The Galveston Sandcastle Festival is Sept. 19–20, and M2L Associates couldn’t be more excited to celebrate 25 years of support, commitment and partnership with American Institute of Architecture (AIA) Houston and greater Houston’s architecture and engineering communities.
The festival’s hallmark AIA Sandcastle Competition is Sept. 19 at East Beach in Galveston, with teams of architects, engineers and industry contractors showcasing their creativity, execution and design expertise in the built environment — using sand and water as their only materials.
The annual fundraiser benefits AIA Houston and Architecture Center Houston (ArCH) Foundation’s advocacy and education programs, bringing public programming, professional design scholarships and other educational initiatives to fruition throughout the year.
M2L’s involvement dates to the early 2000s when the firm worked on build teams with multiple industry partners. That eventually expanded to work on the organizing committee and year-around planning for the competition, which grew to become the largest amateur sandcastle competition of its kind and one of the most popular annual tourist draws for Galveston Island. In 2024, AIA Houston partnered with La Izquierda Fest, adding a music slate, vendors and family-friendly activities, and the Galveston Sandcastle Festival was born.
M2L Principal Lynn Mauer said she is proud of the firm’s long partnership with AIA Houston, highlighting the benefits of working side by side with our architectural and engineering partners for a cause that specifically benefits and encourages young professionals.
“We’re fortunate to have strong working relationships with top architects, engineers and construction contractors, and we love to connect outside of our project work,” she said. “From every vantage point of our involvement — behind the scenes, planning and organizing, building and even spectating — there’s so much to love about supporting the Galveston Sandcastle Festival!”
We’re proud corporate sponsors
In 2021 M2L expanded support of the sandcastle competition by becoming a Gold Sponsor, closing the Houston office ahead of the event to volunteer as a firm to set up the build site on East Beach. The staff heads to Galveston the night before the setup day, enjoying a nice dinner out and a rousing game of trivia to stoke the competitive juices and ramp up the fun.
The next morning the team meets at the beach for a long, hot day working with event organizers and the surveying team to measure and stake the competition space with painstaking precision. Mauer said the team looks forward to the annual workday even though the weather conditions sometimes mean it’s not always a perfect “day at the beach.”
“We’ve encountered every kind of weather and a number of technical obstacles over the years, but we work well together and focus on the fun,” Mauer said. “It’s hard work, but it’s become a team favorite outing where we get to relax and have fun while getting to know each other in a completely different setting.”
We’re on the organizing committee
M2L associate and landscape designer Malinali Jimenez began work on the AIA competition organizing committee shortly after joining the firm in 2022. “I wasn’t sure what I was getting into when I volunteered,” Jimenez said, “but I was new to the firm, new to living in Houston, and excited to get involved and meet new people. Soon I was struck by the level of creativity, collaboration and accomplishment in the room. I’ve learned from the different perspectives and broad insights — and grown my project skills in the process.”
And with them her commitment to the cause. This year marks Jimenez’s fourth year on the AIA organizing committee and first as co-chair of the sandcastle competition. “Helping to lead this year’s competition has been an honor, more challenging and rewarding than I thought possible,” she said. “I’m proud the festival continues to make a difference in Galveston and in our professional community.”
We’re spectators and festival goers
While most people who have been to the beach have used buckets, shovels and whatever tools they can find to make sandcastles, watching industry professionals execute long-planned, large-scale creations takes the experience to a completely different level.
“With each passing year I’m amazed at the scale and creativity we see in our colleagues’ sculptures,” Mauer said. “Watching the process improvement and problem-solving happening in real time gives a whole new appreciation for the results!”
This year 23 teams of architects, engineers, designers and others will compete for the grand prize — the prestigious Gold Bucket Award — with special prizes commemorating categories like best team signage, best team t-shirt and most sustainable team. Teams compete in one of these themed categories: architectural icon, traditional sandcastle, travel the world, FIFA World Cup, creatures of the sea, kidtastic: childhood memories and pop culture: cinematic.
The sand sculptures last as long as the weather allows, with live music and family-friendly events covering both days of the festival
More info about the Galveston Sandcastle Festival, including details about tickets, parking and more