The School of Architecture

Cosanti is the gallery and studio of Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri; it was his residence until his death in 2013. Located in Paradise Valley, Arizona, USA, it is now an Arizona Historic Site open to the public. Cosanti is marked by terraced landscaping, experimental earth-formed concrete structures, and sculptural wind-bells.Soleri and his wife Colly established their residence there in 1956 on a five-acre site just a few miles from Taliesin West, where Soleri had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright ten years earlier. Built on the outskirts of Scottsdale, it is now surrounded by a wealthy suburban neighborhood. In Italian, the name Cosanti "is a combination of the words for 'object' and 'before,' and it means, 'There are things more important than objects.'"In 1970, Soleri outgrew the site. He had coined "arcology" by combining architecture and ecology; then, combining "arcology" with "Cosanti", he founded Arcosanti, an "urban laboratory" in the desert seventy miles north, for which he became famous. As students and the frontier of development moved there, Cosanti became the headquarters and namesake of Soleri's foundation.The structures at Cosanti include the original "Earth House", a student dormitory, outdoor studios, performance space, a swimming pool, gift shop, and Soleri's residence. All are set amidst courtyards, terraces and garden paths. Many structures are partly underground and surrounded by mounds of earth for insulation, moderating their interior temperatures year-round. Soleri designed and built south-facing apses (partial domes) as passive energy collectors that collect light and heat in the lower winter sun, deflecting it and creating shade in the higher summer sun. The swimming pool and several other structures have southern exposures to maximize the warmth of the winter sun. Cosanti predates the concept of arcology, but many principles of arcology were first implemented at Cosanti. Most of the structures were built with variations on earthcasting. Concrete was poured over mounds of densely packed earth; the earth was excavated after the concrete solidified. A modified earthcasting technique is also used to craft the bronze and ceramic wind-bells produced at Cosanti and Arcosanti on weekday mornings.

Chaparral High School is a public high school located in Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. Its mascot is the firebird, and the school colors are black, red, and gold.Chaparral opened in February 1973 with 800 students, comprising freshman, sophomore, and junior classes. The principal was Spencer Saunders Sr. The initial structures were built at a cost of $3.5 million. Chaparral's first graduates were the class of 1974. The original campus was designed by Varney, Sexton, Sydnor Associates. TGK Construction Company built the campus with construction starting in 1971.In 2008 many of the outdated buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones designed by Orcutt | Winslow Architects.In 2014, Newsweek ranked Chaparral No. 22 among top American high schools, and No. 1 in Arizona.

Mummy Mountain is a mountain situated in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. The slopes of the mountain incorporate primarily suburban residential development while the upper summit areas are conservation sites. Camelback Inn has been located on the southern slope since 1936. As the only part of the Phoenix Mountains not held within the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, portions of Mummy Mountain are protected by the Mummy Mountain Preserve Trust and the town of Paradise Valley.

Saint Barnabas on the Desert is an Episcopal church located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Founded as a mission church in 1953, the church was granted parish status in 1955, and was incorporated in 1958. The church moved into its present structure in 1961.

Named after the Norwegian explorer, the Roald Amundsen is a former Pullman Company private car; the last of seven Explorer-series cars built between 1927 and 1929 for the Pullman Company's pool of passenger cars. It was frequently used as the United States Presidential Rail Car, and was used for every president from Herbert Hoover through Dwight Eisenhower.During World War II, sister car Ferdinand Magellan was rebuilt as the official presidential private car; after the war, the Roald Amundsen was surplus to the Pullman Company's requirements and was sold, and became a business car for the New York Central Railroad. In 1971 it was donated to the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, Arizona.In 2009 the Roald Amundsen was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Paradise Valley is a desert and mountain town in Arizona east of state capital Phoenix, which is its suburb. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and restaurant scene. According to the 2020 census, its population was 12,658. Despite its relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise Valley is home to eight full-service resorts, making it one of Arizona's premier tourist destinations. The town's name comes from the expansive area known as Paradise Valley that spreads from north of the Phoenix Mountains to Cave Creek and Carefree on the north and the McDowell Mountains to the east. Resident children attend schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

Automotive Dealership Institute is an Arizona-based and licensed training program that offers classroom and online instruction in management, finance, and insurance for the auto industry.

Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School was the college-preparatory high school of Jess Schwartz Jewish Community Day School, a defunct K-12 school in Scottsdale, Arizona. The high school's first classes were held in 2001, and its first seniors graduated in 2004. The high school had 65 students in 2010. It was a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and had been accredited by the North Central Association (NCA) of Schools and Colleges. The school had solely been a high school until 2009, when it merged with the colocated K-8 King David School to form a K-12 institution.

El Chorro Lodge is a restaurant in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The business was named one of "America's Classics" by the James Beard Foundation Awards.

JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort and Spa is a historic resort and spa owned by Marriott International, Inc, located on the southern slope of Mummy Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona, United States. The Camelback Inn was established in 1936 by Jack Bell Stewart and John C. Lincoln. Its popularity among Hollywood celebrities and political leaders made it a significant contributor to the region's growth. In 2012, Camelback Inn was one of three North American hotels which had maintained a AAA 5-Diamond rating since the award's inception in 1975. In 2013, AAA reduced the hotel's status to four diamonds.

McCormick Ranch refers to an area in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is one of the largest planned communities in Arizona.

The Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art is a non-profit 501(c)3 museum located in Paradise Valley, Arizona. The museum was founded by sculptor, painter, printmaker, poet, and gallery owner Agnese Udinotti in 2007. The collection focuses on figurative art from 1500 BCE (Ancient Egyptian) to the present. 'The primary goal of the museum is to educate the public about the historical evolution and importance of figurative art." The museum is not open to the public for tours.