This renewal project-needed to replace an aging building and enhance earthquake performance-was carried out to coincide with Niigata Seiryo Academy’s 115th anniversary. As a central learning space on campus, the new facility needed to create an environment that would encourage students to take the initiative to learn. To help meet this goal, study and discussion areas were designed to be as open as possible. An area called the Learning Court was placed in the center of the atrium and has a diverse array of study spaces, including a presentation space and a counter. The amphitheater-style layout provides users with opportunities for eye contact and visual communication-even from afar. The aluminum louvers are decorated with Kamedashima stripes, a traditional pattern from the Niigata region. The design is in harmony with the vertical rhythm of the nearby pine forest.