Paolo Soleri

Paolo Soleri (1919–2013) was an Italian-American architect, artist, and philosopher who dedicated his life to reimagining how humans live within nature. After studying at the Polytechnic University of Turin, he apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin West in Arizona. In 1956, he founded Cosanti in Scottsdale, where he produced his iconic bronze and ceramic wind bells. His most ambitious project, Arcosanti — an experimental desert community north of Phoenix — has been under continuous construction since 1970. Soleri coined the term arcology, merging architecture with ecology, a philosophy that shaped everything he built.