Inspired by a small meditation pavilion at a Presbyterian conference center in Stoney Point, New York, the International Christian University engaged GYA Architects to develop the designs for several different projects. The first proposed dormitory was eventually abandoned after geotechnical investigations discovered 10,000-year-old settlement from the Jomon Period. Carl Emberger, Jr. assisted in creating design documents which were then used by a Japanese construction company to develop the construction documents and build projects in his time at GYA Architects.