The Instructional Resource Center at Middlesex College is an impressive facility, with tall exterior window walls and a sleek architectural design. However, the college’s leaders determined that major interior upgrades were required to improve the student experience. Regarding furnishings, the school’s priorities included improved handicap accessibility, decluttering classroom layouts, and creating warmer, more engaging learning environments.
The Middlesex team considered this remodeling project a significant opportunity to offer better learning opportunities for students. Previously, many spaces in the Instructional Resource Center were cluttered, unengaging, and cold-feeling. Meanwhile, there was room for improvement in the area of handicap accessibility.
The goal was to use new furnishings in smarter arrangements to create warm, welcoming settings to learn, study, and collaborate. This would involve new spaces for group work, individual work, and multipurpose uses. Inviting, comfortable seating arrangements and no-hassle access for all students were identified as key focus areas.
For this project, BFI’s Bill Ziegler drew on his firsthand experience as a grandparent to a child with special needs. This helped the BFI team connect with the importance that Middlesex’s leaders placed on inclusivity and accessibility. BFI also thoroughly researched educational furnishing solutions and engaged in interviews with school employees. This groundwork led to a deeper understanding of the existing shortcomings that Middlesex’s leaders hoped to address.
When BFI proposed a furnishing solution to the Middlesex team, both groups were aligned and eager to proceed. The proposal included a diverse set of seating arrangements, classroom settings, and study environments, with an emphasis on easy access throughout the floor plans. Middlesex’s leaders were excited to move forward with a plan that offered great benefits for the school’s students and staff.
Putting this project plan into motion involved completely transforming the existing spaces. Varied settings were established to meet the diverse needs of students. These included conference-style tables, small group study areas with comfy seating, and a variety of group and individual workstation arrangements.
Throughout the new layouts, efficient use of space is key. Wide paths and open areas improve mobility accessibility, while classroom arrangements accommodate seating needs and tech coordination for students with visual or hearing impairments. Overall, a variety of seating densities and layouts communicate to students that there’s “something for everyone.” The spaces feel warm and inviting, yet spacious and open.
For Middlesex’s project planners, the new look and feel of the Instructional Resource Center is everything they hoped for. The new spaces are welcoming, warm, and accommodating for all students and teachers. The Middlesex staff was particularly pleased with the fresh, energized feel that now runs through the facility.
For BFI, working with Middlesex College was a gratifying opportunity to help improve a local place of learning. For our team, this project also represented an opportunity to promote accessibility and inclusivity, values that we share with the school’s decision-makers.
We offer solutions that adapt to our customers ever changing needs by providing the knowledge and expertise of healthcare furniture products. From classroom to communal environments, we will provide solutions that exceed customer objectives.
Thank you for your interest in buying furniture from BFI. We are committed to providing the best value and service to our clients. In order to best serve you we ask that you complete the following form so we may get a better idea of what you are looking for. This page is for serious inquiries only. Solicitations will NOT be responded to via this form.