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Annual year-end community event celebrates Company’s placemaking efforts over the past 50 years
Swire Properties officially opened the doors to its signature community festive bazaar, the White Christmas Street Fair, today.
Running until 4 December, this year's celebration is themed "Bloom & Beyond" and is inspired by the Company's placemaking efforts over the past five decades. This year's highlights include: three interactive life-sized attractions, 29 shopping booths, handicraft workshops, live performances and entertainment, and festive takeaway food and beverages. The Street Fair's ambition is to work towards being a zero-waste event.
Tim Blackburn, Chief Executive of Swire Properties, said, "The White Christmas Street Fair is even more special this year as we're celebrating both Christmas and our 50th Anniversary. Echoing the ‘Bloom & Beyond' theme, and recognising our commitment to empowering the next generation, our decades-long placemaking efforts have ‘blossomed'. As we look forward to the next 50 years and beyond, we're excited to be developing great places where future generations can thrive."
"BLOOM & BEYOND" - HIGHLIGHTS
The Street Fair has transformed Tong Chong Street into a blooming Christmas Garden filled with 5,000 Re-poinsettias - upcycled Christmas flowers made from old materials such as recycled Cathay Pacific cabin crew uniforms and bedsheets from Swire Hotels.
Among the many offerings this year, three life-sized attractions are set to immerse visitors in plenty of heart-warming and festive fun - "Infinity Blossom", "Blooming World" and the "Christmas Pavilion". Of course, this festive celebration wouldn't be complete without the 29 handpicked shopping booths; Christmas-themed handicraft workshops; live performances and entertainment; and a rich selection of festive takeaway foods and beverages lovingly prepared by EAST Hong Kong, enoteca, Pici and selected Tong Chong Street Market vendors.
WORKING TOWARDS A "ZERO-WASTE" WHITE CHRISTMAS STREET FAIR
In line with Swire Properties' Sustainable Development (SD) 2030 Strategy, the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy (SPPA) has worked closely with designers, suppliers and vendors to choose materials and resources, with upcycling and recycling in mind.
And for the first time ever, several installations have been built using cutting-edge technology, known as 3D printing of reversible sand, which allows the sand to be recycled for other uses.
Designated recycling points have been set up to collect five types of recyclables - paper, metal, glass, plastic and compostable waste, to facilitate the goal of organising a zero-waste event.
The SPPA team will also carry out a comprehensive assessment of the Street Fair's carbon footprint, which will help to facilitate strategic carbon reduction measurements, future target setting and benchmarking.
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
As with the past three years, the White Christmas Street Fair was designed and organised by SPPA students. This year, Swire Properties handpicked eight talented local university students to take part in a six-month long apprenticeship to ideate and bring the event to life.
What's more, as part of the Company's 50th Anniversary celebrations, 50 SPPA alumni are taking part in the Urban Furniture Project to design a piece of functional and cutting-edge urban furniture for the greater Taikoo Place community to enjoy.
All three winning designs - "INFINITY", "HIVE" and "KEEP STEPPING" - will be unveiled during the Street Fair's lighting ceremony. Prototypes (1:1 model) will be put on display at Swire Properties' headquarters, One Island East, from 7 to 9 December; before the final products are placed at Taikoo Place in 2023 for the community to enjoy.
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About Swire Properties Placemaking Academy
Launched in 2019, the Swire Properties Placemaking Academy (SPPA) is part of Swire Properties' ongoing commitment to nurturing Hong Kong's youths. Each year, participants are shortlisted through an open competition for all Hong Kong university students, who take part in a six-month apprenticeship to ideate and execute the White Christmas Street Fair in December - the Company's annual celebration for the community.
During the six-month apprenticeship, SPPA transfers skills and knowledge to participants about Swire Properties' long-term goals in the areas of Placemaking, Innovation and Sustainable Development through ideation, mentoring and on-the-job training given by Swire Properties' senior management and the SPPA's star lecturers. To retain talents, the Company aims to offer outstanding alumni from the academy employment opportunities within the greater Swire Properties community.
Visit SPPA's website at https://placemaking.swireproperties.com/about
About Swire Properties
Swire Properties develops and manages commercial, retail, hotel, and residential properties, with a particular focus on mixed-use developments in prime locations at major mass transportation intersections. Swire Properties is listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and its investment portfolio in Hong Kong comprises Taikoo Place, Cityplaza, Pacific Place, Citygate Outlets. The Company's completed portfolio in Hong Kong comprises approximately 16.8 million sq ft (approximately 1.56 million sqm) of space.
In the Chinese Mainland, Swire Properties has six completed mixed-use developments in Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai. They include Taikoo Li Sanlitun and INDIGO in Beijing, HKRI Taikoo Hui and Taikoo Li Qiantan in Shanghai, Taikoo Hui Guangzhou and Sino-Ocean Taikoo Li Chengdu. INDIGO II in Beijing, Taikoo Li Xi'an and a new retail-led project in Sanya are currently under development. The Company's completed portfolio in the Chinese Mainland comprises approximately 14 million sq ft (approximately 1.3 million sqm) of space.
In addition to Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, the Company has investments in the United States, Indonesia and Vietnam.
2022 is the 50th anniversary of Swire Properties. This year, the Company is celebrating its achievements and the core values behind its success over the past 50 years with the theme of "ORIGINAL. ALWAYS.". "ORIGINAL" highlights the forward-looking and innovative spirit of Swire Properties, while "ALWAYS" represents the Company's long-term development. The Company will hold a series of special events to celebrate this important milestone.
Visit Swire Properties' website at www.swireproperties.com