 A Class Paper Submitted to Professor Chester B. Cabalza
Professor in Anthropology
University of the Philippines Diliman
Summer 2012
Writers/Researchers/Students: Alver Prince Remolar, Jemaima Anna Javier, Lynell Marie Sta Ines, Mharren Castro, Nikko Ner, Paolo Flores, Regina Sophia Gonzalez, Anthony Brian Cuello, Charlee Myre Mejia, Christina Alexia Castro, Ellaine Rose Tan, Harynd Joshua Pascasio, John Kevin Arcenas, Joselito Arcinas, Joseph Cyrus Santalisis, Mia Galindes, Michelle Robles, Raphael Hernandez, Benedict Martin Caliwara Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved. Introduction
The shopping mall has been an edifice of
entertainment and leisure, offering a multitude of services and goods from
movies to dining to retail. Particularly in the country, specifically in Metro
Manila, where there’s almost a mall every fifteen minutes. How does one stand
one in the multitude of malls?
Shoe
Mart or more commonly known as SM has been answering this challenge. Their most
apparent effort is the construction of the Mall of Asia, proudly dubbed as the
country’s second largest mall and the fourth largest all over the world.
What
does this magnanimity entail? Does its epic difference in size change the
experience within the mall? What makes this mall different from the others? Or
is it really just the same, only multiplied in volume?
This
paper is a compilation of various multidisciplinary analytical views from
different essays as written by the members of the class. It aims to evaluate
the Mall of Asia not only as a consumer but as an intellectual applying the
field of course.
SM Mall of Asia
The SM Mall of Asia Complex is a vast compound
of different services and amenities. It all started in the early nineties, when
Mr. Henry Sy, Sr., had envisioned building on of the largest malls in Asia. SM
Prime and SM Investments Corporation joined to reclaim 100 hectares of land
along the Manila Bay. He “envisioned the mall to be more than just a shopping
complex. He wanted it to be a premier integrated leisure destination.”[1]
In May 21 2006, his vision turned to life as the SM Mall of Asia opened to a
welcoming public.
Structures
included in this complex are the SM Mall of Asia, One Esplanade, Nido Fortified
Science Discovery Center, SMX Convention Center, One E-Com Center, Mall of Asia
Arena, and the Concert grounds.
[1]How It All Began. http://smmallofasia.com/moa/?p=1097
Built on almost four hectares of floor area,
the Mall of Asia boasts of 8000 parking slots, 780 shops, 300 dining
establishments, and with a total retail floor area of 407, 101 square meters.
It is no wonder that it is the second largest mall in the Philippines and the
fourth largest in the world. Initially, it had been the largest in the country
upon in construction, however due to recent redevelopment of SM City North Edsa
in 2008, it has been pushed to second place.
The SM Mall of Asia mall grounds consist of
four main buildings: the Main Mall, the Entertainment Mall, and the north and
south carpark buildings. Dining and shopping can be found in the Main Mall,
whilst the Entertainment Mall is a two-storey complex for well, entertainment.
The South Parking building also houses the SM Department Store, while the North
Parking building houses the SM Hypermarket. It has been noted that the mall
attracts a daily average foot traffic of about 200, 000 people.
The
mall boasts of several amenities not usually available to other malls, such as
one of the world’s largest IMAX Theater, and the Philippines’ first
Olympic-sized ice skating rink. Its transportation station is also exemplary as
its design considered all types of public transportation vehicles and the
quantity at any given time.
Architecture
Method in Consumerist Madness: A Look at the Architectural Programming Behind the SM Mall of Asia Shopping Complex
Judging
by its façade, the SM Mall of Asia Shopping Complex or “MoA” as it is most
commonly known is a juggernaut compared to the malls in the Philippines today.
It breaks away from the signature “shoe box” designs of SM malls and goes all
out in terms of size and number of shops and restaurants it houses. The mall,
after all, is the Philippines’ largest and the world’s third largest.
While going on a less boxy
design approach in presenting its retail stores, MoA ups the ante on laying
them all out to provide the newcomer with a cohesive idea of the space. On a
macro level it attempts on orchestrating order by dividing the mall into four
different sectors namely: the Main Mall, the North Wing, the South Wing, and the
Entertainment Mall. The Main Mall is strategically located in the center of the
complex. It is, in the researcher’s observation, a blown-up version of a
typical SM mall sans the boxy layout and with more public spaces. It contains
regular SM mainstays, almost institutions in an SM mall, National Bookstore,
The French Baker, Ace Hardware, Watsons, and the SM Food Court. The Main Mall
serves as the activity hub tying the whole complex together. Aside from a
variety of retail shops and restaurants, the Main Mall also houses an ice
skating rink and large multipurpose halls to accommodate typical mall events.
