SM Aura

SM Aura[2] (formerly SM Aura Premier), is a large upscale shopping mall located at McKinley Parkway corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig,[3] Philippines, owned by SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest mall developer. It is the 13th SM Supermall in Metro Manila and 47th SM Prime mall in the Philippines. It was the 2nd SM Supermall to be called "Premier" (now discontinued) after SM Lanang. The shopping center is situated near its rival mall Market! Market!, owned by Ayala Malls, a real estate subsidiary of Ayala Land, and affiliate of Ayala Corporation. It is designed by EDGE Interior Designers and Arquitectonica.[4]

SM Aura
SM Aura logo
View of SM Aura
LocationBonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines
Coordinates14°32′46″N 121°03′16″E
Address26th Street corner McKinley Parkway
Opening dateMay 17, 2013 (2013-05-17)
Previous namesSM Aura at the Civic Center (2011)
SM Aura Premier (2013-2023)
DeveloperSM Prime Holdings
ManagementSM Prime Holdings
ArchitectArquitectonica
No. of stores and services300+
No. of anchor tenants8
Total retail floor area249,861 m2 (2,689,480 sq ft)[1]
Public transit access
Bus interchange Market! Market!
Bus interchange  15  16  Market! Market!
WebsiteSM Aura Premier

Etymology

The name of SM Aura is derived from the elements gold (which has the chemical symbol Au) and radium.[5] According to SM Prime Holdings, Inc., the name defines "luxury and elegance that emanates from within."[6]

History

The mall had its inaugural blessing on May 16, 2013, a day before the grand opening. Numerous celebrities, government officials including Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, company officials, and VIP guests attended the blessing, including SM Prime's Henry Sy and Hans Sy, and American actress Sarah Jessica Parker.[7] Parker cut the ribbon for The SM Store, and was the newest endorser for their "Love to Shop" campaign.[8][9]

Mall features
Skypark
SMX Convention Center Aura

The development includes the Skypark, a multi-level green roof. It has al fresco bars & restaurants, sculptures and botanical gardens, a 1,000-seat performance hall called Samsung Hall and the 250-seat Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod

Designed by Miami-based architectural firm Arquitectonica, the structure will be a basic “dumbbell” arrangement determined by the narrow site, with the main entry at the north corner, and the office tower located at the southern end. The main vehicular drop-off is provided on the western side, with taxi stations on the first basement, accessed from the lower, eastern road.

The high-end mall consists high-end and international fashion brands such as Stuart Weitzman, Joseph (UK), Calvin Klein, Stradivarius, Uniqlo, Topman, and Topshop. Other tenants include Crate & Barrel, Ramen Nagi, Todd English Food Hall Manila (now The Food Hall), and Fitness First Platinum.

It also features an SMX Convention Center at the third and fourth floors.[10]

SM Cinema

SM Aura offers a total of five state of the art cinemas with two regular cinemas equipped with Dolby Atmos sound system, two Director's Club Cinemas, and an IMAX theater at the fourth floor.[11]

Director's Club

SM Aura offers two Director's Club Cinemas with in-butler service. It is the second Director's Club Cinema branch after SM Mall of Asia.

IMAX

SM Aura offers an IMAX theater that is the seventh of its kind in the country. In January 2022, the IMAX theater temporarily operated as a "Large Screen Format" (with films shown in non-IMAX DMR releases) due to undisclosed reasons. The IMAX theater resumed regular operations with IMAX DMR releases on May 4, 2022, along with the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Samsung Hall

Samsung Hall is a 1,000-seat performance theater located at the 6th level of SM Aura. It opened on October 25, 2013. It has been graced by multiple international acts such as D'Sound (first performers at the venue), [12] Sungha Jung, Mayday Parade, Charli XCX, Metric, Before You Exit, Oh Wonder, Why Don’t We, and iKon.

Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod
Altar of the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod

Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod is a 250-seat Roman Catholic chapel located at the 7th level of SM Aura. Opened in May 2013, it is named in honor of the Filipino saint Pedro Calungsod. Shaped like an abstract cave, it has a semi-circular opening that references to the cave of the Resurrection.[13]

SM Aura Office Tower
The office tower under construction in 2013 with Two Serendra Aston Tower across McKinley Parkway, as seen from 26th Street

The mall is connected to a 29-story office tower which has an area of 40,424 square meters (435,120 sq ft). The SM Aura Office Tower is built according to international green standards, with efficient use of energy and sustainable operation features.[14] The Office Tower is also home to one of the largest serviced offices in the Philippines, with 400 seats in a 20,000-square-meter (220,000 sq ft) office space.[15] As part of Bonifacio Civic Center, the tower also houses several government offices such as Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund (Home Development Mutual Fund), Philippine Postal Corporation, Bureau of Immigration, Land Registration Authority and Taguig City Government.[16] The Aura Tower also houses corporate offices such as Uber, Lixil Philippines, Cisco Systems Management, Inc., Regent Foods Corporation, Teleperformance, and Ezaki Glico International.

Awards and recognition

SM Aura is also the first and sole mall to be certified Gold under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for its green features in the retail sector in the Philippines.[17][18][19] The LEED Certification is an internationally recognized standard awarded to institutions that follow the strict regulations governing green architecture and construction. It is a citation awarded to a distinct few by the US Green Building Council.

There is a legal battle between the Bases Conversion Development Authority and SM Aura. The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), in a statement, refuted the claim of SM Prime Holdings Inc. that the SM Aura mall in Taguig was legally built based on a deed of conveyance (DOC) between the local government and BCDA.[20]

During his term, former Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga initially went into discussions with the Ayala Group on the use of land. However, the discussions on land use was carried over to the term of his successor, Lani Cayetano.[20]

See also

References
  1. ""The Aura of a Beautiful Mall - SM Prime"". SM Prime. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. "SM PRIME CREATES NEW LANDMARK WITH SM AURA; SETS NEW STANDARD IN GREEN DEVELOPMENT". SM Prime Press Release. May 17, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  3. "Contact Us | SM Aura Premier". June 10, 2013. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013.
  4. Savills, K. M. C. "SM Aura Tower". kmcmaggroup.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  5. "Andrew Petch - adoboLIVE: Behind the SM Aura brand". adoboLIVE on YouTube. Sanserif Inc. May 17, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  6. Cacho, Katlene (May 17, 2013). "SM now spans 5.9M sq.m." SunStar Cebu. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  7. "Sarah Jessica Parker in Manila for SM Aura Premier opening". BusinessMirror. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  8. "Hollywood star Sarah Jessica Parker attends blessing of The SM Store in Taguig City". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  9. Moral, Cheche V. "Sarah Jessica Parker finds Manila exciting, interesting". Inquirer Lifestyle. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  10. Dumlao, Doris C. (May 20, 2013). "SM puts up 3rd SMX Convention Center in Taguig City". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  11. "Ready your eyes for the IMAX experience at SM Aura". GMA News.
  12. Hazel, Ria (November 8, 2013). "Samsung Hall Opens at SM Aura Premier". SugarSmile. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  13. "San Pedro Calungsod Chapel opens at SM Aura Premier". The Philippine Star. December 14, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  14. "SM Aura Premier launches Office Tower". Manila Bulletin Online. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  15. "KMC Solutions Launches One of the Largest Serviced Offices in the Philippines". PR Newswire. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  16. "Share unbiased news and stories about Bonifacio Global City and McKinley Hill". June 27, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015.
  17. "SM Aura gets award for green features". Philstar.com. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  18. Talavera, Catherine (February 11, 2017). "SM Aura Premier wins LEED Gold certification". Manila Times. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  19. "SM Aura receives LEED Gold Designation". Primer.com.ph. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  20. "Deed for SM Aura construction misinterpreted - BCDA". GMA News. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
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