| SM Mall of Asia | |
| Address: | Seaside Boulevard, Barangay 76, Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Developer: | SM Prime |
| Manager: | SM Prime |
| Architect: | Arquitectonica |
| Number Of Stores: | 663 shops, including 217 dining establishments |
| Number Of Anchors: | 16 |
| Floor Area: | 589891m2 |
| Parking: | 8,000 slots[1] |
| Publictransit: | SM Mall of Asia |
SM Mall of Asia (also abbreviated as SM MoA, or simply Mall of Asia or MoA; in Tagalog pronounced as /ˈmoː.ɐ/), is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the southern end of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA/C-4).
Owned and developed by SM Prime, the largest mall chain owner and developer in the Philippines, the mall currently occupies 16ha of land area of the Mall of Asia Complex and a gross floor area of approximately 589891m2, and offers 46647m2 of floor area space for conventions and social functions.[2] The area attracts a daily average foot traffic of about 200,000 people.[3]
The mall is currently the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the sixth in the world.[3] When it opened in 2006, it was the largest shopping mall in the Philippines until SM North EDSA was redeveloped in 2008,[4] and was relegated to third place by the expansion of SM Megamall from 2011 to 2015 when SM Seaside City opened to the public before returning to this spot in 2017.[5] [6] Later, it again became the largest shopping mall in the Philippines starting 2021, following the opening of IKEA Pasay City, the first IKEA store in the country and the largest IKEA store in the world, at the mall's complex.
Following the mall's opening in 2006, it caused several smaller shopping malls nearby to close, such as the Pearl Plaza and the Uniwide Coastal Mall, both located in Barangay Tambo, Parañaque. However, this is changing with the rise of other malls and similar structures such as the Ayala Malls Manila Bay and W Mall.
Plans for SM Mall of Asia began in 1995,[7] with construction originally slated to begin in January 1996; it was marketed to become the largest shopping mall in the world upon completion.[8]
The mall is the centerpiece project of SM Prime at the SM Central Business Park, where five one-story buildings serve as the company's corporate offices, while the sixth building is being occupied by TeleTech Holdings, Inc. as their flagship site in the country.
The SM Mall of Asia's design team includes Arquitectonica as the projects design architect and Architect Robert Carag Ong, Architect of Record, and GHT Services as the complex's project managers. SM tapped two separate construction firms for the construction of the mall: Hilmarc's Construction Corp. for the South Parking Building, Main Mall, and Entertainment Mall; and Monolith Construction Development Corp. for the North Parking Building. The mall would have opened before Christmas Day of 2005 but had been delayed due to hitches in the delivery of construction materials. Frequent rains in the last quarter of 2005 also delayed the turnover of mall space to tenants. Due to these circumstances, SM Prime decided to move the opening date to March 3, 2006.
On February 27, 2006, the local newspaper Manila Standard Today reported that a team of Pasay City engineers found huge cracks underneath the structure, which was causing the structure to vibrate.[9] When questioned about the inspection, the Pasay City Engineering Department denied making any statement regarding defects in the Mall of Asia. Engineer Edwin Javaluyas, Pasay City Engineering Officer, in his letter to SM Prime Holdings Inc., said he never stated that the city hall's engineering department inspected the Mall of Asia on February 23, 2006.[10]
SM Prime, however, decided to move the opening to May 21 of that year. Jeffrey Lim, corporate information officer of SM Prime, emphasized that a rescheduling of the mall's opening was made to give the company an opportunity to allow more tenants to open shops and denied that the change was due to structural defects.[11]
The mall was officially inaugurated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with a special screening of Everest at the San Miguel Coca-Cola IMAX Theater. The movie was shown three days after Philippine triathlete Leo Oracion reached the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain.[12]
The Mall of Asia consists of four buildings interconnected by walkways and elevated pathways: the Main Mall, the Entertainment Mall, and the North and South Wing Parking Buildings.