It is where all foot traffic in the premises converges. The South Wing is
mainly occupied by the SM Department Store with restaurants and service shops
lining its perimeter. It is connected to the Main Mall through bridges and a
sort of arcade walk at the first floor for providing users with a long stretch
of restaurants to choose from. The North Wing is somewhat unique in its
offering of office space for a call center company at its second floor and the
SM Hypermart on the first floor. It serves as a sort of an IT hub for the mall
with its clusters of technology related stores. Just the same with the South
Wing, the North Wing is also connected to the Main Mall via bridges and the
same type of arcade walk for the restaurants. Lastly, the Entertainment Mall
stays true to its namesake by housing the cinemas and an enormous music hall
for concert type events.
Judging by the mall’s store
layout, it is not hard to lose your way around it. Although it divided itself
into four parts, each part somehow is identical to the others. It is
interesting to note that all four sectors house a mixture of retail and
restaurant establishments. The North and South Wings are actually almost
identical in its presentation and layout that it is easy to get disoriented and
to mistake one for the other. Add to the problem of similarity the issue of a
sprawling size and you have yourself a labyrinth full of people spending more
time ambling along the paths than actually getting any shopping done. This is
attested to by most interviewees who confessed of getting lost in the mall a
number of times in their first few visits.
Another interesting thing with
the store layouts is SM’s way of clustering together stores with similar
offerings. To illustrate, a Penshoppe, Bench, Oxygen, and
other types of clothing retail stores are clustered together in the Main Mall.
Aside from this type of clustering, the mall also seems to follow a hierarchal
pattern in placing stores. To illustrate again, one can find brands such as
ZARA, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Marks & Spencer, Lacoste, etc. on the second
floor and Penshoppe, Bench, Oxygen, etc. directly below it. It seems to convey
a socially stratified way of organizing spaces with stores that cater to the
A-B classes located above the stores catering to the C-D-E classes. The seating
and general rest areas provided for the second floor with the most high end
shops are typically fewer than those on the first floor. This suggests that the
foot traffic in the lower floor is greater and thus warrants more rest areas
than the one above. It also dissuades people on the second floor to linger and
loiter around these high end shops.
In conclusion, it can be
inferred that the one who did the layout design of MoA clearly endeavors for
the user to be lost and to wander aimlessly around the mall in the hopes of
exposing him/her to the most storefronts and therefore be a potential buyer.
The clustering of stores may seem to be more chaotic than organized despite the
attempts at grouping them in terms of the products and/or services they offer.
The sheer size of the mall somehow defeats this purpose. To this end, the mall
intends to be chaotic with the ulterior motive of getting the mall visitor to
part with his/her cash.
Wayfinding at the Mall of Asia
Constructed on reclaimed land in Manila Bay and
occupying a grand total of 407,000 square meters, SM Mall of Asia (MOA) is
popular for being the country’s second largest shopping mall, next to SM North
EDSA. The whole complex (which, according to its website, is almost one
kilometer in length, and has a perimeter of nearly two kilometers) consists of
four main buildings – the Main Mall, the Entertainment Mall, the North parking
and the South Parking, respectively – all of which are interconnected by
open-air walkways. With its floor area of approximately four hectares, one can
only imagine the amount of foot traffic MOA experiences everyday.
Wayfinding is defined by Kevin Lynch as “a consistent use and
organization of definite sensory cues from the external environment.” This is
crucial for large projects, since the way users perceive the establishment
could be how they see it for a long period of time. First impression lasts,
indeed; and some of the determining factors would be based on accessibility of
the entrances/exits and the walkability of the entire place. MOA is
pedestrian-friendly, for it was designed as such – with its paved roads
surrounding the whole complex, its numerous walkways, and air-conditioned yet
well-lighted main buildings. Entrances and exits are also placed at strategic
places, with the preceding wide open spaces and signs clearly indicating their
locations. However, the mall’s sheer size is significantly over the maximum
walkable distance – a fact which its designers and administration appeared to
have considered, because of the provision of seating areas and the offer of a
tram shuttle service.
