CURIOSITY HALL,
Teikyo University Hachioji Campus SORATIO SQUARE

'CURIOSITY HALL', an auditorium unique to the Hachioji Campus

The Hachioji Campus has the most students of any Teikyo University campus and is situated in the lush landscape of the Tama Hills. The spectacular view from the little elevated area provides an ideal environment for students to focus on their studies. On the occasion of the university's 50th anniversary in 2016, the campus was renovated and a new school wing with high- and low-rise buildings was built. Curiosity Hall, with a seating capacity of about 1,000, is widely used for lectures, events, information sessions, guidance for employment, and classes of various kinds. It is also used for recitals and other events by students at Teikyo University Elementary School and Teikyo University Kindergarten.
The dark brown walls of the hall are designed in the motif of geological strata, as a tribute to the campus's hilly location. The beautiful layers of color in the varied browns create a sense of academic serenity, as if in response to the geological strata's deep history and the profound quest for learning. The hall has the tranquility of an auditorium, but also has a bright and lively atmosphere suitable for active students.

Chairs impart comfort to the Hall

The fabric encasing the chair cushions also contributes to the hall's unique ambience. The upholstery is an original design by FABRIKO, a company that collaborates with Kotobuki Seating to design textiles for chairs. True to the theme of nature surrounding the campus, the entire auditorium is designed to look like it is under a large tree, with 'sunlight shimmering and swaying in the breeze' illuminating the chairs, representing the glimmer of light. The color of the fabric is a warm, sunny orange, with the first and second floor seats having differing shades of color. The color changes according to the lighting and the viewing angle, and you can appreciate the upholstery's change in expression depending on your position.
As befits the name of the hall, 'Curiosity', the fabric was created as per the designer's wish to 'nurture students' curiosity, intelligence and sensitivity in their daily school life'.
The chair's wooden backboard is molded into a three-dimensional curved surface and mounted with a cushion to comfortably support the upper body. The seat has Kotobuki Seating's unique corrugated springs, which enable comfortable seating even after long hours of use. A rotating and retractable elbow memo pad attached on the right side of the chair includes a notch to prevent writing instruments from rolling off. The chair legs have a notch bending in sharply. This design allows users to move their legs sideways while seated, making it easier for people to pass in front of them.

Accessible seating arrangement

The hall seats a maximum of seven people in a five-block configuration, with easy access to the center seats from either the left or right aisle. The blocks on the outer left and right sides are angled to make it easier to view the stage. There are about 800 seats on the first floor. The floor is flat in the front and then there are 150mm and 300mm steps at the back to help maintain the line of sight. On the second floor, about 200 seats are set up with a 390mm difference in level to afford a clear view of the stage.
There is a mechanism allowing the seats to be changed for wheelchair users in the middle aisle of the first floor seats. The chairs here are removable with one-touch casters and can be detached from the floor for wheelchair access. The space is converted to a flat floor that is fused to the seating by installing a temporary pedestal. It is a comfortable space with a difference in level with the front row seats to ensure line of sight and easy access from the doorway.

Curiosity Hall is a comfortable learning space with a beautiful design drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of the campus location, having amazing chairs with comfort and ease of use, and with user-friendly seating arrangements. It is an important place for students to use for various activities.

Facility Overview

Since its opening in 1966, Teikyo University has been a comprehensive university that has expanded its potential as a place of learning with each passing era. There are five campuses: Itabashi, Hachioji, Utsunomiya, Fukuoka, and Kasumigaseki. The Hachioji campus also houses a graduate school, junior college, elementary school, and kindergarten.
SORATIO SQUARE, a new school wing consisting of a low-rise building (6 stories above ground) and a high-rise building (22 stories above ground and 2 stories below ground), was created as part of a large-scale campus redevelopment project to commemorate Teikyo University's 50th anniversary, and has become one of the symbols of Teikyo University. SORATIO is a word coined from the combination of 'SORA', representing the endless sky and infinite space like the universe, and 'RATIO', which means 'reason' in Latin. The name 'SORATIO SQUARE' expresses the infinite possibilities of each student, and the group of buildings consisting of high-rise and low-rise sections is regarded as a square.
The low-rise building houses CURIOSITY HALL, a 1,000-seat hall, that can be used for a wide range of events including lectures. The new school building has a well-equipped active learning facility, PC stations, study rooms for small groups, presentation spaces, and other ingenious learning environments that support students' proactive learning, as well as a museum that is open to the local community.