The Main Mall includes numerous shopping and dining establishments and the food court. The Entertainment Mall is a two-story complex, most of which is open-air, and also features some shopping and dining businesses. The Entertainment Mall also hosts the Music Hall, an events hall (formerly open-air, now airconditioned) facing Manila Bay. As of late 2021, majority of the area has been renovated with addition of air-conditioning. Due to the mall's size, all buildings have concierge desks, assisting local information within the area.[13]
The mall's 5,000 parking spaces are divided across two, six-story parking buildings conveniently designated the North and South Parking Buildings, which have been covered with a solar rooftop. The South Parking Building houses the mall's official The SM Store, while the mall's supermarket, the SM Hypermarket is located at the North Parking Building. Since 2016, these parking buildings are equipped with elevators and escalators, which allow fast access to parking levels.
Since its opening in 2006, visitors to the mall have been welcomed by large steel framed globe on a roundabout at the southern tip of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), known as the MoA Globe. In 2009, the globe was turned into Globamaze, an LED display.[14]
On November 13, 2021, the iconic globe was reportedly stolen by a helicopter that was recorded by a delivery rider at 11:00 p.m. on the previous day.[15] [16]
The Pasay City police issued a statement that the globe was not stolen and was just "undergoing maintenance for marketing strategy".[17] The globe was covered in scaffolding.[18] The mall management released a statement a day later that the globe is "back" and revealed that the supposed theft was staged as part of a publicity stunt to promote the Netflix film, Red Notice.[19] This quickly went viral and was adapted into Internet memes.[20]
The mall includes branches of all of the standard anchor stores found in most of the SM Supermalls. The first-ever branch of Taste Asia, one of the SM Supermalls' food court brands, is located right outside the mall's supermarket, the sprawling SM Hypermarket.[21]
The mall's open-air Music Hall directly facing Manila Bay has also held numerous events, contests, and concerts since the mall's opening in 2006.[22]
The mall also provides office space. Dell International Services, a subsidiary of Dell, Inc. once occupied a 13470m2 area at the second floor of the North Parking Building of the mall. Eventually, in 2015, Teleperformance took over that space until 2019, as the company moved its operations to the MOA Annex Building. Currently, the site has been replaced by the mall anchor Cyberzone for IT-related shops, one of the biggest Cyberzones in the country since the opening of SM North EDSA.
Opened on February 12, 2020, the new Food Hall is located in the 3rd Level, across SM Skating Rink at the main mall. Replacing the former SM Food Court at the second floor, it features budget to upscale dining choices.
A replacement of SM Bowling Center, the flagship branch of SM Game Park is located on a 1947sqm space at the 3rd Level of the South Entertainment Mall. It was opened in November 2023, after delays. Similar to its branch in SM Southmall and SM City Fairview, it features bowling, billiards, other sports facilities, a mini-arcade, KTV, and a sports bar.[23] [24]
The mall features the Philippines' first Olympic-sized ice skating rink which is located on the third level of the mall's main building. It covers an area of 1800sqm and has a spectators area which can seat up to 200 people and accommodate up to 300 people.[25]
An older ice skating rink was one of the main features of the SM Mall of Asia at the time of its inauguration in 2006, which was situated at the ground level of the mall's main building.[26] Its opening followed the closure of the old skating rink at the SM Megamall which was built in 1992. On 2015, the skating rink made a comeback and eventually opened at the SM Megamall,[27] and during the mall's renovation works, the skating rink was temporarily moved from 2015–2017 to the open area lot between the SMX Convention Center Manila and the MOA Arena, which is currently occupied by MOA Square.[28] The new skating rink, located at the 3rd floor, was opened in 2017.[25]
Several ice skating competitions have been held at the mall's ice skating rink such as the Skate Asia 2007, the first time an international competition at that scale was held in the Philippines.[29] [30] The ice hockey competition of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was also held in the venue.
The mall features a total of 16 cinemas with 11 regular cinemas (including Center Stage Cinema), three Director's Club Cinemas, one Event Cinema, and one IMAX Theater.[31] It originally featured a total of 10 cinemas, with six regular cinemas, Director's Club Cinema for intimate screenings (30 La-Z-Boy seats), Premier Cinema, CenterStage which can use for live musical concerts and theatrical performances, and an IMAX theater.
