Soleri Pedestrian Bridge Paolo Soleri		Print This Page Email This Page

Future Location
Spanning the Arizona Canal at Scottsdale’s Waterfront
Southwest of Scottsdale and Camelback Roads

Project Update

On June 21, 2009, a public celebration of Paolo Soleri’s 90th birthday and the future site of the Soleri Bridge and plaza was held on the Marshall Way Bridge at Scottsdale’s Waterfront.

Soleri is currently overseeing the casting process underway at Cosanti for the pre-cast artwall panels. These are the first of the art elements in the sequencing for the Soleri Bridge construction.

Project History

• June 21, 2009 – Celebration of Paolo Soleri’s 90th Birthday and the Future Site of the Soleri Bridge and Plaza in Downtown Scottsdale

• Fall 2008 through fall 2009:  Pre-Construction Phase

• June 2008 Construction funding officially in place

• City Council unanimously endorsed funding for the bridge and plaza

•  Public Meeting Fall 2007

•  Schematic Design Development though May 2007

•  Public feedback June 2005

•  SPA Board approved the preliminary concept May 11, 2004

•  Public feedback Fall 2004

Description
A joint Scottsdale Public Art and City of Scottsdale Capital Improvement Project, the Soleri Bridge and Plaza creates a  welcoming setting and an important informal and formal gathering place for the community—encouraging visitors and residents to relax, play, stroll, read, bring their lunch, and enjoy the canal, as well as to attend small-scale events and cultural programs.

At twenty-seven feet wide on the south end and narrowing to eighteen feet on the north, the bridge connects Fashion Square and the Waterfront shops to Southbridge and Gallery districts south of the Arizona Canal in Downtown Scottsdale. Providing additional access across the canal, the pedestrian-only bridge provides a scenic view point over the 60-wide water conveyance channel, creating a welcome respite from the nearby vehicular traffic of Scottsdale Road. In addition to allowing important regular canal maintenance activities, the plaza design fully incorporates the Sun Circle Trail through the site, for contiguous horseback passage on the historic, 18 mile regional trail.

Artist’s Concept

The project calls attention to the importance of solar movement and the passage of time in a universal language. Two 64-foot-high brushed steel pylons will create a light dagger on the bridge deck as the sun moves across the sky, marking important seasonal solar events: the equinox, the solstice, and the cross-quarter dates. By marking and celebrating the celestial events, the signature bridge and plaza unifies the past and the present—the site of this ancient waterway with the legacy of current day cultures—of all humans living in the desert.

Essentials

• Paolo Soleri’s 22,000 square-foot plaza and 100-foot-long pedestrian bridge encourage awareness of our connection to the sun and promotes alternative modes of travel.

• The subdued color scheme of the bridge and plaza reflects Soleri’s life-long explorations of indigenous materials and desert derived colors. A brushed steel surface on the two 64-foot bridge pylons minimizes glare from the sun.

• The bridge railing allows an unobstructed, permeable view to the water.

• Perforated grating in the bridge deck allows breezes and water sounds to migrate through the pedestrian surface.

• Lighting provides safety for movement across the bridge and within the plaza in addition to subtly conveying the scale and materials of the pylons with up-lighting and inset lighting at the landscaped areas and cast wall-panels. Lighting on the bridge’s exterior provides a delicate night-time contrast to both the plaza and the water’s surface.

• Shade trees, permanent and moveable seating, grass, and colored concrete are sensitively integrated to offer a range of options for enjoying the park and to create a comfortable environment for. 

• Landscape design is based on a native plant palette, and provides a well-defined and small lawn area for visitors. The primary tree is the Evergreen elm (Ulmus parviforia).

• The Sun Circle Trail is denoted by special paving and signage, providing a multi-use surface for joggers, bikers, and equestrians.

Signature Style

The breadth of Soleri’s work is represented by three components on the 22,000 square-foot plaza:

• The pylons, each nearly seven feet in diameter, will generate a light beam on the walking surface of the bridge to mark solar events and reiterate the connection of humans to our built and natural environment.

• Slip form and cast wall panels in the signature style of Cosanti and Arcosanti frame the plaza, constructed by Soleri Studios under the direction of Paolo Soleri.

• The historic Goldwater Bell assembly suspended within a 22-foot tower. Dating from 1969, the cast bronze assemblage reflects the artist’s life work in Arcology. The hanging system is engineered to hold the weight of the bells and live-load weight ensuring the public’s safety and preventing damage to the bells. Because of their very large size, the bells create infrequent low, soft tones that blend in with the ambient sounds of the plaza and adjacent street traffic.

Funding

Scottsdale Public Art funded the concept and design development plus a portion of the construction for this project. To date, its commitment totals $1 million.

Starwood Capital Group & Golub Company contributed an additional $500,000. Scottsdale City Council approved a funding request in the amount of $1.7 million for FY 08-09.

About Soleri and Arconsanti

Soleri, who is an author, architect, artist and pioneer of new human spaces, has had fellowships from the Graham Foundation and Guggenheim Foundation, as well as three honorary doctorates and several international medals. Soleri received the Leone d’oro in 2000 at the Mostra di Architettura di Venezia (Venice Architecture Biennale) for his life-time achievement. His most coveted accolade, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for lifetime achievement, was awarded to him in 2006 and is one of the most distinguished awards an architect can receive.  On November 13, 2008 Soleri was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2008 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation.

One of the most imaginative thinkers of our time, Paolo Soleri has dedicated his life to addressing the ecological and social concerns raised by modern urban existence. Soleri's career contains significant accomplishments in the fields of architecture and urban planning, and his groundbreaking philosophical writings on arcology, the co-presence of architecture with ecology, continue to garner interest globally. Arcosanti, a prototype arcology and urban laboratory under construction in central Arizona for the past 38 years, represents Soleri's comprehensive and holistic approach to "green" and the challenge of sustainability. Arcosanti is located about one hour north of Phoenix. Tours, meals, and overnight accommodations are offered daily. Visitors are also welcome at Cosanti, Soleri's original studio in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Visit www.arcosanti.org for details.

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Media Contact:
Rasheda Smith
480-874-4645
rsmith@sccarts.org

Email the Public Art Program

Donna Isaac  

Project Manager

disaac@sccarts.org

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