- Location: Wajirohigashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka City
- Owner: Fukuoka Institute of Technology
- Renovation: March 2018
- Number of seats: 300
Fukuoka Institute of Technology is a four-year university that develops human resources that can contribute to society with the aim of practicing careful education centered on the three fields of “information”, “environment” and “manufacturing”.
The campus, which is directly connected to JR Fukuko-mae Station, is bordered by a school building that integrates a university and a high school, has about 5,700 students.
In June 2017, the student lounge on the second floor was renovated as a convenient common learning area with a group study area, study area, relaxation area, restaurant/cafeteria area, bookstore and retail store. Then, in March 2018, the chairs were renovated due to the deterioration of the chairs in the subway room.
The seating number in the stair classroom is 300. Large-scale events, such as ceremonies, are held in FIT Hall on campus, and orientation is held primarily in this stair classroom. The seating number of 300 is very convenient on campus as a small to medium-sized event space, and the challenge was to evolve to a more comfortable space while maintaining this seating number during renovations.
The interior coordinator’s combination of quiet gray upholstery and gleaming wood is a smart match to the noble ambiance of the space.
At events held in the stairwell classroom, listeners often take notes or bring laptops, so we introduced a chair with an elbow note holder before replacing it with a back table with a storage box. (Only the front row has an elbow type of note holder).
In addition, the width of the chair has been changed from a small chair before the replacement, which has a lot of space between adjoining seats, to a maximum front of 600 mm. Although it is the same type of chair as audience seating in theaters, halls and auditoriums, it is wider and more comfortable than the general size.
The seat shape is designed so that the back of the knees of the seated person is thinner than the buttocks side. This is one of the barrier-free designs advocated by Kotobukisting called “Spacia”. Not only does it provide more room for the feet, but it also makes it easier for people of all ages to stand up and sit down, as it makes it easier to perform the “pulling” motion that is essential when standing up and sitting down.
In addition, this leg-pulling facility makes it easier to adopt a writing posture in which the upper body leans forward, so it goes well with the back table when writing.
The new stair classroom is expected to be further utilized as a space to support student life on campus.
