Pratt lnstitute’s East Hall Plaza is a beautifully redesigned plaza that offers space to gather and is part of a larger effort to improve campus sustainability. As part of the lnstitute’s broader energy plan, the boilers in Pratt’s East Hall have been replaced with high efficiency models to reduce the institute’s overall carbon and energy usage. To remove and replace the existing boilers, the plaza needed to be demolished and rebuilt. This presented an opportunity to create a new plaza: what was once an empty hardscape is now a dynamic gathering space that reflects the creative artistry of Pratt’s student body.

The craftsmanship of the new plaza celebrates the making process that happens every day on the Pratt campus. Pratt was founded on a deep belief of the transformative impact of education, welcoming students from all walks of life. The design embodies this ethos and is inspired by the historic and industrial aesthetic of Pratt Institute using a unique combination of brick, metal, stone, and wood. Contextual materials are re-imagined through carefully crafted details that celebrate contemporary methods of fabrication and weave in softer, welcoming elements like wood and elegant rounded corners. Working with local fabricators, materials were selected with special attention to texture and color that can be appreciated in the welcoming space-bricks that emulate the weathered facade of the East Hall, stone with rich hues and natural graining, steel with subtle texture and warm undertones, and wood with long lines that will patina over time.

The planting concept for the plaza centers around one specimen tree and a robust and layered understory palette. Highly textured foliage, delicate leaf sizes and shapes, evergreen shrubs, and pops of color create an inviting plaza for students to enjoy throughout the seasons.