The finer art of flooring has been unveiled at the prestigious Sharjah Mega Mall, with the first UAE installation of a designer-led flooring system called Mondeco, from the Flowcrete Group of the UK.

At the mall, Mondeco has been installed in the main atriums and entrances to the multi-storey centre, with vibrant yellows and blues sweeping together to form a stylish welcome to visitors, and in an unusual twist, on the lift floors operating within the building.

Several inspirational design features, using a wealth of colours and styles, have been created throughout the ground floor, all housed in a decorative brass framework.

Furthermore, on two upper floors an eye-catching border has been created using Mondeco around the edges of balconies, situated under a domed area of the mall.

Flowcrete is heralding Mondeco as a designer's dream, an innovative flooring system, which creates elegant, luxurious and inspirational environments.

A seamless, resin terrazzo system, based on a synthetic formula to provide an almost unlimited colour palette, Mondeco is blended with natural aggregates and precious stones - including flint, marble and granite, as well as mother-of-pearl and coloured glass - to provide a dramatic floor finish that is designed to last, says a spokeswoman for the company.

The company's belief that Mondeco's unique qualities would appeal to a Middle East audience was confirmed with a flood of enquiries received at the Big 5 show in Dubai last October. During the event, Flowcrete received another order to install Mondeco for a prestigious retail chain, in locations across Dubai.

Raffi Ayad, vice-president of Sharjah-based Citadel Properties, owner of the Sharjah Mega Mall, says: "The whole idea was that we wanted to do something different and because of the intricate designs that we created we looked at materials that could achieve those designs.

"Mondeco succeeded, it is fantastic and looks a million dollars.

"I travelled the world looking at floors in shopping centres for inspiration. The result here is fantastic and we definitely made the right choice.

"We felt comfortable with the material and we felt that Flowcrete had the right commitment.

"It makes things different in the sense that shoppers will now stop and look at the floor instead of just walking on it and we believe it will be something people come to see and talk about."

David Gourlay, an architect with Crone Associates, which has its headquarters in Sydney, Australia and an office in Dubai, oversaw the interior design of the Sharjah Mega Mall.

He says: "The advantages of resin terrazzo are that it is hard-wearing and seamless and creates a great depth of colour and gives flexibility of pattern and design.

"The concept for the Sharjah Mega Mall was a modern interpretation of an 'Art Nouveau' theme both internally and externally. The epoxy terrazzo product fitted in very well with this design concept, as we were able to create flowing lines and unique designs using this project. It was our first choice for the feature flooring and is a perfect medium for the job.

"The flooring on site has come to life. The intensity of colour on the floor, lived up to our original artwork, it is very powerful.

"The aggregate blends, including glass and mother of pearl, give our designers great flexibility and enables the creation of fresh and fashionable floors.

"I think that there is a strong future for this type of flooring. We are, at present, looking at another project using epoxy terrazzo and will certainly be happy to consider the Mondeco product again."

The installation was carried out by a Flowcrete approved contractor, Pegasus Contracting Company, of Sharjah, which led a team of between 15 and 20 craftsmen working exclusively on the installation.

Ian Dawson, Flowcrete Middle East general manager, says the installation at Sharjah effectively demonstrates the ability of Mondeco to create artistic designs underfoot.

Issues including the psychology of colour, the use of natural materials and virtually unlimited design options were all considered by Flowcrete's flooring technologists in the creation of Mondeco.

Speaking from Flowcrete Middle East's office in Jebel Ali, Dawson says: "Mondeco is now ready for the Middle East market and we are confident it will be a major success.

"Designers and architects are already recognising the outstanding characteristics of Mondeco terrazzo - durability, beauty, design flexibility and an almost limitless range of colours and textures.

"Mondeco is installed by craftsmen and the availability of contracting expertise and equipment here in the Middle East is first-class.

"Designs can be incorporated using shape, colour and texture and the result is breathtaking."