Sabis School, UAE

Sabis is a global education network with an active presence in 20 countries across five continents. It welcomes over 70,000 students through its doors, providing a high quality education which prepares young people to meet the challenges of the changing world.

Established over 30 years ago, Sabis opened its first school in Dubai and, due to increased demand for its service, has since expanded further across the UAE including in Abu Dhabi, as well as additional areas of the Middle East. Dubai-based ATI Consultants, Architects & Engineers Dubai (ATI), led by head of interior design Dilara Ajun, was appointed to specify and deliver the interior scheme and fit out at each new school as Sabis extended its reach over a period of 10 years.

ATI was introduced to Polyflor’s Palettone range – a heavy duty yet elegant vinyl covering available in a palette of over 50 colours, ranging from pale neutrals through to more intense shades. Tentative about moving away from convention, ATI was supported by Polyflor throughout the specification process, and after undertaking research and durability testing on samples of its preferred colour choices, opted to install Palettone throughout the development.

Provided in the form of a flexible vinyl sheet and featuring a high quality polyurethane reinforcement, Palettone is easy to maintain, making it ideally suited to heavy traffic areas. It also offers outstanding durability – perfect for school settings – and sustainability benefits, having achieved an A+ rating for the education sector from BRE Global.

As a key USP of the Palettone range, its wide range of colour availability – split into seven palettes of complementary shades – means that even if a variety of colours are used across multiple zones within a building, the entire setting will remain consistent in its aesthetic, design and quality.

Capitalising on this, ATI opted to use Palettone’s Buttered Corn 8656, Frosted Glass 8606 and Hay Grain 8655 for communal areas of the school to match its choice of décor, then selected two different colours – Orchard Walk 8616 and Aqua Pura 8651 – for the remainder of the fit out, using the floor coverings to distinguish which zones could be used by which pupils.