28 — Friday, October 2, 1998 — North Shore News Arcosant art from the ashes In Arizona’s Valley of the Sun Sean O'Byrne Contributing Writer The first-time visitor to Phoenix might be forgiv- en for the sinking feeling they may experience when first arriving in the city. At first glance, this sprawling metropolis appears to offer Htde more than endless identical strip malls and “Tico Bell cuisine, and this perception is not entirely unfounded. Phoenix, as it is gener- ally understood, encompasses many outlying districts which orig- inally developed as separate entities. Today, though, the boundaries exist in name only between Phoenix proper and Mesa, Tempe, and Scottsdale (to name only a few neighbouring towns). Add to this a predilection for low- rise buildings and the sense of urban sprawl becomes under- standable. S sav you've had your fill of golf and are look- ing for something different to do. Whar, aside from climate, can the Valley of the Sun cian ~» its unique legacy? Well, for one thing, the region has a thriving arts culture. In fact, Scottsdale alone has been called home by nwo of the most influential architectural visionaries of the last century, Frank Lloyd Weight and Paolo Soleri. About a mile north of Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesen West rises quietly trom the sand- stone foothills of the McDowell range. Started in 1937 as a win- ter studio (its summer counterpart, Taliesen East, is in Wisconsin), the complex continues today as a working school of architecture and design. It comprises numerous studios, student accommodations, a kitchen and dining room, a cabaret theatre, and a muscum. Wright was a great believer in “The Occasion” and would regularly stage theatre and music performances at which his stu- dents would be required to perform as part of a well-rounded education. He believed that cach person had a talent, which had only to be discovered and nurtured into fruition. Wright's best known architectural designs reflect the sense of openness and freedom so prized in American culture. He believed that a structure should not intrude upon its environ- ment, but rather should grow from it. The buildings of Talicsen West are single-storey, single-use structures arranged across the desert floor and which take their colours from the desert land- scape. ; Tronically, Wright’s aesthetic philosophy would return to scorn him. A story is told of how he built Talicsen West well away from Phoenix as an escape from the urban chaos of the city. One day, when surveying the southwest view at sunset, he noticed for the first time telephone towers and fines on the hon- FRANK Lloyd Wright’s Taliesen West complex makes for a great day trip while visiting Phoenix. Win this + 2nd Prize $250,000 3 in Cash! 4 + 3rd Prize $100,000 in Casht «3 Vehicles to win Photos Sean O'Byrne ARCHITECT Paulo Soleri and his wife established the Cosanti Foundation in Arizona’s Paradise Valley in 1965. zon, damning evidence that civilization was encroaching on his desert paradise. From thar day, he swore never to look in that direction from ‘Taliesen West again. Whether truth or fiction, the myth suits the icon. In }956 Paolo Soler and his wite Colly settled in Paradise Valley where, in 1965, they established the Cosanti Foundation. Paolo had received his doctorate with top honours from the Polytechnic schoo! in Turin, Italy and had spent some cighteen months in Scottsdale as a student under Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesen West. While Wright's aesthetic influence is evident in Soleri’s work, their philosophies diverged at one crucial point: Wright envisioned structures, on the home and community scales, predominantly in horizontal planes, teeling perhaps that this was suited to the wide-open spaces of America; Soleri, on the other hand, is European, where living conditions are neces- sarily more compact. For him, a city built on a grid system with single-use buildings is exceptionally wasteful of land and resources, creating a dependency on automobiles, He had only to point at nearby Phoenix, where more than half of the developed land was dedicated to the motor vehicle, as an cxample of haw much time and cnergy was unnecessarily spent on moving about the city between home, work, school, the market, ete. In his view these should all be easily and quickly accessible on foot, with cars used only for traveling longer dis- tances such as between cities. It was in response to the automo- bile-oriented society that he developed the concept of “arcolo- gy”, literally che harmonious marriage of architecture and ecolo- gy. A city based on the concept of arcology would be compact and three-dimensional, rather than strictly flat or strictly vertical, thus minimizing its impact on the environment. Residents of an arcology would work no more than a 10- minute walk from their homes, eliminating the need for cars within the city. The buildings themselves, rather than being sin ply dwellings or offices, would instead serve multiple uses, with residences, stores, and offices in the same structure. The incor- SGLERI built his desert city on a grid-system where buildings have multiple uses. jousands more cash/prize winners! Visit our Grand Prize Home at 43515-13A Ave, White Rock! Surrey (136 St. at Marine Or.) ‘Gpen weekdays Noon-7pin, weekends 11am-6pm. Visitour & web site: www. winfall-lottery.com! poration of gardens and solar heating would make the arcology all but self-sufficient. In a bid to pur these theoreiical visions to the test, Soleri began construction in 1970 of a prototype arcology called Arcosanti. Located some sixty miles north of Phoenix at Cordes Junction, Arcosanti is projected to house five to seven thousand permanent residents when it is completed. Progress on its con- struction is slow, as the project is almost entirely self-funded through the sale of bronze and ceramic windbells, tiles, ete. See Phoenix page 30 ~~ Portugal yA “Algarve The Algarve is 150 kilometres of coastline, shaped by craggy rock formations, and linked by wide, sandy beaches. Relax in a café overlooking a 16th century plaza, swing a golf club on manicured courses, explore fishing and small inland towns, or shop for bargains in the local markets. 11 nighis from z $ 1,059%.. i includes ditfare, accommodation, tronsters, depariure tax. Choose from 11, 18 of 25 nights *Valid for departures Nov. 1 - Dec.5, 1996 and jan 10 - Feb.28, 1999 Park & Titferd Park Royal Nerth North Vancouver West Vancouver 990-1546 268-5650 B.C, Reg. No. 2910-5 B.C. Reg. No. 845-5 * Valid on selected new bookings made between Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. 1998. Certain restnctions apply. at comes with it! Tat-roundarrons Only 27,000 Buy fn person atany m Fe London Drugs thro Svein aor Oct 4, at select Lonson . OMY —— Drugs Oct 5-7, at tie 7,000 3-packs — Prizm }ome or elthe? at $256. Don’t the Peace Arch or miss out! Delta Hosoltals, BC Lottery Commnisswn Lictise F918?