Cooling centers are lifesaving architectural typologies, but theyre often haphazardly thrown together after the fact. In the scourging summer heat, cooling centers are typically made wherever city officials and NGOs can find willing space, i.e. vacant hotels, libraries, etc. What would a purpose-built cooling center look like in the context of Phoenix, Arizonaa place that, last year, had 113 straight days with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Can a cooling center be more than just a cold room? But also a space that provides collective comfort, social engagement, and joy?This was the point of departure for an exhibition, Collective Comfort: Airing on Possibilities, at San Franciscos Center for Architecture + Design. Collective Comfort was organized by U.C. Berkeleys (Im)material Matters Lab. The Urban Climate Adaptation Lab at University of Houston was a collaborator. Faculty from UCLA and Arizona State University also contributed. Kit of PartsPer the exhibition, stone, thread, and clay are ideal materials for desert climates, so the models on view all explored their speculative application at modern cooling centers. Architecture from ancient Egypt, societies in the arid south of Spain, Indigenous groups from the American Southwest, and nomadic Arab tribes all offer a playbook for keeping cool, so why not revisit these civilizations for folks in Phoenix?The show builds upon years of research by Liz Galvez, (Im)material Matters Lab director. (Courtesy Center for Architecture + Design)On view at Center for Architecture + Design were three full-scale building prototypes that incorporate ancient and intelligent material technologies into contemporary construction methods, organizers elaborated. Collective Comfort builds upon years of research by Liz Galvez, (Im)material Matters Lab director.Cooling centers typically utilize existing buildings to provide air-conditioned spaces, offering citizens immediate relief from high temperatures, organizers shared in exhibition text. Yet, as an emerging architectural typology, many of these centers lack design direction.Collective Comfort posits alternative building materials like brick, as opposed to concrete, for the American Southwest. (Courtesy Center for Architecture + Design)(Courtesy Center for Architecture + Design)They are conceived as emergency buildings often without essential amenities like food, natural daylighting, fresh air, or engaging activities, making it hard for people to imagine spending hours there no matter how dangerously hot it might be outside, exhibition text continued. Furthermore, this approach overlooks the broader causes of extreme heat, including the widespread use of heat-retaining materials in the urban environment and reliance on fossil fuels for cooling.The show ran from November 21, 2024 through February 6, 2025.Collective Comfort was made possible by support from SOM Foundation.