One of the mall's main attractions is the first ever and the largest IMAX theater in the Philippines. Originally with the naming rights of San Miguel-Coca-Cola, IMAX Theatre is one of the world's biggest IMAX screens in 3D including 2D screenings. It was originally a traditional film projector that uses its 15/70 mm film format, IMAX GT (Grand Theatre). The IMAX Theater was closed on October 11, 2013, for digital conversion,[32] and re-opened on October 30, 2013, along with the release of .[33] On November 6, 2014, the old traditional 70mm IMAX projector was used for Christopher Nolan's Interstellar.[34] In July 2017, the main lobby was temporarily closed for renovation (where the XD Cinema is going to be demolished), and its lobby was temporarily moved at the second floor in front of Cinemas 7 and 8, the main lobby re-opened on December 11, 2018, upon the launch of Event Cinema and the Asian premiere screening of Aquaman where its star Jason Momoa has arrived in the country;[35] however, its temporary lobby is closed being used as offices for cinema personnel and as an emergency fire exit. On August 18, 2019, the IMAX Theater was closed for renovation and re-opened on October 29, 2019, with updated interiors and high-end spectator seats with comfortable Paragon 918 chairs from world-class spectator seats manufacturer Ferco Seating. The IMAX re-opened on May 4, 2022, along with the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Additional cinemas were opened in the mall since 2016. Two digital theaters, Cinemas 7 and 8, were opened at the north side of the entertainment mall in December 2016. The Event Cinema was opened on December 12, 2018, and located at the newly renovated IMAX theater lobby,[36] which can be used for birthday parties, corporate events, and seminars, and it can house up to 45 people.
Half of the original cinema area, including Cinemas 4 to 6, Director's Club and Premier Cinema, was closed on August 22, 2018, after the celebration of the 2nd Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino and were demolished for renovation as part of the mall expansion. The new Cinemas 1 to 5 re-opened on soft opening in December 2019 along with the limited-early release of , while the other remaining cinemas, the three Director's Club Cinemas equipped with Dolby Atmos and laser projector were re-opened on its grand re-launch on January 22, 2020, at the former space of Premier Cinema.[37] [38] [39] Cinemas 9–11, which are former Cinemas 1-3 remained in temporary operations after the re-opening of the renovated theaters. The former space of the Director's Club Cinema is now occupied by Surplus Shop.
As part of the mall's continuing expansion in the North Wing, the original cinemas including the centerstage were temporarily closed. Cinemas 7 and 8 were permanently closed and will be converted to tenant spaces.
The SM Mall of Asia is undergoing a expansion project since 2014, featuring new expansion areas for retail establishments and new indoor and outdoor amenities, including a football field and the installation of roof solar panels at the mall.[40]
A new two-level expansion is currently under construction at the top of the Main Mall and Entertainment Mall. It is expected to be fully complete by 2024. It will connect to the mall carpark buildings.
The new expansion will feature a football pitch with grandstand, botanical gardens, and parks at the mall's 4th level roof deck with all-new shops and restaurants at the mall's third and fourth levels. It is built in phases. The first phase features the new Olympic-sized ice skating rink and a Food Hall (replacing the old Foodcourt) on the 3rd Floor along with more new shops and restaurants.[41] Both of the new features, the mall's ice skating rink and most recently, the Food Hall, were completed in 2017 and February 2020, respectively. As of October 2023, a portion of the North Main Atrium, which will soon connect to the rest of the mall, has reopened, as well as the Sky Garden.[42] Works in the North Main Mall and Entertainment Mall sections are ongoing as of January 2024.
A new wing connecting The Galeon Museum and the north side of Entertainment Mall was opened, featuring restaurants on the ground floor and the new Cinemas 7 and 8 on the second floor.
The estimated gross floor area of the expansion project would be 6500001NaN1 upon full completion.[43] [44] [45]
See main article: The Galeón. The Galeón is a dome-shaped museum that will feature the history of the Manila Galleon trade system, in which (over a period of 250 years) the Philippines and Mexico played major roles. The main attraction will be the Galleon ship which was used for trading.[46]
The grand opening has been delayed for some time, while the entrance to the museum is occupied by various restaurants.
