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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