Dome

Cat Cast House (1965), view of the north apse; Soleri returned to Arizona in 1955. He and his wife opened a new crafts workshop, first producing ceramic wind bells and later cast bronze and aluminium bells. The family industry that evolved from these provided the major source of income for Soleri's building projects. He established his Cosanti Foundation, dedicated to creating plans for alternative urban environments, on a dry, flat five-acre site in Paradise Valley. The first building there, the 'Earth House' (1956), was constructed of concrete reinforced with wire mesh, poured on a form made directly from the sandy soil of the site. The first modest Cosanti structures sought a full integration of land, climate, craft and livability. Soleri called this design approach ‘biotechnic’ for its concern for solving human biological and spiritual needs through an integrated imaginative technology. "Cosanti" fuses two Italian words, "cosa" (which means "things") and "anti" ("against"). Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/ (accessed 7/13/2010)