Itoki Participates in Chukyo University's Practical Education, Opens Lounge Co-Created and Designed with Students
Itoki, along with Kokuyo Marketing and Maruten Sangyo, collaborated with 22 students from Chukyo University to renovate student lounges, completing the project on March 30, 2026.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 00:00
- 🔍 Collected: March 30, 2026 at 22:56
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 08:30 (585h 34m after Collected)
Itoki Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President: Koji Minato) announces that the Center Building Student Lounge Renovation Project at Chukyo University's Nagoya Campus, in which it participated alongside Kokuyo Marketing Co., Ltd. and Maruten Sangyo Co., Ltd., was completed on March 30, 2026.
This project is an industry-academia collaborative educational program where 22 students across different faculties, who do not specialize in architecture or spatial design, collaborated with companies to tackle everything from problem discovery to spatial design. The completed lounge is established as a "place for students, by students," and will be utilized during breaks between classes and as a space for interaction and learning.
## Background
With the progression of the declining birthrate, the environment surrounding universities is changing significantly. More than half of private universities continue to face enrollment shortfalls, and competition among universities is expected to intensify further. Furthermore, with the popularization of internships accelerating the job hunting process, universities are required to create attractiveness, such as improving the quality of education and providing practical learning.
This initiative creates an opportunity for students to gain experiences close to the real world by engaging in spatial design while collaborating with companies. For the university, it leads to the differentiation of education and the communication of its appeal, and for the students, it serves as an opportunity for career development. It is also a meaningful initiative for the three parties, as it gives companies the opportunity to come into contact with new ideas and connect with future talent.
## Industry-Academia Collaboration Project Participated by 22 Cross-Faculty Students
The purpose of this project was to renovate four student lounges scattered across three floors of the Center Building at Chukyo University's Nagoya Campus, which was completed in 1994. 22 students from various faculties who do not specialize in architecture or spatial design participated. Students from different fields, such as the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business Administration, and Faculty of Psychology, formed teams by company and engaged in spatial design.
In May 2025, the students received presentations from the three companies—Itoki, Kokuyo Marketing, and Maruten Sangyo—chose a company, and formed teams. Over six months, they proactively drove the process from extracting issues to drafting spatial concepts and considering spatial designs. The design was finalized in November 2025, and it opened on March 30, 2026.
A unique feature of this educational project is that companies that typically compete in the office market came together to collaborate with students on renovating the student lounges.
## "Nest", the Lounge by the Itoki Team Born from Students' Voices
The overall concept set by the university was "Crossroad". It aims to be a place where students with different values meet, and new ideas and interactions are born.
A total of 9 students from the Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Policy Studies, etc., participated in the Itoki team and conducted interviews with users of the existing lounges. As a result, voices were raised saying that the chairs were too hard to relax in, they couldn't spend time calmly, and the seating arrangement was difficult to use. Therefore, they set "Nest for you" as the design concept. They aimed for "Nest" to be a place where students gather daily, deepen their learning and interactions, take a step towards new challenges and spread their wings, and a place they can return to with peace of mind.
## "Four Spaces" Tailored to How Students Spend Their Time
The completed lounge consists of four spaces accommodating learning, interaction, and rest: a "Meeting Area," a "Small Group Learning and Interaction Area," an "Individual Learning and Rest Area," and a "Large Group Rest
This project is an industry-academia collaborative educational program where 22 students across different faculties, who do not specialize in architecture or spatial design, collaborated with companies to tackle everything from problem discovery to spatial design. The completed lounge is established as a "place for students, by students," and will be utilized during breaks between classes and as a space for interaction and learning.
## Background
With the progression of the declining birthrate, the environment surrounding universities is changing significantly. More than half of private universities continue to face enrollment shortfalls, and competition among universities is expected to intensify further. Furthermore, with the popularization of internships accelerating the job hunting process, universities are required to create attractiveness, such as improving the quality of education and providing practical learning.
This initiative creates an opportunity for students to gain experiences close to the real world by engaging in spatial design while collaborating with companies. For the university, it leads to the differentiation of education and the communication of its appeal, and for the students, it serves as an opportunity for career development. It is also a meaningful initiative for the three parties, as it gives companies the opportunity to come into contact with new ideas and connect with future talent.
## Industry-Academia Collaboration Project Participated by 22 Cross-Faculty Students
The purpose of this project was to renovate four student lounges scattered across three floors of the Center Building at Chukyo University's Nagoya Campus, which was completed in 1994. 22 students from various faculties who do not specialize in architecture or spatial design participated. Students from different fields, such as the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business Administration, and Faculty of Psychology, formed teams by company and engaged in spatial design.
In May 2025, the students received presentations from the three companies—Itoki, Kokuyo Marketing, and Maruten Sangyo—chose a company, and formed teams. Over six months, they proactively drove the process from extracting issues to drafting spatial concepts and considering spatial designs. The design was finalized in November 2025, and it opened on March 30, 2026.
A unique feature of this educational project is that companies that typically compete in the office market came together to collaborate with students on renovating the student lounges.
## "Nest", the Lounge by the Itoki Team Born from Students' Voices
The overall concept set by the university was "Crossroad". It aims to be a place where students with different values meet, and new ideas and interactions are born.
A total of 9 students from the Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Policy Studies, etc., participated in the Itoki team and conducted interviews with users of the existing lounges. As a result, voices were raised saying that the chairs were too hard to relax in, they couldn't spend time calmly, and the seating arrangement was difficult to use. Therefore, they set "Nest for you" as the design concept. They aimed for "Nest" to be a place where students gather daily, deepen their learning and interactions, take a step towards new challenges and spread their wings, and a place they can return to with peace of mind.
## "Four Spaces" Tailored to How Students Spend Their Time
The completed lounge consists of four spaces accommodating learning, interaction, and rest: a "Meeting Area," a "Small Group Learning and Interaction Area," an "Individual Learning and Rest Area," and a "Large Group Rest