Paolo Soleri's Architecture Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frank Lloyd Wright

Born in 1919, Paolo Soleri had just finished his PhD studies in architecture at Italy's Politecnico di Torino when he applied to join the Frank Lloyd Wright fellowship program. He spent eighteen months with Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona and Wisconsin, and it was his time at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, that arguably had the greatest influence on his future work. By the way, although he didn't make his name in the field, Weird Al Yankovic did receive a degree in architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Answer: Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art published the book and displayed the designs during the year. The Beast Bridge was essentially a concrete tube with sections that were carved away in curves to open the roadway to the sky. Soleri's first commission to design a bridge didn't occur until 1990 when he was hired to design a pedestrian bridge in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 130-foot-long bridge, which incorporates design elements that highlight the solstices, was completed in 2010.

Answer: Glass dome

The Dome House was built with fellow architect Mark Mills. It was commissioned by Nora Woods, and it combined the glass view with passive heating and cooling systems due to the living quarters being mainly underground. Mrs. Woods' daughter, Corolyn (Colly) became Soleri's life-long wife in 1950. According to Soleri's Arcosanti website, the Dome House is on the Arizona State Register of Historic Places.

Answer: Ceramics

The Ceramica Artistica Solimene (Solimene Ceramic Factory) was built in 1953-54 on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. The Gaudi-esque building featured glass walls and ceilings and brightly-colored towers. It was there that Soleri learned the art of ceramics and came up with the idea of using fragments of pottery in his designs.

Answer: Cosanti

Much like Frank Lloyd Wright, Soleri found inspiration in the Arizona desert north of Phoenix. The Cosanti buildings were mainly built using "earthcasting": concrete was poured over earth forms which were then excavated after the concrete hardened. Much of the buildings are built so that the living quarters are beneath ground with mounds of earth to surround them and help moderate internal temperatures.

Answer: Arcology

A combination of architecture and ecology, the term "arcology" emerged in the late 1960s and was in the title of Soleri's seminal work "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man" published in 1969. The intent of arcology is to reduce urban sprawl and its byproducts of energy waste and pollution by creating compact urban environments where walking would be the main form of transportation.

Answer: South

Although built in the higher elevations of central Arizona near Cordes Junction, heat is still a factor in summer, so the buildings mainly face south. This allows maximum sunlight and heat to enter when the rays are at an angle during winter and reduces the amount that enters when the sun is directly overhead in summer.

The ultimate goal for the project is to create a living and working environment for 5,000 people. The project is mainly built by volunteers at a snail's pace, and at the time of Soleri's death in 2013, it was only five percent complete. Arcosanti remains a tourist attraction for over 30,000 visitors a year.

Answer: Windbells

Soleri bronze and ceramic windbells are sold worldwide. Also known as wind chimes, the handcrafted artwork can be purchased as one-of-a-kind designs. Soleri himself made many of the designs and once stated "If you had told me fifty years ago that I would build my activities from the proceeds of windbells, I would have said you were crazy." Besides the windbells, the ceramics studio also produces tiles, planters and switch plates which have been incorporated into the design of Arcosanti. Soleri also completed commissions for bell assemblies for the City of Scottsdale and hospitals in Tucson and Pittsburgh.

Answer: Amphitheaters

The Paolo Soleri Amphitheater in Santa Fe was constructed in 1970 and was built using "earthforming" to blend in with the desert environment. A number of concerts were held at the small facility over the years including Carlos Santana and Crosby, Stills and Nash, before it was closed in 2010 due to lack of use and cost of maintenance.

It was scheduled for demolition but as of Soleri's death in 2013, it was still intact, and a "Save the Soleri Amphitheater" movement was established to preserve the building.

The Soleri Amphitheater at Glendale Community College was built in the mid 1990s and consists of a siltcast apse.

Answer: In outer space

Paolo Soleri first presented his vision for "an asteroid for a population of about 70,000 people" in his 1969 work "Arcology: City in the Image of Man". The orbiting habitat was projected to be propelled by solar energy. In 1994, he designed and built an updated model called Asteromo 94 for the Mie Center for the Arts in Japan.