The new FBT™ Series of Fold & Roll Booths from BioFit Engineered Products was recognized with a top industry innovation award this morning in Charlotte, North Carolina, during EDspaces 2023 ‒ one of North America’s leading annual educational conferences and exhibitions. In a juried competition sponsored by EDspaces and media partner Learning By Design magazine, the BioFit FBT Series earned second place of only three awards given among 24 eligible entries.
Developed by BioFit in collaboration with award-winning designer Bruce Fifield, of Studio Fifield, Milan, Italy, the FBT Series was created to deliver a fresh approach to meeting ever-changing needs in pedagogy and faculty-student interaction. Each of the seven series models offer the unique combination of functionality, versatility, style, and durability for which BioFit is known.
In response to receiving the award, BioFit president Jim Connell stated: “We’re extremely proud to have been chosen from a field of two dozen manufacturers, including entries from today’s best and most talented educational furniture designers. Bruce [Fifield] and our internal team set out to create an entirely new product that would transform the learning environment and experience, and this award absolutely validates our efforts.”
FBT Series designer Bruce Fifield added: “Studio Fifield is honored to be recognized with the EDspaces Product Innovation award. Fifield strongly believes that the creation of innovative, well-designed products and service solutions, such as the FBT Series of Fold & Roll Booths, which clearly resonate with user needs and market opportunities, will deliver measurable, visual, physical, and economically rewarding returns.”
The FBT Series is made up of seven booths, each consisting of a primary table surface, two benches with backs, a privacy partition, and industrial-grade casters. Individual configurations include four with low partitions to facilitate oversight of users, and increased seating or training opportunities, including an ADA-compliant model to promote inclusivity. Three high-partition configurations providing added privacy are also available, including one model which accommodates monitors up to 32-inches for use with digital education aids or for hybrid learning. Many models also offer onboard power connections for device charging and the use of other electronics.
Connell emphasized that product flexibility was a key consideration during development, enabling a single FBT unit to replace multiple pieces of furniture throughout the school day in different environments: “It can be used in a common area before school starts, then in a STEM/STEAM setting during the morning, in the cafeteria during lunch, in a collaborative space during the afternoon, and back in the common area for after-school activities.”
All booths are designed for easy deployment, folding, and transport, and to fit through a standard doorway. They nest together for high-density storage, and are customizable with laminate color options and logo imprinting. The FBT Series is made in the U.S.A., and all models are patent pending.
EDspaces and media partner Learning By Design magazine host The Product Innovation Awards program, which recognizes best-in-class product design for learning environments. A panel of education industry professionals review and evaluate all awards submittals based on criteria including sales readiness, innovation; demonstrated rigor in design for education environments; development based on research and customer collaboration; augmentation of learning and/or space utilization; improvement of social, emotional, and cognitive well-being of students, staff, and community; sustainability, and aesthetics.
Located in Milan, Italy, Studio Fifield takes a user-centric design approach to help clients recognize opportunities for innovation and identify breakthrough ideas that can be transformed into commercially successful solutions. Founded by Bruce Fifield, the company specializes in designing products used in the workplace environment, medical devices, sporting goods, and beyond.
BioFit Engineered Products is a leading manufacturer of LEED-compliant, ergonomic chairs and stools, GREENGUARD-certified mobile tables, folding booths, carts and accessories for education, laboratory, healthcare, industrial, technology, and office environments. All products are manufactured at the company’s headquarters and operations in Bowling Green, Ohio. For more information on BioFit and the FBT Series of Fold & Roll Booths, visit www.biofit.com or call 800.597.0246.
