would live, while 8×16 ft and later, 12×12 ft structures were constructed as shared spaces and common areas. Simply referred to as “Camp,” this cluster of concrete cube dwellings housed residents for decades.
Arcosanti practices organic landscaping and gardening, without the use of synthetic or chemical herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers in any of its gardens. The health of Arcosanti’s gardens is built from the ground up by making compost and adding natural soil amendments.
Many of the plants grown on the grounds provide shade and moisture in the harsh summers and produce edible fruit for residents to enjoy. The Italian olive and cypress trees that you will notice here are inspired by Paolo Soleri’s Italian heritage. When sufficient olives are available, they are picked in the fall and pressed into oil by a local mill.
The South Vault was the first structure built atop the mesa, its soaring 60-foot arch formed from twelve precast concrete panels joined above poured-in-place walls. Completed in 1975, the North Vault became its twin, with the fresco-like appearance of geometric patterns and rich color applied to the underside to create one of Arcosanti’s most recognizable architectural expressions.
Today, the Vaults remain the heart of community life at Arcosanti. They provide a shaded gathering place for daily meetings, performances, celebrations, and shared work—demonstrating how architecture can bring people together while responding naturally to the desert climate.
The Ceramics Apse was cast in place over mounded soil supported by scaffolding. The front facade was precast on the ground then lifted and assembled using a crane. This unusual canopy shape is a quarter of a sphere and has long been appreciated for the passive solar microclimate effect it creates. For decades, talented artisans have created the characteristic ceramic windbells and carved tiles that Cosanti Originals is known for within this unique space.
For the artisans who work outdoors under this south-facing structure, the low sun in the winter sky directs sunlight and warmth into the Apse while the intense heat from the high sun during the summers is shielded by its rounded roofline. By taking advantage of “the Apse Effect”, Arcosanti’s ceramicists can work outdoors all year long. The result is a distinctive part of Arcosanti’s iconic architecture that is both functional and beautiful.
The second apse structure at Arcosanti is home to the bronze foundry where over 12,000 Cosanti Originals bronze windbells are made each year. As with much of the architecture at Arcosanti, the Foundry was conceived to be a multi-use space and initially included one level of housing in its design blueprints.
When the site excavation suggested that the Foundry Apse could support an additional level of housing, the structure was modified to include two semi-circles of apartments along the rear of the apse. Exhaust heat from the foundry furnace, ducted through the living areas and stored in concrete heat sinks, contributes to the heating needs of the residents who occupy its apartments during the winter.
As Arcosanti grew and more young people came to build this place that was seen as different from other towns and communities, the need for additional housing became clear. East and West Housing were constructed using a combination of poured-in-place and precast concrete panels.
Today, they continue to be used as private apartments and shared spacesfor the Arcosanti residents who live there year-round. Among the special features of East and West Housing are its vaulted ceilings decorated with fresco-like designs, bathroom floors tiled with ceramic tiles handmade on- site, and an extensive patio with 12-foot swinging glass doors that trap warmth in the wintertime, creating a greenhouse-effect microclimate.
Used primarily as a Visitors Center with a windbell gallery and Cafe space, as well as private residential apartment, Crafts III is a multi-functional facility that demonstrates one of the core characteristics of Soleri’s arcology concept: integrating the functions of living, recreating, and working within a single structure.
Among the unique features of the Crafts III Building are its large windows on all four sides to take in the sweeping views of the high desert, its dramatic center atrium which, in the winter, is connected to a multi-story fabric tube that captures warm air above and transports it to heat the Cafe gathering space below.
As Arcosanti evolved, the need for an enclosed workspace led to the construction of the Lab Building, home to a fully equipped woodworking shop, metal shop, and private studios for residents’ creative projects. Like several other structures at Arcosanti, it was built with precast concrete wall panels, a poured-in-place concrete roof and floor, and a large skylight that fills the workshops with natural light.
Originally intended as the main entrance to Arcosanti, visitors would have passed through the Lab’s market-like workshops before emerging into the expansive Vaults. This architectural sequence, known as “compress and release,” was pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Soleri apprenticed in the late 1940s. The Lab’s usefulness as a workshop space outweighed its potential as a gateway to Arcosanti and it continues to be used as a maker-space today.