The Exploreum was a science and technology museum within the main SM Mall of Asia shopping mall complex. A joint venture between SM Prime Holdings and United-States-based Leisure Entertainment Consultancy (LEC), it opened in 2007 as the SM Science Discovery Center. It featured a digital planetarium and a wide range of technology and science-themed exhibits. At the time of its opening, the two-level science center covered an area of 3200sqm. It also featured the Digistar Planetarium housed within a 16m (52feet) dome which was designed by Evans & Sutherland.[47]
In 2009, it was renamed into Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center as SM Prime Holdings partnered with Nido Fortified, a milk brand of Nestlé.[48]
In 2014, Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center was rebranded to The Exploreum, which featured 118 new interactive exhibits and over 100 non-interactive exhibits in eight major interactive galleries namely the Natural World, Human Adventure, Zoom, Connect, Cyberville, Space Camp, the Living Earth, and Science Park.
Exploreum was closed in 2017 as a part of the mall expansion.
The XD Cinema was a 4D theater located at the IMAX lobby at the ground floor, opened on November 25, 2014, on soft opening equipped with strategically located 48 pneumatic controlled seats that highlight the immersive nature of the theater while maintaining an exclusive ambiance to delight the audience, it has enormous in-theatre effects including snow, wind, water, scent, fog, and strobe/lightings. It also has leg tickler, motion seats, seat vibrators, and seat impactors to add a breathtaking fourth dimension experience.[49] The first local film to be shown in this theater is Feng Shui 2.[50]
The XD Cinema was closed in April 2017 for ongoing renovation works of the IMAX lobby. It has since been permanently closed, with no plans for its return.
Premier Cinema was closed on August 22, 2018, for renovation works and was now occupied by three Director's Club Cinemas.
The SM Central Business Park is a 67sp=usNaNsp=us mixed-use development located within the surrounding areas of the Mall of Asia complex, and is owned and developed by SM Prime.[51] The complex currently occupies the northern and southern channels situated along J.W. Diokno Boulevard and the western end of the EDSA Extension. The complex serves as one of Henry Sy's vision to build a landmark within Metro Manila, and currently features events venues, mixed-use buildings, office towers, hotels, and transport hubs. The business park does not include the complex's condominiums, hotels, and other properties situated along the eastern side of J.W. Diokno Boulevard and EDSA Extension.
The entirety of the Mall of Asia complex, which includes the SM Business Park and other nearby commercial buildings, office towers, and condominiums located across J.W. Diokno Boulevard and the Business Park complex comprises a total area of roughly 110ha. [52]
See main article: SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The SM Mall of Asia Arena is an indoor arena within the SM Mall of Asia complex which has a seating capacity of 16,000 and a full house capacity of 20,000,[53] which opened to the public on June 16, 2012.[54] The arena is the alternative venue of the Philippine Basketball Association and the main venue of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.[55] [56]
The Mall of Asia concert grounds, also called the Mall of Asia parking grounds when there is no event, are public spaces located west of the E-com Center buildings that are used to hold mass gatherings, primarily concerts. When there is no event, the venue is used as a parking lot to accommodate employees of the E-com Center buildings, as well as mall guests.
The venue was the site of the Close-Up Forever Summer concert deaths that occurred in May 2016.[57]
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines which led cinemas to be closed since March 2020, SM Cinema opened up a drive-in cinema at this venue on September 9, 2020. It is the second drive-in-cinema in the country after SM City Pampanga.[58] [59]
The concert grounds formerly comprised two complex blocks: one that could accommodate about 30,000 persons, and another that brought the capacity to about 80,000.[60] However, the southern block has since been occupied by the Lanson Place hotel, decreasing the size of the concert grounds.[61]
See main article: SMX Convention Center Manila. The SMX Convention Center Manila (formerly Maitrade Expo and Convention Center) (Project Name: MAITrade) is the Philippines' largest privately run exhibition and convention center.[62]
The groundbreaking was held on March 23, 2006. The project was completed and inaugurated on November 5, 2007. It is used as an alternate with the nearby state-run Philippine International Convention Center and World Trade Center Metro Manila located in the CCP Complex, featuring large exhibition areas and function rooms.
