When SM Mall of Asia first opened in 2006, it was known as the largest shopping mall in the Philippines, with a vast retail floor area that spanned four buildings. However, it would soon lose the crown to SM North Edsa by the end of the decade with the latter’s expansion that brought about the Sky Garden, the Block, and North Towers.
Could there be a rivalry between sibling malls? Who knows but there is a perception of such when it was revealed by the next decade that SM Mall of Asia would undergo an expansion of its own which hopes to bring back the crown of being the Philippines’ largest shopping mall.
Expansion works for SM Mall of Asia began in 2015, with the plan involving the addition of a new floor dedicated to additional retail space and a rooftop level that would be its version of SM North EDSA’s Sky Garden made even bigger with the addition of a football field. As such, the expansion plan was grander in scale and as we shall see, it would take a decade for the plan to be fully realized.
First phase and a delayed construction timeline
The first phase of the expansion was to build the new retail level, or at least a section of it so it would serve as the new home of the SM ice skating rink which used to be located at the ground level of the main mall area. In preparation for the ice skating rink’s move, the facility temporarily closed down as the ice skating activities were temporarily consolidated at the then-newly opened SM ice skating rink at SM Megamall. The ice skating rink at SM Mall of Asia would finally reopen at its new home in 2017, now known as the SM Skating Rink, retaining the Olympic-sized space the SM Mall of Asia ice skating rink was known for.
Across the skating rink was the MOA Food Hall, which finally brought a foodcourt to the mall which was criticized for quite a while for not having one. MOA Food Hall also had some unique facilities such as fancy seating for some areas and a children’s play area. As such, it was not as large as the foodcourt in SM Megamall (which has sadly been closed at this time of writing due to expansion works being done there)
For the next five years, there was not much progress the public has seen with SM Mall of Asia expansion. It didn’t help that the expansion works themselves were progressing slower than expected. By the beginning of 2020, the third level was only about 10% opened to the public. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit beginning March that year, paralyzing physical shopping and shopping mall operations across the globe and slowing down the construction works in the process.
The renovated retail area
By late 2020, as the “new normal” way of life was in place, construction slowly picked up from where it left off. More sections of the third level were opened to the public beginning in 2022 until the entire floor was now accessible to the public by 2024.
Approximately 80% of the third level of the mall was dedicated to the retail space, with new retailers setting up shop as well as old ones who have outgrown their old spaces in the mall and have moved to larger spaces in the renovated retail area.
There were also changes going on in the existing two levels of the mall as some stores shutdown or downsized to make way for new tenants. One of these prominent new stores is the Disney Store Philippines, the first official Disney store to open not only in the Philippines but in the entire Southeast Asian region.
The expansion works was also an opportunity for SM Mall of Asia to further spruce up its interiors, with a larger frontview circular window which made the entrance grander than ever, the vertical expansion of the entertainment area at the opposite end, and a 360 circular LED display, which would have been impressive if they had the thought of installing it all the way to the mall’s ceiling instead of being just this glorified LED post. It felt it was just tucked in there with no thought about its placement.
The entertainment wing of the expanded retail section at the third level is dominated by two play areas. On the northern end is the expanded Timezone arcade and at the southern end is SM’s indoor sports hub Game Park, which replaced the bowling facility in the mall. As such, it not only offers bowling and billiards, but also expanded its sports offerings to include a basketball mini court, table tennis and archery areas, and even rooms for karaoke.
MOA Sky and the renovation’s completion
About 20% third floor was fully completed not only with the retail area fully open but also the open space that would be part of the larger rooftop garden similar to the aforementioned SM North EDSA Sky Garden. This particular section was opened by 2024, providing mallgoers with a commanding view of the Manila Bay and its sunset, as well as the ongoing reclamation works for the planned SM Smart City.
Finally, the fourth/rooftop level that would form the rest of the rooftop open park would be unveiled to the public by February 2025 as the entire rooftop open area was christened as the MOA Sky.
The centerpiece of the MOA Sky is the MOA Football pitch, a football field with a seating capacity of 1,800 people. Complementing with the sports-themed development of the area is a one-kilometer fitness track for runners, joggers, and brisk walkers, encircling the entire 4th level.
Another prominent landmark in MOA Sky is an expansive area for pets, which it calls the Paw Park. The Paw Park itself consists of three areas, the so-called Barkstacle Course where furparents can keep their pets active and trained with a run at the obstacle courses, an area dedicated for pets to poop and pee (which is amazing and laudable) and an open area where pets can just roam around.
For those looking for some tranquility amid a busy and noisy mall, there is actually a spot where they can find that. Called the MOA Sanctuary, the area consists of a indoor space for exhibits or small intimate events, surrounded by bead-like structures and a cross which are representations of the rosary in the Catholic faith.
There is also the MOA Amphitheatre for open-air events and the massive open areas which MOA Sky calls the Sky Plazas. Dotted throughout the entire MOA Sky are sculptures done by Filipino-American artist Jefre which represent the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.
With the MOA Sky’s completion, the expansion of SM Mall of Asia was finally completed after a 10-year saga. And with now having 589,891 sqm floor area, the mall has reclaimed its position as the largest mall in the Philippines.
From enlarging the mall to enlarging the (Bay) city
But while the SM Mall of Asia expansion project is done, there is still a lot of developments going around the SM Bay City complex, with the aforementioned SM Smart City reclamation project one of the biggest undertakings being done by the SM Group thus far. However it turns out, we an expect a much massive transformation in the complex 10 years from now.
Acknowledgements as well to SM Supermalls, Wikipedia, and the Philippine Star
