DOTY 2026 Best Commercial Design (Education – Gold): GI Design Sdn Bhd – Limitless for the Extravagant Future

Claz’room College’s new campus in Neo Damansara, Petaling Jaya designed by GI Design Sdn Bhd was first featured in Commercial Concept Volume 13.

GRITTY MAVERICK

Breaking all the rules, industrial edge meets futuristic vision in an educational space that sparks revolutionary thinking, self-discovery and collaboration.

Claz’room College’s new campus design, titled “Limitless for the Extravagant Future,” is not your ordinary education-centred space; it’s an immersive experience that dares to redefine what a creative learning environment should be. With a bold, contemporary yet raw and unexpected theme rooted in futurism, this concept brings together the grit of industrial materials and the imagination of digital culture, setting the stage for students to dream, design and disrupt the status quo.

Drawing heavily from the world of sci-fi films, gaming culture and street-style graphics, the designers translated creative energy into spatial form. Claz’room’s mission to nurture the next generation of digital creatives inspired the effort to make the space itself to function as an influential statement that celebrates imagination, experimentation and progressive thinking. Every design decision aimed to immerse students in an environment that feels like the very future they are learning to design for.

At the heart of the project is a strong belief to create a learning environment where space behaves like a dedicated teacher—dynamic, expressive and engaging. Eschewing the rigidity of closed-off classrooms and traditional institutional aesthetics, the space embraces a more honest, edgy personality through raw finishes, exposed ceilings and free-flowing zones meant to stimulate collaboration, movement and expression. Having been designed for the user’s emotion, it’s an inclusive place where students are not just welcomed but inspired and energized from the moment they enter.

One of the most striking features is the LED tunnel entrance, a super futuristic portal symbolising the act of students crossing into a world of creativity without bounds. A declaration that this is where the unconventional journey to their future begins, it is built using angular metallic surfaces and integrated strip lighting, creating a sense of distortion in perception. Adding to the narrative of transformational journeys, the designers installed the track-inspired flooring with bold “START” and “GOAL” markings, turning a functional walkway into a playful metaphor, integrating spatial storytelling with intuitive wayfinding, for personal growth and discovery. It’s a subtle but powerful reminder that every step a student takes is part of a larger, purpose-driven path.

From metal checker plate skirtings to bamboo panels finished in steel at the entrance, the material palette offers an unconventional blend of nature and machine—another visual metaphor for the hybrid skills and mindset required in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape. Throughout the main hub, circular communal seating and statement lighting converts idle areas into social hubs which encourage conversation, collaboration and community. These spaces emphasize the belief that learning doesn’t only happen in classrooms—it happens everywhere.

In conclusion, Limitless for the Extravagant Future is an intrepid manifesto for the future of creative education. By merging industrial grit with futuristic imagination, the design immerses students in an enlightening, inspiring environment that fuels innovation, collaboration and self-discovery—think of it as a nurturing place that embraces the unknown, celebrates raw creativity and prepares students not just for the future, but to lead it successfully.

About the Designer of the Year Awards and Best Commercial Design

The Designer of the Year Award (DOTY) aspires to discover and honour the exceptional works of talented designers from Malaysia and beyond. It sets the benchmark of excellence in design and is committed to championing them in architecture and interior.

The theme of DOTY 2026, “Celebrating Design Intelligence”, highlights how design has evolved beyond mere aesthetics to encompass functionality and sustainability, where user experience, environmentally-friendly materials and technology integration are essential to well-being and efficiency.

Best Commercial Design recognises designers who have crafted phenomenal commercial spaces with brand identity, productivity and well-being in mind. Their projects, which come under various categories, are featured in Commercial Concept.

Visit doty.com.my for more information.