The building is composed of three floors consisting of 4 exhibition halls, 5 function rooms, 14 meeting rooms, and retail space, and a basement parking with a total leasable area of 21000sqm. Bridgeways on the second level connect SMX Convention Center Manila to the mall's south parking building, S Maison, MOA Square, and National University MOA, respectively.[63]
An esplanade was constructed at the back of the mall where it served as the observation center for the First World Pyro Olympics in December 2005. The second World Pyro Olympics were held at the SM Mall of Asia's boardwalk area in early January, 2007.[64]
The Esplanade was also the venue for Lovapalooza 2, wherein more than 5,300 couples kissed for 10 seconds on February 10, 2007, breaking Hungary's 4,445 in the Guinness World Records. Also, an events venue named One Esplanade was constructed here. One Esplanade is usually used for product launches, parties, and other events.
SM by the Bay Amusement Park is an amusement park situated along Manila Bay that opened to the public in 2011.[65] The park currently has over 17 rides including the Mall of Asia Eye, which is also known as The Eye Of Asia, a 55m (180feet) tall ferris wheel which opened on December 18, 2011.[66] It has 36 air-conditioned gondolas, each able to carry up to six persons, giving a maximum capacity of 216 passengers. The Area also houses food stalls and offers a direct view to Manila Bay.
The Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus The Way, The Truth, and The Life is a Roman Catholic Church belonging to the Archdiocese of Manila located along Coral Way. It features a romanesque architecture. Dedicated to Jesus, it was envisioned by Pope John Paul II when he visited the Philippines in 1995 for the World Youth Day.[67] The land and the church were donated and built by Henry Sy and his wife Felicidad Sy. It was consecrated and dedicated on July 9, 1999, by Cardinal Jaime Sin (Archbishop of Manila), with Apostolic Nuncio of the Philippines Archbishop Antonio Franco, Cardinal Ricardo Vidal (Archbishop of Cebu), and the archbishops and bishops of the Philippines.[68]
The Casa Ibarra MOA is an events venue located along Coral Way and the Coral Way Parking Lot. The building is owned by Ibarra's Party Venues, an events venues owner and a catering services company.[69]
The LUXE Duty Free Mall of Asia is a duty-free shop located along J. W. Diokno Boulevard and across the planned Six E-com Center. The shopping complex was formerly the SMDC Showroom Building, which was completed in 2011 before renovation works began in late 2016.[70] The mall is currently operated by Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC) and opened its doors in late 2018, which were graced by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, SMDC Chairman and CEO Henry Sy Jr., and other high-ranking officials.[71] [72] [73] The upscale shopping complex a total floor area of 3636m2,[74] and features high-end foreign retail brands in cosmetics, confectioneries, fashion, fragrance, and wines, such as Bally, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Coach New York, Chanel, Clarins, Dior, Estée Lauder, Kate Spade New York, Lancôme, Laneige, Michael Kors, MAC Cosmetics, MCM Worldwide, Tom Ford, Shiseido and other luxury brands.[75] [76]
The Mall of Asia Annex (MAAX) Building is a 12-storey office building, located across the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Located at the intersection of Coral Way and J.W. Diokno Boulevard, the 12-floor building has 6-level multi parking spaces capable of storing 1,400 cars. The building is occupied by various shops and restaurants in the mall's retail area at the ground level and also houses The Food Village, a food court complex featuring Filipino and international dining areas.[77] The building has 11936m2 of office space, and its office tenants within the building's three upper floors are SM Prime, the Philippine Skating Union, Suntrust Resort Holdings Inc., formerly known as Suncity Group Manila Inc., and Teleperformance.[78] It is also connected to SM Mall of Asia Arena and the rest of SM Mall of Asia through a pedestrian bridgeway.
MOA Square is an eight-storey expansion building to SM Mall of Asia that houses IKEA Pasay City, unique home living stores and concepts, in-house contact center, an e-commerce facility, restaurants, a warehouse, office spaces including that of SM Prime, and additional parking spaces.[79] Costing, it is located between the SMX Convention Center Manila and Mall of Asia Arena and is interconnected with the mall's South Parking Building.[80] [81] The construction for the building began in September 2018 and topped off in 2020. It opened on November 24, 2021.
