The topic of sustainability in property development has
surged since the world experienced Covid-19. Having to redefine the use of
spaces, people soon realized how instrumental real estate is in the journey
towards a more sustainable way of life. With the threat of climate change
looming in the horizon and a growing population to sustain, the need to build
more sustainable and resilient cities only continue to rise.
SM Prime traces its journey on sustainable design and
development way before the concept has gone main stream. At the heart of SM is
its commitment to serve its customers – designing its malls to bring better
comfort and an enjoyable experience in every visit to SM Supermalls.
Sustainable Comfort
Built through several phases of development, SM Megamall,
among SM’s 78 malls across the country, has grown into the complex it is today
with 800 shops including 250 dining outlets and 16 anchor tenants. Customers
explore the expanse of the 10-hectare development from its convenient parking
grounds, relaxed atmosphere and beautiful façade. Behind this is sophisticated
engineering anchored on sustainable design and technology.
· SM
Megamall is energy and water efficient. The building is enveloped with EIFS
or Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems board which helps boosts wall
insulation, making it more resistant to heat. It only uses LED lighting system
allowing a 50% energy saving. The mall also tracks a lighting operating
schedule following the supply requirement of our mall activity and does not
contribute to environmental lighting pollution so as not disturb nocturnal
animals. It also uses sensor activated escalators that contribute to about 30%
energy savings. It’s air handling system uses high-efficiency air-conditioning
system that has greater environmental stewardship. Lastly, it uses efficient
water fixture for water savings and recycles water.
SM
Megamall
· SM
Megamall works with the natural environment. The mall utilizes green walls, skylights and clerestory
or a high section wall that contains windows above eye level to increase the
flow of natural light. It is
surrounded with plants of local varieties and selection of trees and shrubs.
SM Megamall Bicycle Racks
· SM
Megamall promotes mobility. Situated
in the middle of EDSA, SM Megamall brings 550 buses into one integrated system
to promote easier mobility. Green hybrid transports provide options for the
more environmentally conscious passengers. All public transports are required
to meet mandated emission levels in support of the Clean Air Act. The mall is
pedestrian-friendly with about 1,595 square meters of covered walk ways.
Throughout the mall, designated bike lanes and parking spaces are provided.
Lastly, parking sensors not only make parking easier but has also reduced
emissions in the parking areas.
SM MegaTower
· SM
Megamall practices responsible materials management. The mall uses Echostop ceiling
finish for noise absorption which is made from gypsum and paper liner made from
100% reclaimed and recycled paper. The Mega Tower uses insulated glass units
which keeps heat out during summer months and Low E-glass to minimize the
amount of ultraviolet light that comes through the windows, with both features maximizing
energy savings. It also has a Material Recovery Facility dividing recyclables,
biodegradable waste, residual waste and hazardous waste.
Environmental Strategy
All these initiatives are aligned
with SM Prime's environmental strategy of developing, designing, and building
integrated lifestyle cities with sustainability and resiliency considerations
in mind.
Echoing these efforts, SM Prime
continues on its transition to clean energy. Aside from investing in energy
efficient programs, the company is broadening its renewable energy investments.
SM Prime targets to increase its demand for electricity sourced from renewables
by more than 50% across all of its business segments by end of 2022 in support
of the Department of Energy's goal of moving the country's renewable energy
supply component up to 35% by the end of the decade.
Moreover, as part of a growing
movement of responsible and sustainability-centered enterprises, SM Prime has
joined the 2,500 organizations worldwide in supporting the Task Force on
Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and its goal of creating a more
resilient financial system through better climate risk disclosures. Through
this, it hopes to continue to drive its business to adopt more sustainability
initiatives related to climate change.
At Hamilo Coast, SM property in
Nasugbu, Batangas, it continues to uphold its commitment to sustainability and
conservation as it planted 50,000 more mangroves which covers 100,000 square
meters of the estate. This is also touted as one of the largest mangrove areas
in Nasugbu. Hamilo Coast continues to
protect its mangrove ecosystem together with the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) Philippines—a partnership it has nurtured since 2007.
