Last Friday, 09/25/09, the construction staff, volunteers and workshop participants visited the Orme School for a presentation on renewable energy and sustainable housing led by the School's current architect, Bill Otwell. Our group joined the lecture along with the Orme students, which took place under the beautiful Horsecollar Theatre.

Topics from the lecture included passive solar design approaches, use of local materials, photo voltaics, wind power, rainwater harvesting, compostable toilets, and alternative liquid fuels for cars and trucks, all of which drew on real-life experiences of Bill's life.

After the presentation, one of the staff members at the Orme School offered to take us on a tour around the campus. Our group had the opportunity to visit the Old Main Administration Building; the Old Adobe, the first classroom built on campus [photo]; and other facilities including Founders' Dining Hall, the Phillips Library; and the Morton Orme Memorial Chapel.

Since 1929, The Orme School has been a leader in private, college preparatory education, attracting students from all of the world. The campus is located on a 26,000-acre working ranch in the high desert countryside of Arizona, an area of immensely striking natural beauty. Not only is Orme known for its demanding academic program, the school also offers athletics, arts, horsemanship, outdoor leadership and a sense of community that is truly unique among boarding schools.

We express our deepest gratitude to Bill Otwell, the Orme School and community for facilitating this visit and their warm hospitality as well as our appreciation for having been exposed to this exciting, innovative and inspiring educational institute.

On Saturday, September 26, 2009, Arcosanti hosted Earthdance Arcosanti.
As one of the 300+ locations across the world that participated in the global Earthdance event, Arcosanti welcomed a number of installation artists, musicians, performers, and DJs from across Arizona.
[photos from left] Willian Eaton, Toby Milford.

Flam Chen, Ploy, and William Eaton, all familiar and having played at Arcosanti in the past, were welcomed back and put on spectacular shows. Karl White, aka Metrognom was welcomed for the first time as a performer at Arcosanti while Flam Chen spun fire to his DJ set.
[photo] Arcosanti's Angus Gluck, guitar and Andrew Chisholm, drums.

Also performing were DJ Brian Fritz, one of the event coordinators, DJ Pete, DJ Nate, Angus Morrison, and Tobie Milford. Installation artists included Sondra Carr, who produced the Abundance Tree; Jim Cavera, who produced Its About Time, a subjective time clock.
[photo] Fire-performance and circus collective Flam Chen

Resident and event coordinator Daniel Anderson produced Red Lotus: Heart of the Earth of the Sun, which was hung in the Vaults over the heads of all the festival goers.
[photo] Fire-performance and circus collective Flam Chen.

The event was coordinated by Brian Fritz and Daniel Anderson, and was executed by multiple teams of volunteers in the cafe, the campgrounds, and on the performance stage.

The event was well received by all. It was also webcasted across the internet, with people tuning in from across the United States and the world. There will be a post-event website at www.arcosanti.org/earthdance with pictures and videos of the event.
Thanks to everyone who made the event possible. And thanks to Michael Gosney, Board of Trustees for the Cosanti Foundation member and director of the Earthdance Community Network for planting the idea for Earthdance Arcosanti in the minds of Daniel and Brian.
[photo] Super DJ Giovanni performance

Anticipation, excitement, planning, and preparation have all been happening here at Arcosanti as our community looks forward to hosting our first official Earthdance festival tomorrow Saturday, September 26, 2009. The day-long performance will include DJs, pyrotechnics, acrobatics, musicians, and installation artists, and other performers from all over.


Daniel Anderson, one of the coordinators for this summer's Earthdance festival has created a beautiful and mysterious paper-mache sculpture that will be hung up under the Arcosanti Vaults and lit up in the evening during the event.

Overnight camping will also be available upon reservation. Here we see one of the workshop participants weeding and preparing the campground that is located near the Minds Garden, which overlooks the mesa and the beautiful Agua Fria River. All of the work done to prepare and facilitate this event is done by volunteers.

A number of installation artists from Mesa and Phoenix called Dreamers have been setting up "The Abundance Tree" or a "gift-giving tree" that will allow the audiences to donate and take gifts from the tree - a simple expression of "giving a little more than you take".
Arcosanti will be 1 of the 350 participating locations united as a global community working for peace and a sustainable culture, and to support humanitarian causes through the global language of music, dance and creative self expression. We look forward to sharing space with you this weekend, and participating together in what we intend to be a most beautiful and meaningful event.

The foundry crew constructed a set of new furnaces by building a form and using a type of concrete that can handle an intense amount of heat.
Here we see the new furnaces surrounded by an old metal plate platform.
For each 'Heat' the furnace heats up 80 to 90 lbs of bronze to about 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Welding master Brent Scott is working on a custom made new set of metal grids to replace the old furnace platform. We see bolts welded in place that will be used for leveling.

Foundry crew members Peter and Brendan Siegl carry one of the new grids to be installed around the furnaces.

Foundry manager Andy Chao, Brendan Siegl and Brent Scott.

