SM Nuvali Opens with 1-Hectare Indoor Garden, Signaling Shift from 'Cookie-Cutter' Malls

MANILA, Philippines – SM Supermalls is opening its newest flagship mall in Nuvali, Laguna, on November 27, with a sprawling one-hectare indoor garden at its center, as the property giant continues its push into fast-growing provincial markets while moving away from the utilitarian malls of its earlier expansion years. SM Nuvali, which will have around 82,000 square meters of gross leasable area, will become the group’s 91st mall in the Philippines and its fifth and largest in Laguna. (READ: SM Prime to open its 4th mall in Laguna, 84th in Philippines) At the heart of the development will be an indoor garden covering about one hectare, or 10,000 square meters, surrounded by restaurants overlooking the greenery. “SM Nuvali is something I myself have never seen anywhere in the world,” SM Supermalls president Steven Tan told the media during the company’s midyear business briefing on Tuesday, September 1. Unlike a conventional landscaped atrium, the garden itself will be air-conditioned. Tan said the structure will use a two-layer membrane system that allows sunlight to pass into the garden while trapping heat between the layers before it can enter the mall. The trapped heat is then exhausted out of the building. “You have the sunlight. You have all the outdoor feel without the discomfort of humidity and the heat,” Tan said. Play Video “‘Yung technology niya, bago ‘yan (It uses new technology). It’s just like [the one in] Gardens by the Bay in Singapore,” he added. The newest flagship mall is meant to reflect a broader change in how SM is designing its malls. Tan said the company is deliberately moving away from the more standardized box-like shape of the shopping centers that characterized its earlier expansion. (READ: As inflation bites, Filipinos have become ‘intentional’ shoppers) “When I first joined SM, I just felt na parang cookie-cutter masyado yung mall natin (our malls were too cookie-cutter),” Tan said. “The secret here is starting from the architecture, you adapt to the local community.” Growth in provincial malls Nuvali is part of SM’s continuing push beyond Metro Manila, where the company sees expanding cities and rising incomes creating room for larger retail and lifestyle developments. Laguna is a natural option, given it’s status as the first Philippine province to generate more than P1 trillion in economic output in 2023, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Must Read MAP: Where Filipino families earn the most and least SM executives said provincial markets, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao, continue to show strong growth potential. Outside Metro Manila, malls also act as community centers where customers spend time with family and friends, rather than merely places to shop. Earlier this year, SM opened SM City Zamboanga, its 90th mall in the country and eighth in Mindanao. Tan said demand was already strong even before the mall opened, with available spaces quickly taken up. The same demand is prompting SM to expand existing provincial malls. SM City Iloilo is getting an additional 46,000 square meters, while SM City Sto. Tomas in Batangas will increase its gross leasable area by around 30%. The Sto. Tomas expansion will also feature a new “Green Haven” with cinemas, coworking spaces, and wellness areas. SM City Naga, meanwhile, is also getting a two-story expansion aimed partly at the city’s younger market. At an earlier SM Prime briefing, Tan said the Iloilo, Sto. Tomas, and Naga malls were already more than 95% occupied, with prospective tenants waiting for additional space. That mirrors the strength of SM’s overall mall portfolio. Occupancy reached a record 96% in the first half of 2026, while mall revenues climbed 8% year on year to P41.8 billion, according to Tan. More provincial malls are also in the pipeline. SM expects Tagum and General Trias projects to open next year, while developments in Bohol and Malolos, Bulacan are also being prepared. – Rappler.com Can SM Prime’s Seaside Arena aid Cebu’s recovery from 2025 tourism slump?