First in the Philippines, IKEA Pasay City has a floor space of 65000m2, making it IKEA's largest store in the world, beating its Gwangmyeong branch in South Korea that has 57100m2 of floor space, and serves as the complex's biggest tenant since the mall's opening in 2006.[82] It occupies MOA Square's second to fourth floors.[83] The branch was expected to open in 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it instead opened on November 25, 2021. The opening of IKEA made SM Mall of Asia the largest mall in the Philippines once again; the last time was from 2006 to 2008.[84] [85] [86]
The National University Mall of Asia, also known as NU MOA or NUMA, is the satellite campus of the Manila-based university, also owned mostly by SM Investments, located along Coral Way. The campus occupies a 7-storey building located beside Microtel by Windham Mall of Asia and is directly connected to the SMX Convention Center Manila. The campus also features various shops within the ground floor, a 3-level parking facility that can accommodate approximately 720 cars and a gross leasable area of 21201.02m2. The building opened on September 17, 2019, hosting the NU Senior High School, NU College of Optometry, and the NU College of Dentistry (extension to the Manila campus), which offers courses such as the Doctor of Dental Medicine, Dental Hygiene and Dental Laboratory Technology.[87] [88] The campus also offers courses, ranging from business courses, medical technology, and psychology.[89] [90]
The Oceanaire Luxurious Residences is a 15-storey two tower development owned by Zhongfa Development, Inc. located along Sunrise Drive, which was completed during the 4th quarter of 2015. The condominium is also occupied by the Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila, a 281-room 4-star hotel, making the complex the second hotel to open in the area, and features a bar and a spa, located within the amenity area of the building.[91]
The Concordia Place is a 15-storey two tower mixed use development owned by Lakeview Super Five Corp.. The first tower will feature residential units while the second tower will feature office spaces. Construction for the complex began in January 2019 and is set to be completed within 2024.[92]
The Microtel by Wyndham Mall of Asia is a 150-room hotel located along Coral Way. The hotel opened in 2010 and serves as the first hotel to open in the complex. It features the Millie's All-day dining restaurant, a function room with a maximum capacity of up to 200 persons, and a roofdeck swimming pool.[93] [94]
See main article: Conrad Manila. The Mall of Asia Complex also host the Conrad Manila, a 347-room hotel located between the SMX Convention Center Manila and the Esplanade and stands along Palm Coast Avenue and the corner of Seaside Boulevard. Opened in 2016, the hotel serves as the complex's premier class hotel. Its podium houses the S Maison, a 2-storey retail area and the Dessert Museum, a candy-themed art exhibition. The S Maison is considered by SM Prime a separate mall from the main SM Mall of Asia shopping mall complex as the mall targets the upper income levels, and is designated as the 62nd SM Supermall in the Philippines.[95]
The Hotel 101 Manila is a 518-room 3-star hotel located within EDSA Extension. Groundbreaking began in June 2012, and was opened in July 2016, which was graced by then-Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo and other high officials.[96] The hotel is owned by Hotel of Asia, Inc., a subsidiary of the DoubleDragon Properties and serves as Hotel 101's first and flagship hotel in the country. The hotel featuring a swimming pool and Jacuzzi, located at the 2nd floor.[97] [98]
The Tryp Manila, owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, is located beside The Esplanade, and across the Three E-Com Center and stands along the Seaside Boulevard and the corner of J.W. Diokno Boulevard. The hotel is completed in 2018 serves as the third hotel located in the complex owned by SM Prime, after Conrad Manila and Microtel by Wyndham Mall of Asia, but offers lower rates and features 191 rooms and 3 restaurants, namely the Milagritos, the Encaramada pool bar, and the Beberitos lobby lounge.[99]
