SM Investments Corp. said its 83rd mall, SM City Bataan in Balanga which opened in May has integrated “sustainability features” in its design and operations.
“The geographic location of the coastal city provides an opportunity for the company to incorporate disaster resiliency in its design in the flood-prone municipality,” SM said in a statement.
“Balanga experiences annual flooding based on its history of recurring disasters and so, SM has equipped the mall with two rainwater catchment tanks that can hold up to 900 cubic meters combined or equal to 3.6 million 250-milliliter glasses of water. The catchment tanks aim to reduce soil erosion and flow of stormwater that causes urban flooding,” it added.
SM City Bataan utilizes clerestory windows, series of large windows, for better light ventilation which lessens the electricity consumption of the facility, and save the mall approximately 2240 kWh in energy use daily.
Junias Eusebio, SM Supermalls senior assistant vice president for mall operations, said the company remains a staunch advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to which their sustainability initiatives are anchored from.
Eusebio said SM City Bataan uses recycled water for water closet flushing, landscape maintenance, and to supply waters to the cooling towers of the building’s air conditioning system.
SM said it continues to integrate sustainability in its daily operations.
As of last year, the SM Group had already recycled 42.5 million cubic meters of water, enough to fill 17,000 Olympic-sized pools, the company said.
SM City Bataan is the 25th mall with rainwater catchment basin and 28th with electric vehicle charging station, further amplifying its commitment to sustainable practices.
