After a fire in 1996, the two wings of the Institute's architecture school were separated, as the building between them burned down. Now in this place has appeared the "Central Section of Higgins Hall", a link between its North and South buildings. Both of them have the status of architectural monuments: they were built in 1869 and 1887, respectively, and the Pratt Institute acquired them in 1970.
The bright, glazed new building contrasts with the massive brick structures flanking it. There is a school lobby, an exhibition gallery, a terrace, a computing research center and workshops. The area of the "section" is 2100 sq. m, budget - $ 10.5 million. The facades are made of glass profiles, which made it possible to avoid the use of aluminum profiles.
The floors of the side buildings are at different levels, the difference between them in the “section” is visible through the section of transparent glass on the facade, which creates a decorative “zone of dissonance”.