Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) affliliate Cebu Holdings, Inc. (CHI) recently broke ground on the final phase of Ayala Center Cebu’s development. Ayala Center Cebu sits on a 9-hectare lot, and is the centerpiece development of the Cebu Business Park. The four-level expansion worth P3-billion is set to complete the original full-circle design of the mall.
Mr. Antonio Aquino, ALI president and CHI chairman, expressed that the expansion of Ayala Center Cebu reflects their interest to partake in the development of Cebu.
“Last year, we made a bold statement that we will open more projects in Cebu and we did that,” Aquino told the Cebu media before the formal groundbreaking ceremony, referring to their condominium projects in Cebu, the affordable Avida Towers Cebu, Alveo’s Sedona Park for the urban achievers and the 1016 Residences for Cebu’s “who’s who”
CHI president Francis Monera said that phase 2B expansion would have a gross leasable area of 36,000 square meters, to be completed in 2013.
This expansion will be an upscale retail development that will provide high-end outlets and premium finishes for the more discerning shoppers. It will house a mix of luxury signature brands, fashion-forward brands, information technology outlets, techtronics, home furnishing and a few carefully-selected dining and lifestyle concepts.
To be seamlessly connected to the main mall and The Terraces, the architecture of the building — from the facade, exteriors, to its interiors — will be upscale in nature, with an impressive sense of arrival. The over-all ambiance will be enhanced with elegant but warm lighting. The development will have areas for social interaction equipped with premium furnishings customized for the purpose. The common area and walkways will provide excellent connectivity with the existing mall and its surrounding areas. Some areas will be highlighted by creating special features, themes or treatments, to create special interest points.
An impressive, well-lit atrium will soon house intimate events. The generous outdoor greenbelt at the roof deck, interspersed with greens, water features and dramatic hardscape will be another distinguishing landmark of the mall and will serve as a convergence area for the various components of the mixed-use development.
Such a strategy is in line with Ayala Center Cebu’s position as a place where one can live, work and play, all in one integrated development.
The new development will have all the compelling extras one can find in an Ayala Mall, such as a family lounge, a Customer Lounge, and Concierge counters, among others.
Other featurs that highlight ACC’s expansion include:
- four Levels of retail outlets
- three levels of an anchor store (Rustan’s Supermarket and Department Store)
- three levels of basement parking
- a multi-purpose hall
- a Cinema
- gardens at the roof-top
Aside from the obvious changes to the landscape of the Cebu Business Park once this development is completed, the mall expansion will also continue implementing and will be introducing environment-friendly and environmentally-sustainable practices for its operations:
WATER CONSERVATION
- The design of this new section of the mall will integrate grey water recycling where wastewater from the mall operations will be processed and used for landscaping irrigation, for the building’s cooling towers and for the flushing of water closets in the mall’s restrooms.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
- To take advantage of natural light during the day, the four-level structure will have clerestories. In contrast to the usual skylights, clerestories are windows at the side of the structure to avoid direct sunlight from coming thus requiring less air-conditioning to keep the area cool.
- The expansion will also use green roofs for passive cooling. Landscaping will be created on the roof to provide insulation against the heat of the sun. This provides helps regulate building temperatures and reduced urban heat-island effects.
- The design also incorporates a district cooling system, the centralized production and distribution of cooling energy. Chilled water is delivered via an underground insulated pipeline to cool the indoor air of the buildings within a district. Specially designed units in each building then use this water to lower the temperature of air passing through the building’s air conditioning system. This district cooling is a suitable solution for mixed-use developments.
WASTE SEGREGATION AT SOURCE
- As with the existing mall, the retail outlets at the expansion will be practicing waste segregation at source. This lessens the amount of residual waste brought to the landfill and provides materials for recycling for the neighboring communities of the mall and Cebu Business Park.
Aside from the relocation of the Rustan’s Department Store and Supermarket, Ayala Malls Group senior division manager Clavel Tongco told reporters that this early, they already have a long list of merchants waiting for spaces in the mall’s new phase. Among others, she identified Zara, an international clothing brand popular to the teens and yuppies in Metro Manila, as among those that will make their presence felt in Cebu soon.
She said they will be bringing the merchants of Greenbelt 5 and Glorietta 4 that will also have their first stores here.
Tomeldan expressed confidence that these brands will have a share in the discerning Cebu market considering the market studies and research they conducted prior to the plans of expansion.
Ayala Malls Group vice president Rowena Tomeldan said merchants are very bullish in the Cebu market that even foreign brands that don’t have stores in Manila yet are expressing interest on Cebu.
Aside from the international brands, the mall will also be allocating spaces for Cebu-based concepts. She said that they will not just introduce luxury brands but also affordable and budget-friendly brands.
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