The Lanson Place Mall of Asia is a 11-storey hotel and service suite building located across the Galeon complex and the One Ecom Center, and sits on the westernmost area of the Concert Grounds. It serves as the first Lanson Place in the country and features 247 hotel rooms and 143 serviced suites units, featuring a seaside-inspired sleek and contemporary architectural style. Plans for the hotel being laid out in the complex began as early as 2016, and faced many delays, which included the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[100] The building serves as the fourth hotel owned by SM and the fifth hotel located in the complex and also features a rooftop swimming pool, an al-fresco center on the ground floor, a fitness center, an all-day dining restaurant; seven meeting rooms, which is also connected to co-working spaces at the third floor; and a pillarless ballroom that can accommodate 800 people, known as the Saffron, located at the second floor. The ₱3.6 billion building was topped off in August 2021, and was completed and opened its doors in a soft opening on November 2023.[101] [102] [103] [104] [105]
On April 24, 2024, SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation chief executive officer Michael Hobson opened the hybrid hotel and serviced residences property with 397-rooms and 143-room serviced suites. It features artworks made by Nestor O. Jardin, who served as a former President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, known for his artworks and sea-inspired craftsmanship, including Leeroy New's huge ocean waves design of the second floor ceiling, while the Grand Ballroom is adorned with ripples of an ocean.[106] The hotel also houses 5 restaurants, namely the Blk 12 Café Bar, Bytes Grab & Go, Cyan Modern Kitchen, Edge Pool Bar, Madeleine High Tea.[100]
The SM Mall of Asia complex hosts a variety of office towers owned by SM Prime and other local property developers, namely the SM Corporate Offices, the A Place, the NexGen Tower, the Philflex Bay Center, and the SM Retail HQ towers. The SM Corporate Offices are primarily occupied by local producers under the SM Bonus brand. The A Place is a LEED Gold Pre-Certified development with 20000m2 of office space and is currently occupied by Atomy Philippines. ASYA Design, Espace Marketing and Leasing, HCG Philippines, Multi-Rich, Royal Wagenborg, and Ukusa, Inc.[107] Meanwhile, the NexGen Tower and the Philflex Bay Center are also located along the area and are occupied by various local and foreign-based companies.
The E-com Center serves as the complex's office tower development, currently occupied by various companies, mainly business process outsourcing, cruising companies, and shipping firms.[52] The buildings are designed by international firm Arquitectonica and Architect Felix Lim, and feature modern contemporary architectural designs. The complex currently has a total leasable area of 388100m2 and is divided into five smaller, different towers, namely: One E-Com Center, Two E-Com Center, Three E-Com Center, Four E-Com Center, and Five E-Com Center. The buildings are connected to the main mall via elevated pedestrian bridgeway on the second level, and all buildings also features an open-air podium with dining areas located in the fourth floor of each building.
The groundbreaking for the first building, the One E-Com Center began in March 2006.[108] The 11-storey building has a total leasable floor area of 69000m2 and was completed in the first week of October 2007 and features a geometric architectural style. Its first occupant, Fitness First opened its doors on October 12, 2007, other occupants include APL, Charlex International Corporation, CMA CGM, Conduent, Damco Philippines Inc., EXL Service, Highlands Prime Inc., and MegaLink, Inc.. SM Offices, the office development subsidiary of SM Prime serves as the tower's main tenant.
The Two E-com Center is a 15-storey twin tower complex with prism-like building designs. Construction of the complex began in 2009 and was completed in 2011,[109] The building has a total leasable floor area of 77000m2 primarily houses SM Development Corporation, Anscor Swire Ship Management Corporation, Belle Corporation, Ben Line Agencies Philippines, Inc., Concentrix, Convergys, Klaveness Maritime Agency Incorporated, MicroSourcing, OOCL, TTEC, and other outsourcing and shipping companies.
The third tower, the Three E-com Center, began construction in 2015 and was launched and opened in 2018. It consists of two 15-storey semi-circular towers while the Four E-Com Center consists of three 15-storey towers with a crystal-like architectural designs.[110] The Three E-com Center has a total leasable floor area of 68000m2 and its occupants include Bangkok Bank, Prime Metro BMD Corporation, MicroSourcing, Alorica by the Bay, and Amazon. Alorica by the Bay and Amazon occupies multiple floors within the towers.