The swimming pool was completed in 1978. Overlooking the valley formed by the Ague Fria River and cradled in the basalt cliff of the mesa Arcosanti sits on, this 75-foot pool provides a dramatic setting for summer swimming. When at Arcosanti, Soleri swam in the pool daily. The ritual was not unique to Arcosanti; at his first architectural and design studio at Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Soleri also built a pool and swam almost every day. Though smaller than the Arcosanti swimming pool, Soleri’s Cosanti pool features a cast-in-concrete canopy suspended by recycled telephone poles.
As Arcosanti’s population of permanent residents grew, mixed-use living spaces proved necessary. Construction of the East Crescent Complex began in 1979. One side of the complex now includes living areas, a community kitchen, a meeting room, studio space, and the Archives of the Cosanti Foundation where Soleri’s scrolls, models, sketchbooks, blueprints, and drawings are preserved.
On the opposite side of the Crescent Complex, dormitories, mixed-use housing, a gym, and a solar-powered classroom enrich resident’s and visitors’ experience at Arcosanti. The posterior is lined with patios and courtyards. The East Crescent Complex with its integrated live/work spaces is an excellent example of Soleri’s mixed-use theory where structures are vertical and dense to optimize their energy usage.
This three-leveled, vertically-dense building includes space for offices, housing, and studios. The top level was once Soleri’s private residence with an adjacent architectural drafting studio. Today, it is called the Sun Suite and can be reserved by visitors for overnight stays. The large spaces at the lower level are often used for conferences, educational programs, and large resident meetings. In between are the administrative offices of the Cosanti Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by Soleri in 1965 to continue his work of exploring the intersection of the built and natural worlds through progressive architecture.
The Colly Soleri Music Center, located in the center of Arcosanti, is a state-of-the-art performance and lecture space. The open-air amphitheater can seat up to 500 people, while an intimate lounge behind the stage has been used for smaller salon gatherings. All ten facades of the East Crescent Complex face the Colly Soleri Music Center and Amphitheater. The two sides of the Crescent nestle the Amphitheater’s seating and contribute to exceptional acoustics for performances, talks, and concerts. From Shakespeare to stilt-walking and from forums to film screenings, the Music Center is at the heart of Arcosanti.
The Sky Suite at Arcosanti is a two-bedroom apartment that overlooks the Music Center and opens onto a rooftop terrace. Available to reserve overnight, this guest room is especially unique to Arcosanti for its spaciousness, which is amplified by the expansive glass walls in the living area to bring the sweeping desert views closer to the interior dwelling space. The Sky Suite is another example of Soleri’s intention at Arcosanti to bring people closer to nature and nature closer to people.
As Arcosanti continued to gain recognition and spark interest from architects, urban planners, designers, and scholars from around the world, many visitors have come to observe, study, and document the project. To accommodate the influx of curious visitors, the twelve Greenhouse Guest Rooms were built. The minimalist decor, handmade furnishings, and hand-drawn silt-cast mural on the ceiling in each of these small rooms give overnight guests a distinct Arcosanti aesthetic experience.
Located in the high desert of Arizona, Arcosanti receives an average of just 14 inches of rain each year, making water conservation essential. In 2014, Arcosanti introduced a greywater system that captures water from showers, sinks, dishwashers, and washing machines, then filters and reuses it to irrigate the lawn and trees in the Colly Garden.
By giving this water a second life, Arcosanti reduces its reliance on fresh water, eases demand on the municipal sewer system, and lowers overall energy use. It is one of many practical ways the community continues to put its principles of sustainability and self-reliance into practice.
Since the ambitious undertaking of building Arcosanti began in 1970, it has been a work in progress, an experiment, and a proof of concept. For the thousands of students, workshoppers, and residents who have participated in its construction, the experience of creating a micro-city centered around people and the environment has been an empowering one. The collective aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of creating a more efficient, urban structure that brings people closer together and closer to nature without exploiting the limited natural resources of the planet.
Paolo Soleri calls this “arcology,” the integration of architecture with ecology, and envisioned it as an alternative to rampant urban sprawl. Historic, artistic, and educational by nature, Arcosanti inspires us all to consider what is possible with human creativity, vision, and determination in seeking out a different way to live.
Though the original design of Arcosanti is described in Arcology: The City in the Image of Man called for a place where thousands of people would live and work, Arcosanti has never been occupied by more than 100 people. Despite that, it continues to be regarded as an early example of sustainable architecture and vertically-dense building that prioritized live-work spaces and the surrounding natural environment over urban sprawl.
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