It's very cold, with icy winds. The first workshop of the year started this past Sunday, with participants from South Korea, Mexico, Columbia, Norway and the US. Workshop photo will post on Friday.
Today was the groups first meeting with Paolo Soleri, during the usual Wednesday session of School of Thought.
This is a forum, open to the public, where Paolo answers questions and discusses his philosophy.
[Photo & text: sa]
The session this afternoom was followed by a web-cast from the 2010 Imperative, titled "FACE IT - There is a Solution to Global Warming". The web-cast is still available at Architecture2030.
School of Thought is usually on Wednesday afternoons at 3pm, in the Red Room, and each week has a suggested subject for discussion. This weeks topic was "Complexity, Miniturization, Duration".
Next weeks topic will be "Arcology".
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 30, 2008 6:10:38 PM MST
We received a copy of the just published book "World 51 Architects, Concepts and Works", a beautiful collection of major architects from around the world, including Paolo Soleri. The book was put together by Masayuki Fuchigami, an architectural journalist based in Tokyo and editor and a member of the Archtiectural Institute of Japan.
[Photo & text: sa]
This is a gorgeous publication that includes such eminent firms as William Alsop, Massimiliano Fuksas, Herman Herzberger, Herzog & de Meuron, Hans Hollein, Josef Paul Kleihues, Richard Meier, Cesar Pelli, Aldo Rossi, SOM/Skidmore, Owings & Merril, Rafael Vinoly and Peter Zumthor.
[Photo & text: sa]
Masayuki Fuchigami main publications are "581 Architects in the World" [TOTO Shuppan], "Contemporary Architects ... Ideas and Works [Shokukusha Company Ltd.], "Contemporary Architecture Guide Vol.1-3 [TOTO Shuppan] and "Diary of Architects" [TOTO Shuppan]. Arcosanti, Cosanti and the Domehouse are also represented in Masayuki Fuchigami's "A Guide of Contemporary Architecture in America, Volume 1", which was published in 2005.
"World 51 Architects - ISBN978-4-903348-07-0.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 28, 2008 10:58:17 AM MST
We complete our report of the tent removal in the amphitheater of the Colly Soleri Music Center, segments posted on 1/18, 1/21 and 1/23. The huge tarp has been lowered to the amphitheater stage.
[Photo & text: sa]
The crew folded the material into a managable packet and lots of people are needed to carry the wrapped tarp out of the amphitheater. The East Crescent space has taken on a whole new look. When the tarp was first installed in 1989, only the first Unit had been built.
[Photo & text: sa]
For the first time we can appreciate an un-interrupted view of the size and beauty of this amphitheater, surrounded by ten Units of appartments, common spaces like the communtity room, recreation room and library, and Soleri Archives on the groundfloor of Unit 3,4 and 5. Planning department and Graphics are working on a new design for coverage of the stage and seating area.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 25, 2008 9:10:42 AM MST
This continues the report from 1/18 and 1/22/08, of tent removal in the Colly Soleri Music Center Amphitheater.
All of the hardware has been disconnected on the east side, where the tarp butts up to the north walls of the Music Center. The crew now folds the giant piece of material towards the middle, slowly loosening the last connections of the tent to the edge of the amphitheater.
[Photo & text: sa]
Construction staff Dave Tollas and Nelson DeLa Rosa, and alumnus Angus Gluck are loosening the hardware on the main connector, high above the stage.
[Photo & text: sa]
To give an idea of the size of the hardware, this shows Dave Tollas with the main connector. And to show the size of the space, here is part of the stage with the scaffolding, one of the two north pillars, East Housing and in the very back-ground the Vaults.
The tarp has been detached [too mild of a word for the dramatic event] and now lays on the stage.
We complete this report on 1/25/08.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 23, 2008 4:17:46 PM MST
We continue our report from 1/18/08 about the tent removal in the amphitheater in the Colly Soleri Music Center.Maintenance crew member David De Gomez removes hardware at each of the spines that fastens the tent to the edges of the amphitheater.
[Photo & text: sa]
The south edges of the tent are clipped to a strong cable structure. It's hard to see through the tree branches as the crew detaches the fasteners one by one.
[Photo & text: sa]
The sides are free and the crew now folds the heavy cloth towards the middle of the seating area. This report continues on 1/23/08.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 21, 2008 6:01:49 PM MST
Arcosanti is built on marginal land on the edge of a mesa and is exposed to a lot of fairly intense wind whipping through the site. A tent was installed in 1989, to cover audience and stage in the Colly Soleri Amphitheater. It's been 19 years of intense Arizona sun, heat and winds, and the weight of snow in some of the winters.
Trying to gently lead up to this week's major event, the tent had to come down.
The last major storm tore loose the east portion of the stage cover and the raging wind flapped the released tent so hard it sounded like artillery.
[Photos & text: sa]
Maintenance departmant did their best for years to keep up with tears and all kinds of weather damage, but the material has become so frayed that repair becomes very difficult.
