Continuing our Heat Duct Tunnel report from 1/6/10:
Our construction team is almost ready for the next large concrete pour. The interior sides of the wall formwork are in place. In this photo, crew member Jeff Buderer works diligently to finish bracing one wall.

At the top of the tunnel, formwork for the last section of the roof slab is nearing completion.

A view from below and above of the construction progress gives a clear view of the inner and outer walls of the formwork and bracing. The lower parts of the walls will be poured first. We will continue this report with images of the actual pour.

We continue our report about the Kansas City Art Institute students from 1/20/10.
The KCAI students concluded their visit to Arcosanti with an art show. Visitors and residents had a chance to view the drawings they produced here and meet the individual artists.

According to instructor Russel Ferguson, "Drawing for KCAI might be distinguished by its respect for function. A drawing is made to understand or to persuade. Consequently the lines and marks might be said to have the same responsibility, i.e. function."

Russel Ferguson: "Each student has produced a suite of Drawings in response to Edifices, Buildings and in response to daily propositions. Each suite might be seen as a series of questions about existence in and around parts of the circle. We all know from Kurosawa the circle is the glyph for community."

Participants in this program:

Bena, Jeremy
—Freshman in Foundation
Brumback, Adam
—Sophomore in Photography, —Digital & Film
Catto, Patty
—English, Liberal Arts
Drumwright, Marc
—Sophomore in Ceramics
Fernandez, Lindsay
—Freshman in Foundation
Gallucci, Madeline
—Sophomore in Print

Ginzburg, Brett—Freshman in Foundation
Grimm, Joey—Senior in Sculpture
Hansen, Justin—Sophomore in Sculpture
Hsu, Brooke—Senior in Painting
Johnson, Jordan—Senior in Sculpture
Kamerer, Anna—Senior in Sculpture
Lawrence, Ryan—Senior in Printmaking
Lenger, Amos—Senior in Printmaking
Loesce, Stewart—Graduate Massier in Interdisciplinary
Loiselle, Sophie—Freshman in Foundation
Lyles, Andrew—Senior in Painting
Meier, Will—Freshman in Foundation
Mersmann, Joel—Senior in Sculpture
McConnell, Mike—Freshman in Foundation
Paradise, Sydney—Senior in Sculpture
Philips, Alex—Senior in Painting
Ross, Cydney—Freshman in Foundation
Rosenblatt, Ryan—Junior in CCA, Film
Schooler, Aida—Freshman in Foundation
Tellini, Sal—Sophomore in Sculpture

We were not able to post on Friday 1/22/09, because our website was down due to a terrific storm that came through Arizona on Thursday and Thursday night.
[photo: the lake and dam below Arcosanti before the storm]

This storm dropped over three feet of snow on Flagstaff, just an hour's drive north of us. Here at Arcosanti there was a lot of rain accompanied by fierce winds.
This photo was taken by Alfonso Elia during the storm.
The water level has almost reached the top of the dam.
There is a spillway at the right end of the dam that lets water escape into the field behind the dam.

This photo was taken on Friday morning after the storm.

The water pressure of the run-offs from the surrounding mesas, feeding into the lake, has broken the dam.

On Wednesday, January 27. 2010, we will have one more report about the student group from Kansas City Art Institute.

We continue our report about the Kansas City Art Institute students from 1/18/10.
During their two week stay, the group visited the Soleri Archives three times and was able to view a variety of Paolo Soleri's work, with much discussion about method and execution.

Instructor Russel Ferguson:
"KANSAS CITY ART INSTITUTE is somewhat different from other schools, first in that it is an institute aligned with a School of Design and not a school.
From the first day students are treated with all the respect and responsibilities contingent upon Artists/Fabricators/Craftsmen and women".

Instructor Russel Ferguson:
"KCAI is generally opposed to lectureship as a delivery method. Learning by doing, execution of demonstrable proofs are by words in a method that is both heuristic and holistic".
This report continues on 1/22/10 with photos of a show of the students work accomplished during their stay at Arcosanti, and more from Russel Ferguson.

We continue our report from 1/15/10 about the Kansas City Art Institute students.

During 1/13/10 School of Thought session, the group had the privilege to view two of Paolo Soleri’s original scroll drawings as well as two original drawings of Dams.