The Four E-Com Center began construction 2016 was topped-off in 2019, and was initially planned to open in 2020, however, due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the building's opening was delayed and was structurally completed on the second quarter of 2021, before being launched in March 2023. The tower has a total leasable area of 89100m2 is now occupied by Esco Philippines Inc., Suez Asia Limited, and Visa Inc..[111]
The Five E-Com Center opened in 2015 and features a stacked building design. The tower has 85000m2 of office area and houses contact centers and non-contact center tenants such as Altisource Business Solutions, EXL Service, Grieg Philippines Inc., Harte Hanks Philippines, Inc., Kuehne + Nagel, Inc., Pernod Ricard Philippines, Inc., PTT Petroleum, Regus, Royal Caribbean Group, TeleTech, Telstra, TSA Group, Tupperware Brands, Vestas, VXI, and Xiamen Airlines.[112] [113]
The sixth tower within the office complex, the Six E-com Center, is currently under construction. The complex will consist of two towers, and is located in former parking lot between the SM Mall of Asia North Wing Building and the Five Ecom Center, set to rise alongside Sunset Avenue.
The SM Retail Headquarters Complex is a 15-floor two-tower complex located across the E-com Center complex and stands along J.W. Diokno Boulevard. Construction began in 2018 and was initially planned to be completed within 2020, yet was pushed back to 2022, after restrictions were imposed caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The tower has a total office area of roughly 67200m2 and is currently occupied primarily by SM Retail and its attached retail brands. The tower features a variety of eco-friendly initiatives such as the installation of insulated glass units within the tower's glass facade, bicycle racks, water recycling plants, automated lighting systems amenities and an outdoor skydeck located at the 6th floor. The tower also hosts a chapel, a gym, a nap room, and a meditation room, which is aimed to enhance the worker's health and overall wellness. Due to these features, the Pasay City Local Government awarded the tower the WELL Health-Safety rating for its cleanliness and sanitation features, air and water quality management, stakeholder engagement & communication, and for the tower's innovative design. The tower is also connected to the Four Ecom Center via elevated bridge. [114]
The Mall of Asia has four residential condominium properties owned by SM Development Corporation (SMDC), SM Prime's residential development subsidiary, which include the Sea Residences, a six-tower complex;[115] the Shell Residences, a four-tower complex;[116] the Shore Residences, which has 3 separate residential condominium complexes, named Shore with 3 towers, Shore 2 with another 3 towers, and Shore 3 with 6 towers;[117] [118] the S Residences, a three-tower complex;[119] and the Sail Residences, a four-tower development.[120] The buildings were based on modern resort-themed architectural designs. In August 2021, SMDC unveiled a new residential project within the complex, the ICE Tower, an 844 unit residential-office (RESO) development, located across the EDSA Extension. The new residential development is expected to be completed within 2023–2024.[121] [122] [123]
The mall features a 20-seater tram service providing connectivity within the mall complex, and also features two transport terminals operated by Supermalls Transport Services, Inc., providing transportation services to nearby areas in Metro Manila and nearby Cavite, Batangas, and Laguna provinces. A bus stop is also located at the Globe Rotunda, fronting the Main Mall where city buses, including the southbound EDSA Carousel, stop.
Adjacent to the convention center is the MetroStar Ferry Terminal ferry service to Cavite City. The terminal also serves as a passenger port to SM's tourism estate, the Hamilo Coast, in Nasugbu, Batangas.[124]
In 2007, Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency (PhilEXIM) inaugurated the ferry project between Cavite City and SM Mall of Asia. PhilEXIM President Virgilio R. Angelo stated that it guaranteed the loan of Metrostar Ferry, Inc. (Metrostar) for the government's Manila Bay Transport Project. Angelo stated that the ferry service would also open in the Cavite City-Luneta Boardwalk-Del Pan Bridge waterway.[125] In 2018, the ferry service was initially suspended, yet plans for the revival of the project were put in place in 2019.[126] Another ferry service connecting SM Mall of Asia to the Bataan province was also inaugurated. A ferry service which will bring passengers to and from Sangley Point Airport is being proposed.
In June 2022, The SM Group and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) unveiled a plan for the construction of a 1.8adj=onNaNadj=on integrated monorail system in Pasay, connecting the complex to the Taft Avenue station of the MRT Line 3. This initiative is aimed to not only increase the complex's accessibility but will also ease traffic congestion in the area.[127] [128] [129]