We address the intensifying Urban Heat Island Effect in East Harlem, where limited access to air conditioning and distant cooling centers leave vulnerable populations exposed to dangerous summer heat. 

We hypothesize that a passive, non-mechanical cooling system can provide distributed thermal relief at the pedestrian scale if it couples desiccant-based moisture capture with controlled evaporative release. Our proposed material system consists of soft panels incorporating a hydrogel layer, encapsulated behind a vapor-permeable, liquid-waterblocking membrane. This configuration enables the hydrogel to adsorb ambient humidity and release it selectively for evaporation, thereby extracting latent heat from the panel surface and dissipating thermal energy to the surrounding air.

 Deployed as a collection of athletics facilities, our material system aims to aleviate the effects of Urban Heat Island Effect while providing public spaces for East Harlem residents.

Hydrogel acts as the catalyst for said phenomenal climate change through its material process of removing water from the air. It creates more comfortable environments and reduces mold and mildew. This is done with refigerant cooling and desiccant systems.