Andy is leveling each grid by adjusting the leveling bolts. One of the new furnaces.
The crew normally pours three heats per day with an average of 50 bells a heat. That works out to 39,000 bells a year with a 93% success rate of pouring.
The Arcosanti bronze Foundry supplies not only all the bells for the Arcosanti Gallery but also helps supply the Cosanti Gallery and wholesale orders.

SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCE ENGINEERING

Five students and two professors from Drexel University visited Arcosanti to prepare research materials for a class to be taught at Drexel this fall, entitled “Sustainable Water Resource Engineering”. The class, comprised of over 20 graduate and undergraduate students, will use Arcosanti as a case study and prepare design alternatives for “Critical Mass Arcosanti’, a population of approximately 500 people. Drexel University, located in Philadelphia, formed a new interdepartmental program, Drexel Engineering Cities Initiative (DECI) (http://www.drexel.edu/cities/), with a focus on “the engineering of cities, policy development, and the creation of environmentally sustainable urban habitats that function for people and society.”
[Photo from left clockwise] Dr. Franco Montalto, Nicholas Kuzmyak, Chad Carreras, Dr. Eugenia Ellis, Kimberly DiGiovanni, Mengling Shen, and Alisha Goldstein.

The students studied many aspects of our water system, and attended presentations from Foundation staff. Cliff Hersted presented materials on water rights and the Agua Fria Watershed, Tomiaki Tamura discussed the Lean Alternative, Kim Young Soo presented the 3D site plan and renderings, and Scott Riley provided information on wells, the water distribution system, and Arcosanti water use. Several Arcosanti residents and workshoppers attended three evenings of activities: two lectures provided by Drexel professors Franco Montalto and Eugenia Ellis, and a Town Hall on Water Use. The Cosanti Foundation and Arcosanti residents will continue to work with Drexel staff and students throughout the 11-week class. Anyone interested in further information is welcome to contact Scott Riley at scottriley@usa.net.

Dr. Franco Montalto:
Five students enrolled in this term's Sustainable Water Resource Engineering class travelled this September for a one week field visit to Arcosanti, an experimental city located in the desert, one hour north of Phoenix, Arizona. The city, with population of just under 100, was designed by Architect Paolo Soleri in the 1970's to test out his theory of Arcology - an integration of ecology into architecture. Soleri's goal was that the city expand to house 5000 people, yet achieving that goal has proven to be a challenge. One of the major constraints has been water availability which, in the US Southwest, is constrained by precipitation variability, climate change, population growth, and a legacy of water rights regulations, not all of which have been fully adjudicated. Students in this fall's Sustainable Water Resource Engineering class will explore these issues and propose design strategies for Arcosanti at population 500 (known by Paolo Soleri as Critical Mass). The course, co-taught by Dr. Franco Montalto and Dr. Eugenia Ellis, will feature readings and discussions addressing various components of the contemporary global water crisis (water wars, water privatization, climate adaptation, urban water challenges, etc.) The design project will become the forum for students to articulate a practical response to the question: "How can engineers integrate lessons from around the world into their everyday work, and to the technical solutions they propose?"

This report continues from 09/11.
The elevated formwork for the heat duct tunnel roof is set and ready for the pour. Here we see the reinforcing steel bars bent and hooked at the ends to be embedded in the concrete.

Mixing the concrete leaves air bubbles in the mixture.

A vibration process is carried out to get rid of the air bubbles.

Trowels are used to smoothen out the concrete to remove any ridges or gaps.

The elevated slab formwork will hold the one and one-half cubic yards of freshly poured concrete for the next couple of days to cure. The concrete roof is secured to the structure's walls, reinforcing the walls and adding durability and strength for earth to be later placed on top. The next stage will involve building a wall at the end of the roof.
We continue this report at the next stage of construction.

The workshop participants, volunteers, and construction staff had their end of the summer field trip for 2009 to the Salt River Materials Group cement processing plant in Clarkdale. SRMG offers free tours for the public. In the past, Arcosanti has recieved generous donations from the company, which enabled us to complete various construction projects at Arcosanti.

SRMG is a Native American-owned company based in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community's Chaparral Business Park near Scottsdale, AZ. SRMG is a leading supplier of cement and related building materials throughout Arizona and the Southwestern United States. They have also taken up a leadership role in promoting sustainable products and practices, such as recycling coal combustion products (fly ash); modifying operating procedures to reduce energy consumption; installing high-efficiency replacement motors and lighting; and upgrading lighting and compressed air systems with energy efficient equipment. The company recieved the Energy Star award second year in a row.

Our group had the opportunity to visit the Chemical Testing Lab and the Control Room of the plant in order to learn more about the process flow in cement manufacturing at SRMG. The group was also apprised of the environmental work and explanatory techniques being done the at operation.

Our group expresses its deep gratitude and appreciation to the Salt River Materials Group for facilitating this visit, their warm hospitality and the opportunity to take an up close look at their operations.

Preparations for the annual Colly Concert started early with the crews preparing the amphitheater and the cafe.
[from left] Chef Caterina Loy prepared a delicious meal with help from workshop participant Tommaso Osti and scholarship participant Paolo Vozzella.

