9/16/2008 5:14:00 PM Soleri mentored him; architect now mentors others
Jeffrey Zucker studied architecture more than 30 years ago under reknowned architect Paolo Soleri. Now Zucker has returned to Arcosanti as architect in residence. TribPhoto/Heidi Dahms Foster
Jeffrey Zucker attended his first workshop at visionary architect Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti in 1973.
Thirty-five years later, and now a sought-after architect in sustainable design, Zucker mentors other young architects at Arcosanti. He says he feels he has come full circle.
Soleri's "urban laboratory" of architecture and ecology (he coined the phrase "arcology") near Cordes Junction has been a place of learning and curiosity since 1970.
In 1971 Zucker's cousin showed him Soleri's "black book," Arcology: The City in the Image of Man.
"It's one of the biggest books I've ever seen, and the first page says, 'This book is about miniaturization,'" he said.
Indeed, Soleri's book, at a whopping 15.7" x 9.1", more than a half-inch thick and weighing 2.6 lbs. was large enough in size and thought to shift Zucker's entire career in architecture.
After Zucker's graduation from Ohio State University in 1972, one of his college friends headed West to work at Arcosanti, and wrote to him, "You would love it out here, this guy is great."
He signed up for a 1973 workshop, and found an Arcosanti that was "vibrant and alive."
"It was very active, with overlapping workshops, and 30 people in each. It was very cutting edge, with people from all over the world, and lively discussions."
After his first workshop, Zucker returned to Arcosanti from 1978-1981 as its project architect, and then opened his own firm. Today, he is a partner in Catalyst Architecture of Prescott.
Zucker said he agrees with the premise that Soleri has always been "before his time."
"He still is. Right now we're kind of thrashing about, trying to solve the energy crisis, and coming up with these sort of Band Aid solutions. It's going down the wrong path, like following a dinosaur that's going toward extinction.
"If you look at Paolo's scheme, it's essentially about creating an urban environment that is designed with enough forethought that the entire community is a tool for using the energy of the sun, wind, rain, earth and people in the best way possible."
The current urban sprawl way of living is "unworkable," Zucker said. It contributes to isolation, acres of land under asphalt, and enslavement to oil.
Soleri's envisioned city builds from the inside out, with living areas on the outside, where they can take advantage of land left pristine by elimination of urban sprawl. A completed Arcosanti would house 5,000 people in a compact city using only 25 acres of a 4,060 land preserve. The design incorporates greenhouses for food, efficient use of water, and orientation to make the most use of the sun for heating and energy.
Zucker said he is especially excited about an opportunity that his office and Soleri currently have to design and build such a city that would incorporate all of these sustainable practices from the ground up. He's not ready to say where it is, but affirmed that they are making the presentation.
"It's really exciting to design what would amount to an entire city the size of Prescott Valley or Prescott - 50,000 to 60,000 people," he said. "We have a chance to do this within the foreseeable future."
Thirty-eight years from beginning construction, the original Arcosanti appears to be running a race between crumbling into the desert and reaching its potential. Zucker said he thinks Arcosanti has an opportunity for rebirth, but he also sees a coming transition. He doesn't know what will happen as Soleri, 89, ages, but he is sure that interest in Soleri's design concepts will increase.
"I think people are going to notice Paolo's idea again. He has designed and redesigned Arcosanti over the years. If we're serous about it, and we develop a school of theology (Zucker said Soleri subscribes to the teachings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit, paleontologist, biologist, and philosopher), a bronze-making operation, an enclosed agricultural greenhouse, a performing arts center, if we actually pursue all these things, Arcosanti could have this renaissance and become a real nidus of activity. "
Zucker likens some of Arcosanti's cultural possibilities to that of the Sedona Jazz Fest. Arcosanti features some world-class music in its Colly Soleri amphitheatre, and one annual concert coincides with the usually sold-out Italian Night, but Zucker envisions a cultural destination.
"Arcosanti could be that for Phoenix, Flagstaff and Prescott. It's right in the middle of all three of those, it's a gorgeous venue. Right now, it just falls short," he said.
For now, Zucker is simply sharing the ideas he learned at Arcosanti and his own 30 years of experience in environmentally sensitive and community-based design with people who attend today's still-popular Arcosanti workshops. Zucker and architect Mathew Ackerman, principals in Catalyst Architecture, presented their work during Prescott Valley's Creative Energy Fair this past weekend at Tim's Toyota Center.
Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Article comment by:
Jim H. Jackson, MS
Interesting article on Jeff Zucker.Thanks for the insite. I've known Jeff over 40 years and always knew he'd be a special addition to the architect industry.
