The document provides an overview of the GEMS International School of Pearl City in Penang, Malaysia. It describes the design goals for the school, which included creating a space conducive to learning, playing, and living. Functionality and safety were prioritized alongside aesthetics. Images show the school's facilities, including classrooms, labs, a library, cafeteria, sports halls, and outdoor spaces. The school opened in September 2015 and has provided students, staff, and visitors a space for curiosity, engagement, and discovery.
2. As we prepared for the launch of successive schools in Malaysia, we wanted to capture the spirit of the GEMS International
School of Pearl City, Penang, as it opened to its first cohort of students.
In designing the school, we aimed to create a space conducive to living in, playing, as well as learning. We had images of
comfort, laughter and engagement in mind. We wanted our school to stimulate curiosity and enquiry, encourage search,
promote discovery and an uncovering of matters.
We invested ourselves in building a school reflective or our aspirations and ambition:
• A seamless, integrated learning environment, where boundaries are few and porous, modular and modifiable, an infrastructure
to be appropriated;
• An environment for living and working in communities and groups, caring, helping, conserving;
• Space for learning by doing, practically and physically experiencing; energising, invigorating, challenging space;
• A place for living and learning that is mentally, socially and spiritually nurturing and inspiring.
Functionality was central in our thoughts: fitness for our educational purpose was essential, and safety was considered every
time. Yet aesthetics were of great importance too. We did not set out to impress but we were keen to push boundaries, to
support the idea that a school does not have to be a dull space. We approached materials, finishes, and the overall look and
feel with a “boutique hotel” mindset.
The following pages share with you some images of our school. We hope that they will bring you some joy, as they have done
for our first group of students, staff, parents and visitors.
Tom Collin
Chief Executive Officer
GEMS Education Malaysia