The menu included favorite recipes from the Soleri family:
Granny's Borscht, Herbed Chicken, Potato Surprise, Cauliflower Au Gratin, Sweet Peas with Arcosanti Mint, Green Salad with Paolo's Dressing, Breadsticks and for dessert Colly's Cantaloupe Boats.
[photo] The cafe viewed from the visitors center gallery.

The afternoon event started with complementary tours and a Wine & Cheese reception in the Colly Garden in front of the Vaults.

This, the 28th Annual Colly Concert on Saturday, September 12. 2009, welcomed back accomplished pianist Sonya Kumiko Lee for her eight performance here at Arcosanti.
Ms. Lee arrived a few days early and Arcosanti residents had the pleasure to be able to listen to the practice of an extraordinary performer.
The program consisted of beloved classics including Scarlatti, Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Rachmaninov and Scriabin.
Words can do little justice to a performance of true brilliance and sparkle, hauntingly lovely and accomplished with perfection.

Sonya Lee has garnered a reputation amongst audiences worldwide as a pianist who plays in the grand Romantic tradition as “ she delights the audience with a passionate and beautifully accomplished, awesome performance.” Ms. Lee performs a diverse repertoire including blockbusters by Beethoven, Liszt and Prokofiev, to the sonatas of Scarlatti and Haydn, as well as works by Japanese and contemporary American composers.

Ms. Lee has recently been touted as a cross-cultural ambassador of Classical music for students in other disciplines of the performing arts and was invited as a guest lecturer to speak and perform at New York University’s Drama Department.

Most recently, Ms. Lee was presented in her Orange County Recital Debut at the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Gardens at Cal State Long Beach, performing works by Ginastera, Liszt, Chopin and Beethoven in a sold out concert.

Ms. Lee has given recital debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Aoyama Hall in Osaka, Japan, at the Honenin Temple in Kyoto, Japan, and has given numerous solo and chamber music performances at renowned concert halls throughout cities in the U.S. including Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Aspen, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Abroad, Ms. Lee has performed at the Salle des Colonnes in Fontainebleau and at Bel Ebat Parc in France, and at the Create Center Hall in Osaka, Japan. As a chamber musician, Ms. Lee has collaborated with members of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, and with several illustrious alumni of The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute of Music, and Yale University.

Ms. Lee’s affinity for rock music recently led to a collaboration with Rivers Cuomo from the band Weezer in a performance of “I Was Scared” by Mr. Cuomo and arranged for piano by Ms. Lee, which was aired on Stereogum.com and National Public Radio.

Ms. Lee was born in Tokyo, Japan and began musical studies in Southern California at the early age of three. Ms. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with Oxana Yablonskaya and Emanuel Ax.

Sonya Lee actually lived here at Arcosanti as a baby, during her first year. Sonya-Kumico Lee is the daughter of alumnus Doug Lee, who worked with Paolo Soleri during many of the early years of the Cosanti Foundation. Doug is a member of the Cosanti Foundation Board of Directors.

After the concrete curing process, the wooden form work is disassembled, which will be reused for another form work for constructing the next section of the roof.

[left]: The new wall is revealed.

The steel rebars are cut and bent in a grid-like fashion to provide stable and secure reinforcement. Concrete will be poured over the rebar to create a 6-inch slab-roof for the heat duct tunnel.

This report continues from 09/04.
While the new wall continues to cure from last Thursday 09/03, the construction crew has begun building new form work for the roof of the heat duct tunnel.

Here we see the construction crew installing reinforcing steel (rebar) to add strength to the concrete roof.

After the first section of the roof is poured, the construction crew will be able to begin disassembling the remaining form work for the wall.

When this first section of the heat duct tunnel is completed, the construction crew will continue to prepare the ground work for the next section of a downward sloping tunnel.
We will continue to report as work progresses.

This past week, the construction crew worked on extending the wall for the heat duct tunnel.
Here we see the new wall formwork assembled to meet the end of the first section of the heat duct tunnel floor.

The pour began early in the morning. Since the wall section was only 1.3 yds, the crew batched the concrete with a small mixer.

This process allows more people from the workshop to be directly involved.
We had new members join in to help with the mixing and pouring of the concrete and the workshop participants had their first hands-on experience in the construction at Arcosanti

Well done. Everyone's hard work led to a successful pour.

While the last section of the wall is left to cure for the next few days, the construction staff begin their next stage of building the formwork for the roof of the heat duct tunnel.

This report continues on 09/09.

Welcome to the August 30. 2009 workshop participants:

[back from left]: Tommaso Osti and Naree Kim (seminar week).

[front from left]: Andrew Chisholm, Amanda Carson and Morgan Jacobs (internship in landscaping).

Congratulations to the
July 26. 2009 Workshop participants for successfully completing the Arcosanti program!

[left to right]
Jason Kipp, Claudia Ardolino, Ander Bilbao, Claudia Cimino, Pasquale Lacovone, and Filippo Bazzoni.
Claudia Ardolino will start an internship in planning and construction.