The Canary in the Mine Option Studio lands this semester in California, based at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve–an ecologically critical site managed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to environmental protection. The studio follows in the wake of catastrophic wildfires that tore through parts of California this past January. In Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades, fast-moving flames engulfed hillsides, destroyed homes, and forced thousands to evacuate. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to ash, air quality plummeted, and both human and non-human communities suffered profound losses. These fires were not isolated events, but part of a rapidly intensifying pattern–one that reflects the escalating impact of anthropogenic climates on flammable landscapes.

In response to this climate-driven volatility, the studio poses an urgent question: How can we design for resilience and adaptation in an era of human-induced extremes? From wildfires to floods, tornadoes to melting glaciers, these events call for a radical rethinking of how and where we build–and how we live with dynamic, at-risk ecologies.

Focused on wildfire-prone Mediterranean climates, the Canary in the Mine initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Design prepares students to design in–and for–extreme conditions. It positions design as a critical force in advancing Restorative Adaptation: an approach that integrates ecological recovery with cultural restitution, community stewardship, and multi-species well-being. The studio explores, therefore emerging frameworks that align: (1) Ecological symbiosis with cultural practices; (2) Community stewardship with metabolic flows and nutrient cycles; (3) Productive disturbance engaging with “wild diplomacies,” traditional knowledge, and bioengineering.

Students will develop design scenarios in which the Dangermond Preserve becomes an Analog Landscape–a living model for fire-adapted design strategies that can be applied across similarly flammable regions in California and the broader Mediterranean type of landscapes. This studio includes a six-day immersive experience in early October, featuring a site visit to the Preserve and a stay at the Field Stations, which host researchers from around the world. Students will also explore areas affected by the Palisades wildfires as well as those spared–examining how and why to design in contexts marked by pyric vulnerability. As part of this reconnaissance, students will engage in reflection and dialogue with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) team, helping to reframe the discourse of conservation as a project of restitution. The studio will be supported by advanced geospatial resources developed for the technology program of the Preserve, and students will engage with the digital simulation of wildfire behavior in development of design interventions. Upon culmination of the studio, students’ spatial propositions will be shared with partners in the form of Esri StoryMaps, a dynamic platform for spatial storytelling and analysis. The Canary in the Mine continues its mission to address rural lands and vulnerable communities across Mediterranean bio-regions impacted by climate degradation. Originally launched in Southern Europe and later expanded to Africa, the initiative is now focused on California.