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Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall,
Toho Gakuen School of Music Sengawa Campus

Dec. 22,2021
School and UniversityAuditorium

Project Description

Completion of 'Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall', a long-awaited addition to the Music Department

Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall' was built for Toho Gakuen's Music Department, a pioneer in postwar Japan's music education. Many people, from current students to graduates, were looking forward to the completion of this Hall as there had never been a hall dedicated to this purpose before.
The wooden hall was designed with the idea of creating a 'place for music made of wood', and the natural wood's soothing acoustics provide a unique tone. The Hall has a large stage that can hold a full orchestra, and the compact seating allows the audience to enjoy impressive performances up close.

Music hall chairs for a diverse audience

Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall is used by a variety of people, from kindergarten children to graduate students. Since the hall caters to a wide spectrum of people of all ages, including family members and alumni, the seating needed to be flexible and not too restrictive. Fixed theater-type chairs that rise up when the audience leaves their seats, movable chairs, and bench-type chairs were among the seating alternatives considered, but the bench-type connecting chairs were chosen in the end because of their versatility. Since good cushioning leads to seating comfort, cushions with the perfect degree of firmness for body support were chosen. The chairs' wooden back and side panels were also meticulously designed to blend in with the efficient and attractive wood interior.

Mechanism that creates a flexible seating

The bench-type seating has flip-up armrests, differentiating each chair so you can concentrate on the performance without any disturbance. People of all sizes can sit comfortably in the chairs, and all armrests can be raised to make it easier for younger children to use. Furthermore, we provide custom seating to meet the needs of our clients, such as raising only particular armrests for parent-child use or for those who require assistance.
Thick cushions are added beneath the armrests to maintain consistency in the back cushioning when the armrests are raised. These cushions are embroidered with the Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall insignia depicting a piano, which appears only when the armrest is pushed up, adding a subtle and amusing touch to the design.
The one-of-a-kind design will make you feel even closer to this Hall.

Some seats are removable using one-touch casters for creating wheelchair accessible spaces, this adds to the flexibility of the seating. 
Stacking chairs are placed in the front row, making it easy to increase or decrease the number of seats.
The TS-1212, a stacking chair with plush cushioning and an automatic seat-raising feature is employed in the Hall, allowing for leeway in the aisle. In addition, the wooden backboard, armrests, and cushions finished in the same color upholstery as the fixed chairs create an elegant seating area complementing the Hall's ambience.
Toho Gakuen Munetsugu Hall will surely become a prime destination for students and music lovers to experience music.

Facility Overview

Toho Gakuen has a boys' division, a girls' division, and a music division, and while these three exert a positive influence on each other due to their distinct histories and educational qualities, the music division provides music education widely throughout the country. 
Toho Gakuen's Munetsugu Hall was built as a music hall where high school and university students could study music together, with a donation from Mr. Tokuji Munetsugu (founder of CoCo Ichibanya and chairman of the NPO Yellow Angel). It resides in a wooden building with an exterior that resembles the strings of a musical instrument, and is connected to a three-story classroom building that houses lecture and lesson rooms. It is the world's first wooden music hall made of CLT (orthogonal laminated board).

Project Summary

Location
Chofu City, Tokyo Map
Client
TOHO GAKUEN SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Design
Kengo Kuma & Associates (basic design and design supervision) , Maeda Corporation and Sumitomo Forestry Joint Venture (implementation design and construction)
Completed
Mar, 2021
Seats
215
188 fixed seats, 27 stacking chairs
Special Website
Toho Gakuen School of Music Website