SM Mall of Asia, Shopping center in Pasay, Philippines
SM Mall of Asia is a shopping mall in Bay City, Pasay, at the southern end of EDSA, made up of four buildings linked by walkways and elevated paths: the Main Mall, the two-story partly open-air Entertainment Mall, and the North and South Wing Parking Buildings. Its white and grey walls and flat roofs sit behind a roundabout holding the steel-framed MoA Globe, with a curved reflective glass roof and a white hexagonal-patterned facade among the sections.
Plans for the mall date to 1995, with construction first slated for January 1996 and marketed as the future largest mall in the world, but the project was delayed and scaled down amid a weak economy. Building finally began in 2002. The opening, moved from March 3, 2006 after Pasay engineers reported cracks under the structure, took place on May 21, 2006, with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attending and one million pedestrian visits recorded that day.
Inside, the stores display a mix of goods aimed at Filipinos alongside imported products, while the architecture often uses glass and open passages to let in light and views of the bay. Families come here not only to buy clothing or electronics but also to spend the day together and eat in restaurants.
The complex is split into four linked buildings: the Main Mall, the open-air Entertainment Mall, and the North and South Parking Buildings, each with a concierge desk for directions. The two six-storey parking buildings hold 5,000 spaces and have had elevators and escalators since 2016. The steel globe on the roundabout marks the EDSA end of the site.
An internal transport system with cars that each seat around twenty people runs between the far-flung parts of the complex, making it easier for visitors to get around. The site itself was built on reclaimed land, which allowed developers to create a flat area close to the water.
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