[Photos & text: sa]
A crew gathered from several departments on Tuesday morning, erected a scaffolding on the stage and proceeded to unhinge and lower the steel frame that normally holds stage lighting fixtures. We continue this report on 1/21 and 1/23 with a final report on 1/25 and the amazing revelation and surprise of this brand new view of the East Crescent and amphitheater seen in an entirely different light.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 18, 2008 10:05:14 AM MST
Foundry Manager, Jim Hornberger puts the finishing touches on a Special Assembly bronze chandelier. The piece, prepared for a client based in Los Angeles, originates from the foundry at Cosanti, where it was likely poured and assembled in the late 1960s. For the restoration, Hornberger gave the chandelier a modern twist by using bells created at Arcosanti, effectively including more recent foundry artists in the new version.
[Photos: sa & text: Amber Klatt]
The piece, when it arrived in August, with the majority of the chain links attached and the electrical components in ... sad disarray.
[Photos: sa & text: Amber Klatt]
Here it hangs. Amidst another day's work by two foundry staff, Gabriel Hendrix (l) and Nile Fahmy (r). At present the piece waits for departure from beneath the canopies of the Arcosanti Foundry.
[Photos: sa & text: Amber Klatt]
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Posted by sue on January 16, 2008 11:38:34 AM MST
Gorgeous temperatures during the later part of last week favored outdoor planting for the Arcosanti Organics crew. Katie Schroeder (l) and Agriculture Manager Lisa Willott (r) bask in the sun while putting potatoes into the ground.
[Photo & text: Amber Klatt]
Ally Lennhouts celebrates the progress of the greens in the recently refurbished cold frames, located at the Agua Fria River's edge.
[Photo & text: Amber Klatt]
Adam Nordfors managed the agriculture department from 2000 to 2005. He now studies at ASU and visits Arcosanti on his winter break. Paul Katan (l) and Adam Nordfors (r) work on the International. Thanks to their mechanical prowess, the tractor was running and en route to the ranch barn by mid-afternoon.
[Photo & text: Amber Klatt]
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Posted by sue on January 14, 2008 2:47:58 PM MST
Exciting News: We just received a copy of the 2007 Italian Encyclopedia: TRECCANI IL LIBRO DELL'ANNO 2007 published by Istituto Della ENCICLOPEDIA ITALIANA published by Fondata da Giovanni Treccani in Rome, Italy.
[Photo & text: sa]
Paolo Soleri and Arcosanti are included in a section of ECOARCHITETTURA with a paper by Paolo "E se ci impegnassimo davvero?", starting on page 262 through page 278.
[Photo & text: sa]
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Posted by sue on January 11, 2008 4:36:58 PM MST
We complete our report from 1/7/08, of the cob construction of a new chicken coop in the gardens last summer. Will and Betta build a roost ladder for the future occupants of the new coop.
Morning light shines through the recycled bottle design on the northeast wall and through the air vents below the nesting boxes.
[Photos: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Happy chickens dig for grubs in the yard of their new home. The chicken coop can house up to 100 birds to supply eggs for Arcosanti residents and the Café.
[Photo: Scott Riley & text: Maggie Lamb]
The new chicken coop is inaugurated with a scrumptious Arcosanti garden grown feast! [see report from 10/15/07].
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb]
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Posted by sue on January 9, 2008 1:12:52 PM MST
It's raining hard and has been raining all night. The sky is grey and leaden and we continue our report from 1/4/08 about last summers cob construction in the gardens with fond memories of summer heat. Part of the walls have been covered with cob plaster.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Workshop participants from Italy and India apply the plaster with their hands to the entire structure, inside and out!
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb]
Morning light shines through the recycled bottle design on the northeast wall and through the air vents below the nesting boxes. Report continues on 1/9/08.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb]
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Posted by sue on January 7, 2008 10:52:26 AM MST
We continue with fond memories of one of last summers projects, the cob construction of a new chicken coop in the Arcosanti gardens. Workshop participants H.W. sifts clay and silt, which the crew dug from Arcosanti ground near the Agua Fria riverbed.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Ji Seon and Angelo have fun stomping to mix the river sand, clay and straw into plaster.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Construction crew leader and cob construction teacher Maggie Lamb and helper take a turn in mixing the plaster with their bare feet. Dave forms the plaster into "cobs" to make application easier.
More to come about this project on 1/7/08.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
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Posted by sue on January 4, 2008 10:30:37 AM MST
We continue our report from 12/28, last year!, about COB construction of a new house for our chickens in the gardens. Construction crew leader Maggie Lamb designed the building and over the summer, taught many different groups the ins and outs of Cob construction.
Workshop participants Joel and Daiva set a tile design into the doorway as the crew poured a concrete footer around the base of the structure.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
Styrofoam wall panels are in place and roof beams have been installed. The beams are covered with plywood sheets.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb]
Tony rolls out tarpaper over the roof which will then be covered with reclaimed tin sheeting. This report continues on 1/4/08.
[Photo: Melissa Soluski & text: Maggie Lamb, sa]
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Posted by sue on January 2, 2008 11:35:11 AM MST