SM Investments Corporation through its property arm, SM Prime Holdings continues to provide a unique “malling” experience with the opening of its 83rd mall in Balanga, Bataan by integrating sustainability features in its design and operation.
The city’s geographical location on the coast gives the company the opportunity to incorporate disaster resiliency into its design of the flood-prone municipality.
Balanga experiences annual flooding based on the history of recurring disasters and therefore, SM equipped the mall with two rainwater tanks that can hold 900 cubic meters combined or equivalent to 3.6 million 250mL glasses of water. Catchment tanks aim to reduce landslides and stormwater runoff that cause urban flooding.
SM City Bataan also uses clerestory windows, a series of large windows, for better light ventilation that reduces the facility’s electricity consumption. This saves up to approximately 2240 kWh of energy per day.
“We continue to reach more communities and provide services when we can. Where there is SM, there is also SM Markets for the daily needs of families, there is Watsons for medicines and hygienic needs, there is also Ace Hardware for the repair and maintenance of community houses. Even the transport terminal is connected to the mall. By placing all these stores in our malls, we reduce the carbon footprint of our visitors. They do not have to visit many places to get what they need,” said Engineer Junias M. Eusebio, Senior Assistant Vice President of SM Supermalls for Mall Operations in North Luzon B.
The company remains a strong supporter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on which their sustainability initiatives are anchored. SM City Bataan uses recycled water for water closet flushing, landscape maintenance, and to supply water to the cooling towers of the building’s air conditioning system.
SM continues to integrate sustainability into their daily operations. By 2022, SM Group will have recycled 42.5 million cubic meters of water, enough to fill 17,000 Olympic-sized pools. The opening of SM City Bataan marks it as the 25th mall with a rainwater catchment basin and the 28th with an electric vehicle charging station, further enhancing their commitment to sustainable practices.
