HKIA opens up a new world to kids

(HONG KONG, 3 December 2000) - Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is poised to become a fun place for kids. While parents shop, read, doze or simply watch the passing parade, children can escape to a world of their own.

HKIA claims it has something for everyone. By opening two children's play areas in the departures level that claim is now 100 per cent correct, the Airport Authority's architect who designed them said. Thomas Tang is confident his creations will be popular with today's young jet setters. "Actually I was helped by my 5-year old son, Joshua," he said, "together we found inspiration in his toy box."

The children's play areas are near gates 22 and 36 with newly redesigned and freshly decorated nursery rooms nearby. The Authority established the areas with the assistance of home carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways.

Besides creating a fantasy world for children, Mr Tang had to figure out how best to make the centres blend with the passenger terminal's avant-garde architecture. To complement the concourse's spacious and airy interior he designed a light and transparent environment. "But we've used rather bold colours on the play equipment. It works very well with the overall white colour scheme of the terminal."

Rummaging through his son's toy box, Mr Tang found inspiration in the form of a highly versatile kit of tubular parts. The German-made kit can be assembled to create many interesting 3-dimentional objects based on imagination or real things. Coincidentally, the same company that makes the kit also manufactures children playground equipment using the same basic principle.

It was while playing with the kit that the overall design concept of the play areas was born. "Joshua asked me to make a bus, a 'plane and a helicopter and from there the idea just grew," Mr Tang said. Besides the familiar slippery slides and playground equipment there are also large scale models in both areas of an airplane and a helicopter which can seat six children each.

The tubular system has also been fashioned into fences, gates, shoe racks and sign panels. So parents can keep an eye on their offspring the fence has seats built in both sides while thick safety matting covers the floors. "Actually the whole idea is to enable children to enjoy themselves and to have pleasant memories of HKIA as a playground," Mr Tang said.

"We are very pleased to be able to support this meaningful project," said Cathay Pacific's Manager Marketing Communications Olivia Wong. "By creating a fun place for children, we hope that both parents and children will find their experience at HKIA more enjoyable than ever."

At the opening today, the new facilities were a big hit with dozens of youngsters. Clowns were a feature of the entertainment and the Authority, Cathay Pacific and Kinwell Trading Company ensured that every child received a souvenir to mark the occasion.

The play areas coincide with the opening of the airport's Cyber Zone in the Northwest Concourse. All these innovations are the result of a recent survey where passengers indicated they would like more leisure and entertainment facilities, particularly for passengers in transit. There are five cyber outlets offering a wide range of services and products grouped under a unified "Cyber" theme.

The Cyber Break cafi is proving popular. Besides providing free refreshments such as piping hot tea and coffee, travellers have free Internet access via banks of brand new computers. "Although the Cyber Zone is principally for adults, we have installed another children's play area there as well," the Authority's Commercial Director, Hans Bakker said.

Ref. PR-543