Hamilo Coast also undertook the initiative to declare
three of its coves, namely Pico de Loro, Etayo, and Santelmo as Marine
Protected Areas in 2009.
SM is regreening the country sides through its tree planting program led
by SM City Baguio. This is in partnership with the Philippine Military Academy
(PMA), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Cordillera
Administrative Region (DENR-CAR), Baguio Water District, the local government
of Baguio City and 25 media organizations in Baguio.
As of January 2022, over 600,000 trees have already been planted in
Baguio City and neighboring towns in Benguet.
SM further promotes sustainable practices through water recycling
and the adoption of technologies that promote smart water use. In 2020, it was
able to recycle 28.9 million cubic meters of water.
In terms of solid waste management, SM Prime has intensified its
campaign by requiring all contractors to implement proper waste management
procedures during construction. A
long-running program through SM Cares, the monthly Trash to Cash (TTC) provides
an avenue for the community, including properties’ tenants, to participate in
solid waste management. This initiative ran for nine months in 74 malls and five
SM Development Corporation properties in 2020, saving 134,067 seven-year-old
trees to date.
It also undertakes paper recycling in partnership with the Trust
International Paper Corporation and the responsible transport, treatment,
storage and disposal or processing of the properties’ generated hazardous
waste, compliant to the government’s implementing rules and regulations.
Resiliency as a Necessity
While SM serves millions of customers every day, its
impact goes beyond its businesses – touching the lives of millions more in the
communities wherever it is present. For a country like the Philippines, the
impact of climate change can already be felt with typhoons getting stronger and
more frequent.
Hans T. Sy, chairman of the Executive Committee of SM
Prime has served in leadership roles in both national and international
organizations focused on disaster resiliency and its impact to business and
society. Leading by example, SM integrates disaster resiliency in its business
strategy as well as its city and mall designs and developments. This, not only
allows SM businesses to operate during calamities, instead, also helps
communities become more resilient to typhoons.
“I believe in an age-old adage; an ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure. SM Prime has taken deliberate steps to reinforce
resiliency across its properties and provide a focused approach on
sustainability in order to preserve communities and save lives,” said Mr. Sy.
Such is the impact created by SM Masinag.
Vermont Park Phase 1 is located near SM Masinag. For
years, it would undergo flooding during typhoons. However, the story has
changed. Since SM Masinag opened to serve the community, it has been equipped
with a water catchment facility that can detain 17,681 cubic meters of water,
which is equivalent to 7 Olympic size swimming pools. This helped control the
flooding of nearby villages during typhoons.
Meanwhile, SM Marikina, which is also in a high-flood
rate zone, is able to serve as first responder and a safe haven to affected
families during times of calamities. This is because it is standing on 246
stilts with an elevation higher than the highest recorded water level rise in
Marikina City.
Sustainability and Resiliency as
Strong Foundations for Responsible Development
SM Prime anchors its development on both sustainability
and disaster resiliency. For SM, both serve as strong foundations for
responsible development – to address the increasing demand for urban areas and
to address the threat of climate change.
From the onset of concept design, SM Prime allocates
around 10% of capital expenditure to incorporate sustainability features and
disaster resilience when building malls, offices and even integrated lifestyle
cities.
"The safety of the communities, employees,
customers, and the facility structure remains top priorities in all SM Prime
developments. As I tell my design teams ever so frequently, ensuring safety is
the only way I can sleep well,” Mr Sy said.”
For SM, this means the hard infrastructure capacities as
well as how spaces are designed to facilitate mobility, green transport
options, greener buildings and even green technology such as being powered by
solar energy. As such, wherever SM operates, SM Prime makes every effort to
help create the spaces and cities we need in order to sustain ourselves into
the future.
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