Instructor Russel Ferguson selected the drawings with help of the archive staff and in this session asked Paolo Soleri to comment and explain a variety of techniques.

The students were very attentive and enthusiastic. Towards the end of the meeting Paolo Soleri asked to see some of the students work and graciously commented.

We will continue this report about the KCAI groups activities on 1/20/10.

This continues our report about a group of students from the Kansas City Art Institute from 1/11/10.
The group visits Arcosanti for a short intensive program in Art and Science.
Arcosanti alumnus Russel Ferguson, now an instructor at KCAI, teaches the Art side of the course, while Cosanti Foundation staff Roger Tomalty teaches science.

The science class is in Environmental Science, Climatology and Topographic Studies.
Some of the main projects are
1. Setting up Weather Stations around the site.

2. Construction of a small, diagonally rising tunnel to test temperatures at top and bottom, as well as air velocity, sun and wind factors.
3. Studying functions of the camp greenhouse and replacing it's membrane.
4. Sowing the main field below Arcosanti with oats, as shown in all three photos.
We continue this report on 1/18/10 with more activities of the KCAI group.

On January 8. 2010 a re-dedication of this Paolo Soleri bell assembly took place at the Mesa Community College.

To continue our report from 1/8/10, the group of art students from the Kansas City Art Institute met with Paolo Soleri for the weekly SCHOOL OF THOUGHT philosophy session.

The theme for discussion last week was THE LEAN LINEAR CITY [see a series of postings about the Lean Linear City from Nov. 27. to Dec. 14. 2009].

School of Thought occurs almost every Wednesday at 3 pm and is open to the public and visiting groups. If you plan to attend, please call our visitors center at 928 632-6217 for confirmation.

The Kansas City Art Institute group. This photo speaks for itself.

A group of 23 students from the Kansas City Art Institute [KCAI] arrived at Arcosanti for an intensive program of art and science.

The group is gathered in front of the Ceramics Apse for one of their drawing sessions.

View of the group from the top of the Ceramics Apse

KCAI art teacher Russel Ferguson is an alumnus that has been involved with Arcosanti since 1975.

Here Russel introduces the group to the Vaults and discusses his expectations and parameters for this challenging sketching assignment.

Lots of interesting projects are scheduled for the group. We will continue our report on 1/11/10.

To continue our report from 1/4/10, here we see both sides of the heat duct tunnel walls with partial forms installed. Rebar ends were rooted into the retaining wall to secure additional reinforcement bars, and the outer wooden forms have been placed.

Here we view the site sideways from the Soleri Office building roof. This is a long stretch of double walls and once the forms are completely installed, the crew hopes to pour the walls in two separate pours with a hired concrete pump.

The steel support beams that hold the roof form in place were very tricky to place and balance on the uneven rocky ground.

Wooden form pieces are installed as side walls for the roof slab. The crew hopes to pour this portion of the roof at the same time as the walls.

We continue the report from 12/30/09, 'last year', about construction on the heat duct tunnel.
The crew has installed heavy steel cross beams to hold a form for the extension of the roof of the upper part of the tunnel.

The forms are difficult to balance and secure, as the floor is still raw bedrock.
This installation is a good lesson for the workshop participants on this crew.

Plywood sheets are placed above the steel support beams. Now this form awaits rebar [steel reinforcement] before concrete is poured.

On 11/11/09 we reported on a pour of the low retaining walls that will carry the side walls of the heat duct tunnel coming up the slope.
The retaining walls have cured and in this photo the crew started to install wooden forms for the outer part of the walls.

We will continue this report on 1/6/10.

HAPPY NEW YEAR and Best Wishes for a hopeful new year to family and friends near and far.
2009 was an eventful year with many things to be grateful for. And one of the highlights this past year was the alumni reunion in June 2009.
This reporters favorite image was sent to us by alumna Ellen Ryan, photo taken on Paolo Soleri's birthday.

The second favorite image was taken by architect James Horecka during the alumni reunion.

This is but a fraction of the extraordinary family and extended family that built Cosanti and Arcosanti, that joined Soleri with vigor and enthusiasm, sweated and laughed and made friends with people that came from all over the planet, discussed and learned and disagreed, and worked harder than most would imagine. Happy New Year and good fortune to you all!