Itoki Participates in Chukyo University's Practical Education Program; Lounge Designed in Co-creation with Students Opens

Itoki Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Koji Minato) is pleased to announce that the renovation project for the student lounge in the Center Building 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 a form of industry-academia collaborative education in which 22 students from various faculties—none of whom specialize in architecture or spatial design—worked with companies to engage in everything from identifying issues to spatial design. The completed lounge has been developed as a "place by students, for students" and will be utilized as a space for interaction, study, and breaks between classes.

Background Due to the declining birthrate, the environment surrounding universities is changing significantly. With more than half of private universities failing to meet their enrollment quotas, competition between institutions is expected to intensify. Furthermore, the spread of internships has led to earlier job hunting, requiring universities to enhance the quality of education and provide practical learning opportunities to increase their appeal.

This project creates an opportunity for students to gain experience close to the real world by working with companies on spatial design. For the university, it leads to educational differentiation and the promotion of its appeal; for students, it serves as an opportunity for career development. It is also a meaningful initiative for the companies, providing them with exposure to new ideas and a point of contact with future talent.

Industry-Academia Collaborative Project Involving 22 Cross-Disciplinary Students The purpose of this project was to renovate four student lounges scattered across three floors of the Chukyo University Nagoya Campus Center Building, which was completed in 1994. Twenty-two students from various faculties, such as the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business Administration, and Faculty of Psychology, participated. Students from different fields formed teams based on the companies they were paired with to work on the spatial design.

In May 2025, students received presentations from the three companies—Itoki, Kokuyo Marketing, and Maruten Sangyo—and formed teams by selecting a company. Over the course of six months, they proactively drove the process from identifying issues to formulating spatial concepts and examining spatial designs. The designs were finalized in November 2025, and the lounge opened on March 30, 2026.

One of the unique features of this project is that companies that are typically competitors in the office market came together for an educational project to work with students on the lounge renovation.

Itoki Team's "Nest" Lounge Born from Student Voices The overall concept set by the university was "Crossroad," aiming to create a place where students with different values can meet and generate new ideas and interactions.

A total of nine students from faculties including the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Policy Studies participated in the Itoki team and conducted interviews with users of the existing lounge. The feedback included complaints that the chairs were too hard to relax in, that it was difficult to spend time there calmly, and that the seating layout was hard to use. Consequently, the team set "Nest for you" as the design concept. They aimed for "Nest" to be a safe place where students can gather daily, deepen their learning and interactions, and return with peace of mind as they take on new challenges and spread their wings.

"Four Spaces" Tailored to Student Lifestyles The completed lounge consists of four spaces designed for learning, interaction, and relaxation. The zoning is arranged in a cross (road) pattern, featuring a "Waiting Area," "Small-Group Study/Interaction Area," "Individual Study/Break Area," and "Large-Group Break Area."

The overall interior is unified with a taste that emphasizes calm tones and textures, which the students themselves felt were "comfortable" and "reassuring." It also leverages the potential of the space located in front of the 7th-floor elevator hall, which offers a panoramic view of Yagoto, where the building is located. The variations in height and placement of lighting and furniture create changes in sightlines and promote circulation, making it a space where people naturally gather and interact.

Applying Workplace Expertise to Educational Spaces While prioritizing student opinions, this project also utilized Itoki's expertise in work styles and workplaces. The know-how regarding investigation, concept design, zoning, flow design, and interior planning—including furniture and lighting—was applied to the educational space. The design guideline "ITOKI SENSE 2025," which summarizes the CMF (Color, Material, Finish) that forms the foundation of the company's space and product design, was also used to align images with the students.

Future Outlook The completed lounge will be available for student use starting March 30, 2026. For students, the lounge can be considered the most flexible base on campus, where "on" (study) and "off" (break/interaction) are seamlessly connected. Moving forward, it will be widely utilized as a "place by students, for students." Itoki will continue to leverage its expertise in the workplace business to contribute to spatial design in the education sector.

Comments from Chukyo University Students "We designed the lounge with the hope of supporting the various scenes of university life for all of us Chukyo students who work hard every day. I would be happy if this lounge proves useful to many people!" (Itoki team participating student: Shiho Murase, 2nd-year student, Faculty of Policy Studies, Chukyo University)

Comments from Chukyo University Project Manager "The experience of students taking the lead and working with companies to create a space is a practical educational opportunity that cannot be gained through classroom learning alone. We hope this lounge will become a hub for student interaction and learning, and be utilized as a new place on campus." (Daisuke Nimura, Property Management Section, Finance Department, Chukyo University)

Comments from Itoki Project Designers "It was a project from which the company also learned a lot. For students, being able to see how the space they were involved in is used and what kind of impact it has is a valuable experience. I would be happy if they could feel that change afterward." (Takuya Senyama, Team Leader, 1st Design Center, Work Style Design Division)

"Rather than just prioritizing durability, we carefully considered everything from furniture materials and colors to lighting tones to embody the students' concepts. Being able to shape the space in collaboration with the students, starting from their sensibilities, was a deeply impressive experience as a designer." (Hiyori Akimoto, 1st Design Center, Work Style Design Division)