A pavilion that explores passive cooling through earthen construction and textile canopies, designed by the architecture practice of Liz Gálvez (MArch '16), was selected as the winner of the M&A × Craft Contemporary Courtyard Competition in Los Angeles. The work, entitled Earthen Comforts: Airing Earth, is installed in the courtyard of the Craft Contemporary museum in Los Angeles through October 25. Visitors can walk through the pavilion and experience its layered microclimates.
Exploring how physical materials can proactively fight rising temperatures, the installation challenges modern design's reliance on air conditioning. In an interview with “The Architect’s Newspaper,” Gálvez said that “Earthen Comforts reframes this paradigm by re-centering thermal design as an architectural and civic act, intervening in urgent debates around climate adaptation, material practice, and collective life.”
The installation builds on her practice’s investigation into heat resilience and material experimentation by staging thermal infrastructures as architectural and civic propositions.
In addition, Gálvez has been awarded a 2026 Graham Foundation Grant which supports the research and public programming associated with the project.
Gálvez is a registered architect and an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Her practice, Office e.g., is based in Berkeley, CA.
