Crafts III is east of the
Foundry; Ceramics and West
Housing are north.
View
from below the Foundry.
Garment Architecture
provides a cool environment in summer.
The burning sky moments
before sunrise.
Foundry apartments
in the evening after sunset.
Small chambers around
the apse provide additional workspace
Silt cast ceiling
details.
Foundry
Apse
Excavation for this
structure was begun in 1972, and its completion
in 1974 facilitated the expansion of bronze
bell production and provided additional housing.
Initially designed with one level of housing, site excavation
suggested a double level organization and the structure
was modified to include an additional ring of housing
units encircling 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 during the winter. Construction of
the Foundry is similar to that of the Ceramics
Apse and the apse shading effect is extended during
the summer months by the erection of a fabric shade screen.
The two small shells to the south serve drilling and
grinding
functions in the bell manufacturing process.
Residences surround the Foundry taking advantage of the
view through large round windows on the South and smaller
rectangular windows looking directly into the Foundry.
An apse is an architectural term for a quarter sphere.
A south facing apse is a signature form in Paolo Soleri's
designs. It takes advantage of the Apse Effect, one of
the many passive solar features of the buildings at Arcosanti.
The Foundry Apse, like many buildings at Arcosanti, features
a colorful, sculptural siltcast ceiling.
