Arcosanti, Testing Melted Bronze


Arcosanti is about an hour's drive north of Phoenix. Although its original design is described in Arcology: The City in the Image of Man, Paolo Soleri’s magnum opus on arcology, called for a place where thousands of people would live and work, Arcosanti has never been occupied by more than 100 people. Despite that, it continues to be regarded as an early example of sustainable architecture and vertically-dense building that prioritized live-work spaces and the surrounding natural environment over urban sprawl. Dubbed “the urban laboratory” in the 1970s by famed New York Times architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable, Arcosanti continues to experiment and test its own potential as a working alternative to urban sprawl, erosion of communities, and neglect of the environment while supporting its residents to lead lives that are enriched socially, energetically, and economically. In the bronze foundry, once the metal was melted, they did one final test to make sure it was really ready.


Size: 4725px × 4725px
Location: Mayer, AZ, USA
Photo credit: © B. David Cathell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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