Tokiwa University, which is one of the schools that represent Mito, holds educational facilities ranging all the way from preschool to university in the same city. The Miwa campus, which holds the university, junior college, and graduate school, received significant damage from the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. As a result of this damage, it was decided that the earthquake resistance of each school building would be revisited. As a result, the rebuild of the gymnasium was chosen as the highest priority item. The new gymnasium, which was completed in March 2017, has a structure that is able to withstand an earthquake with a seismic intensity of 7, has a warehouse with disaster supplies, and is capable of providing water for daily life in the case of a disaster.
The old gymnasium was used for physical education, club activities, events, such as entrance ceremonies and graduations, open houses, and parent information sessions. At times when several hundreds or thousands of guests would need to be seated, folding chairs used to be set up. However, a lot of time and labor were needed to set up these chairs. Therefore, it was decided that retractable seating (also known as telescopic seating) would be implemented for the new gymnasium.
Retractable seating allows for seats that are set up in a series of stairs to be pulled out from inside the wall using remote control. When the seats are not needed, they can be stored inside the wall, preventing the hindrance of physical education, club activities, and other sporting activity. 467 retractable seats were set up, along with 136 fixed seats on the second floor that blend in with the retractable seats.
During ceremonies and other major events, additional seats are set up in front of the retractable seating, but when the retractable seating provides enough seats, there is an issue of having too much space between the front row and the stage and screen near it. The major electronic divider solves this issue.
The divider is usually stored inside the ceiling and can split space as needed using remote control. Because the space is divided using a single surface without mesh, there is no need to worry about balls getting tangled and the other side causing distractions, which are issues with a safety net.
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