Orientation,
however, is a different matter. Navigating through a mall of such size is a
daunting task, because aside from its overly large building scale, MOA’s layout
is carefully planned out so that almost every usable space is utilized for
business and commercial purposes. Thus, it is to be expected that a significant
portion of malling time would be spent solely on navigating and walking from
one point to another. Some of the students from Sir Cabalza’s class (including
myself) had a difficult time finding the meeting place, although it was not their
first time inside the complex. The brightly colored store fronts do not seem to
help much, what with their similar looking glass facades, and the fact that the
colors repeat at regular intervals. Skylights and center islands (complete with
foliage and sculptures) are provided where there are large spaces; however,
since they are common features of the mall interiors, they also help little
with the public’s orientation.
But the architect and the management attempted to
compensate for the said problems by means of the following: (1) the use of
signs with large bold fonts, which are located almost anywhere that is
convenient to the human eye – suspended overhead, on large posts, etc.; (2) the
strategic location of entrances and exits – they are placed at a walkable
distance from the designated loading/unloading area, and along the walkways;
(3) the provision of landmarks such as the ice skating rink and the music hall,
which both serve as convenient meeting places and popular places to hang out;
(4) the placement of huge mall directories detailing the names, store numbers
and locations of all the shops at the entrances, with an assigned female mall
employee to assist those who have questions regarding the mall layout; and (5)
the presence of numerous mall employees – ranging from maintenance personnel to
security guards.
To their credit, the aforementioned methods seem to
work fairly well.
Language in Architecture: 'A Semiotic Analysis of Sm Mall of Asia'
We defined architecture as an art; and like
all art, it communicates. How and what it communicates varies from every work
of architecture and can be interpreted through the use of semiotics – the
science of symbols. Thus, an architect must develop the skill of incorporating
signs and symbols in his design, and he cannot achieve that unless he first
understands well how to interpret these significations in other works of
architecture. The intention of symbols is very significant for it greatly
enhances the overall design of the building in such a way that it opposes
monotony and typicality, and this is where art, creativity and symbolism come
in. As designers, to design is to be creative, to incorporate value into our
works, and most importantly to make the building a place. Jonathan Hale fascinatingly
elaborates:
“I think we have become overly accustomed to
the idea that if art is to have any value, it should have the quality of
murder. You must kill the routine, kill the expectation. You must kill the
normal.”
A
good study of this includes a good example, and among others, that would be the
city's center - the mall. Here, I looked at considerably one of the top malls
here in the Philippines, the SM Mall of Asia, also known as MoA. Without a
doubt, there are a lot of signs scattered all over the place, but all of these
convey only a single meaning. The SM Mall of Asia, aside from the malls'
passive meaning of the modern town plaza (in MoA's case - a place to gather,
shop, and even go to church), it also takes pride in its grandiosity and hugeness.
The name 'Mall of Asia' itself already tells you its desire to compete with
other malls in Asia and in the whole world. Knowing the history of SM
Supermalls and its owner Mr. Henry Sy – a business tycoon and one of the
richest men in the Philippines, we can say that the erection of MoA served to
be the mark or the turning point of malls in the country. Thus, the
crystal-clear message was sent to all of us – MoA is now (if not the top) one
of the top malls in the country, and it is reflected on how the mall was
designed and built.
SM
Supermalls so far are consistent with their undying motto, “We got it all for you.”, but this time, they really mean it. The
design for MoA was meant to surpass the previously built SM Supermalls and even
any other mall in the Philippines. Most SM Supermalls were designed all most
the same way that it’s obvious many of them resemble other. They all have the
central organization design which is applied to all floors so that it is
stacked on one another. The layout is generally the same too, with the
supermarket on the ground floor, the department store above it, the movie house
on the topmost floor, and all the other shops lined in that straight corridor.
And of course, how could we not forget every SM Supermall’s light-colored
interiors, plain-looking exteriors and the humongous blue-and-white SM logo on
its façade? Typically, this was the normal design of SM Supermalls until SM
Mall of Asia came to life. It has fulfilled and far exceeded the expectations
people, surpassed the commonalities of the series of SM Supermalls, and
breaking apart the typical Filipino mall shopping.
Through
experience within the building, I learned that the SM Mall of Asia, as they
call it, is a ‘mall of firsts’, simply because it has a lot of features that
came into Philippines for the first time. It is the first one to have the
overlooking view of the Manila Bay, where people can walk, sit, eat, and ride
the 20-seater tram or the ferry cruise while watching its famous sunset. It has
the first Olympic-size ice skating rink and the first ever I-MAX 3D movie
theatre. It has hundreds of shops and restaurants to choose from. With these,
MoA has not just ‘got it all’ for us, it even has more than what we ask for.
