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2026/03/30
Press Release Workplace

Itoki participates in practical education at Chukyo University, opening a lounge designed in collaboration with students.

Amidst the trend towards earlier job hunting and a greater emphasis on experience in hiring, a project was undertaken by 22 students from different departments and three competing companies.

ITOKI CORPORATION (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Koji Minato) is pleased to announce that the renovation project for the student lounge in the Center Building of Chukyo University's Nagoya Campus, in which it participated together with Kokuyo Marketing Co., Ltd. and Maruten Sangyo Co., Ltd., was completed on March 30, 2026.

This project is an industry-academia collaborative education initiative in which 22 students from various faculties, not specializing in architecture or spatial design, worked with a company to address the challenges from problem identification to spatial design. The completed lounge has been developed as a "place by students for students," and will be used as a space for relaxation between classes, as well as for interaction and learning.

background

The declining birthrate is drastically changing the environment surrounding universities. More than half of private universities continue to under-enroll, and competition among universities is expected to intensify even further. Furthermore, the spread of internships has led to earlier job hunting, requiring universities to enhance the quality of their education and offer practical learning opportunities to make themselves more attractive.

This project creates an opportunity for students to gain real-world experience by working on spatial design in collaboration with companies. For universities, it helps differentiate their education and promote its appeal; for students, it provides a career development opportunity; and for companies, it provides an opportunity to be exposed to new ideas and connect with future talent. This is a meaningful initiative for all three parties involved.

An industry-academia collaboration project involving 22 students from different faculties.

The purpose of this project was to renovate four student lounges located across three floors of the Chukyo University Nagoya Campus Center Building, which was completed in 1994. Twenty-two students from various faculties, not specializing in architecture or spatial design, participated. Students from different fields, such as law, business administration, and psychology, formed teams based on companies and worked on the spatial design.

In May 2025, students received presentations from three companies: Itoki, Kokuyo Marketing, and Maruten Sangyo. They then selected a company and formed a team. Over a six-month period, they proactively worked on everything from identifying challenges to developing spatial concepts and considering spatial designs. The design was finalized in November 2025, and the facility opened on March 30, 2026.

Another notable aspect of this project is that companies that are normally competitors in the office market came together for this educational project, collaborating with students to renovate the student lounge.

"Nest," a lounge created by the Itoki team based on student feedback.

The university's overall concept is "Crossroads." It aims to be a place where students with different values can meet and where new ideas and interactions can be born.

The Itoki team consisted of nine students from departments such as the Faculty of Business Administration and the Faculty of Comprehensive Policy Studies, who conducted interviews with users of the existing lounge. As a result, they received feedback that the chairs were hard and uncomfortable, that it was difficult to relax, and that the seating arrangement was inconvenient. Therefore, they set "Nest for you" as the design concept. They aimed to create a "Nest" that students could return to with peace of mind, a place where they could gather regularly, deepen their learning and interactions, and take off to embark on new challenges and spread their wings.

Four spaces tailored to how students spend their time.

The completed lounge consists of four spaces designed for learning, socializing, and relaxing. The zoning is arranged in a cross-road pattern, with a "meeting area," a "small group learning and socializing area," an "individual learning and relaxation area," and a "large group relaxation area."

A cross-road zoning system that expresses the overall concept.

The overall interior design is unified with a calm color palette and material textures that students themselves find "comfortable" and "safe." Furthermore, the potential of the space, located in front of the elevator hall on the 7th floor with a panoramic view of Yagoto, where the building is situated, is utilized. The varying heights and placement of lighting and furniture create changes in perspective and encourage movement, resulting in a space where people naturally gather and interact.

View of the learning and interaction area from the meeting area.

The group learning and interaction area is equipped with tables with power outlets and movable furniture that can be adjusted according to the number of people.

Individual concentration areas are also provided with separate places to put belongings. Directing your gaze towards the wall can improve your concentration.

Bringing workplace insights to educational spaces

This project leverages our company's expertise in work styles and workplaces while prioritizing student input. We applied our know-how in areas such as research, concept design, zoning, traffic flow design, and interior planning including furniture and lighting, to the educational space. We also utilized "ITOKI SENSE 2025," our design guidelines summarizing CMF (Color, Material, Finish), which forms the basis of our spatial and product design, to align our vision with the students'.

Looking ahead

The completed lounge will be open to students from March 30, 2026. For students, the lounge is the most flexible hub on campus, seamlessly connecting work (studying) and leisure (relaxation and socializing). In the future, it will be widely used as a "place by students, for students." We will continue to leverage our expertise in Workplace Business to contribute to spatial design in the education sector.

Comments from Chukyo University students

"We designed this lounge with the hope of supporting all the hardworking students of Chukyo University in various aspects of their university life. We would be delighted if this lounge proves useful to many people!" (Student participating in the Itoki team: Shiho Murase, 2nd year student, Faculty of Comprehensive Policy Studies, Chukyo University)

Comment from the project manager at Chukyo University

"The experience of students taking the lead in collaborating with companies to create a space is a practical educational opportunity that cannot be obtained through classroom learning alone. We hope that this lounge will become a hub for student interaction and learning, and will be used as a new place for students to feel at home on campus," said Daisuke Futamura of the Property Management Division, Finance Department, Chukyo University.

Comment from the designer in charge of the Itoki project

"This was a very educational project for the company as well. For the students, it was a valuable experience to see how the space they were involved in was used and what kind of impact it had. I hope they were able to feel that change afterward." (Takuya Senyama, Team Leader, 1st Design Center, Workstyle Design Division)

"Instead of prioritizing durability alone, we carefully considered everything from the materials and colors of the furniture to the lighting tones in order to embody the students' concept. It was a memorable experience for me as a designer to be able to collaborate with the students and shape the space starting from their sensibilities." (Hiyori Akimoto, 1st Design Center, Workstyle Design Division)

References

About Itoki's Workplace Business

ITOKI CORPORATION was founded in 1890. With the mission statement of "We Design Tomorrow. We Design WORK-Style. the company supports the creation of a variety of spaces, environments, and places, leveraging its strengths in "AI x Design based on people," including the manufacture and sale of office furniture, office space design, “Space," “Environment," and “Place" consulting, and office data analysis services, as well as furniture for working from home and studying at home, and equipment for public facilities and logistics facilities.

As hybrid work becomes more common and places and ways of working become more diverse, we are developing spatial digital transformation to enhance productivity and creativity, as well as consulting services to support optimal office operations. We are also proactively collaborating with external designers and partner companies to propose new work styles and workplaces for the future.

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Contact information

ITOKI CORPORATION
Corporate Communications Headquarters Public Relations Department
TEL:03-6910-3910

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