Arcosanti by Paolo Soleri
| December 21, 2007

Born in Turin, Italy on June 21, 1919, Paolo Soleri was awarded his Ph.D. with highest honors in architecture from the Torino Polytechnico in 1946. He came to the United States in 1947 and spent a year-and-a-half in fellowship with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West in Arizona, and at Taliesin East in Wisconsin.

Arcosanti is designed according to the concept of arcology (architecture + ecology), developed by Italian architect Paolo Soleri. In an arcology, the built and the living interact as organs would in a highly evolved being. This means many systems work together, with efficient circulation of people and resources, multi-use buildings, and solar orientation for lighting, heating and cooling.

Will Wright creator of the award winning game Sim City 2000 was influenced by Soleri's work on Arcologies. Wright incorporated the futuristic structures into the game, making them an unlockable bonus once the player reached the 21st century.

Link:  Arcosanti

Tags:  architecture, arcosanti, green, paolo soleri