Furthermore, these perfectly complement the business intent of the mall as it
provides people with such attractions more than just buying goods.
The
mall was indeed well-placed. Located at the end of EDSA, beside the Manila Bay,
and near the NAIA, both the city people and foreigners have an easy access to
it. Acting more like a tourist spot than just a mall, not only does it keep the
income coming but displays itself to the whole world. What’s more, the architecture of MoA is
rather an interesting one. Its modern architectural design is said to be
modeled after a ship, signifying its affinity with the body of water beside it.
The mall is divided into four main parts: the main mall at the front for shops
and leisure, the entertainment mall for more shops, movie-going and events, and
the north park and south park building for the SM Department Store and
Hypermarket respectively. This deviates from the standard design of previously
built SM Supermalls. The exterior did not need to be plain and dull anymore; as
it does not have to keep the people inside since the mall is present in both
inside and outside. Additionally, there
is the bay-walk, the esplanade, and the 5,000-capacity parking lot on its
outside. At the entrance, there is the MoA’s gigantic globe-like figure, acting
as the mall’s trademark and symbolizing its pride and competency in the mall
industry around the world.
The
semiotic intent that was embedded in the mall is to tell people that MoA is not
your typical mall, that there is such thing as grandiosity in an Asian country
like the Philippines and that it can pass the international standards of urban
mall industry. It is a complete success in providing people almost everything
that a mall can offer, even providing what other previously malls did not.
Thus, its message is to showcase itself to be a new mall that can top other
malls in the country and compete with the world’s best. Through semiotics and
the way it was architecturally designed makes us indeed understand that message
very well.
The
meanings found in architectural works are surprisingly important for man to
live in harmony with his space. It is simply language communicated through a
different medium, in this case, art and architecture. Through the science of
semiotics, another way to understanding man and his behavior is provided. After
all, cultures from different eras in (pre)history were mostly learned and
understood through the work of man himself. How we interpret the environment
around us and how we understand these meanings shapes our understanding of
truth and of ourselves.
Regionalism
SM
Mall of Asia, like the rest of the SMs in Metro Manila is an imposing structure
that looks nothing like the rest of the buildings in its vicinity. The SM malls
were usually named after the places where they were built. North EDSA, Bacoor,
Quiapo, and the rest of the innumerable SM malls are often just air-conditioned
boxes with retailers inside and the placeless quality of their aesthetic is
forgivable because these affixes to the SM brand are just there to tell
customers where that specific mall is. Now, naming anything to be of a place implies a sense of belonging
to that place and in the case of SM Mall of Asia it has to be asked if the Mall
of Asia, beyond the marketing speak, feels of this belonging to Asia. If there
was no intent to make Mall of Asia iconic in a cultural perspective, it could
have simply been named SM Pasay or SM Manila Bay to follow previous SM malls.
The
first unique feature that one would likely notice is the rather different
silhouette that the Mall of Asia cuts in the skyline. Regardless of the
perforated aluminum embellishments that have been attached to SM Megamall or
the tensile fabric tents and sky garden of SM North EDSA, the SM silhouette is
generally a rectangle lying on its long side. This is not the case with Mall of
Asia. Whether the approach is done by bus, jeep, or car, one would easily spot
the slopes of the parapets and the three towering cylinders. It does not evoke
any cultural associations and that is understandable because SMs are primarily
commercial establishments and a distinct regional recall is not usually a high
level concern for businesses such as this. Interestingly there is a large
LED-lit steel globe named the Globamaze
Moving
closer towards and into the mall, the materials that make up the mall come into
focus. In architecture, materials are important in placing a piece of
architecture in a region. For example, the stonework in houses in Vigan would
tell a visitor that one is in Vigan; the mother-of-pearl windows in Capiz would
speak of being in Capiz; this is because of the association that materials and
craftsmanship have with the spirit of a
place. The materials that make up the Mall of Asia interiors and exteriors are
mostly concrete, steel, and cladding. These materials are inherently placeless
because of their neutrality and industrial manufacture. Again, the inclination
towards an international design is shown in these design choices.
Now,
the international leanings are maintained through other design choices that are
fairly necessary in a typical mall. There is a strong air-conditioning system
which aids in the separation of the customers from the outside world. There are
few windows save for the skylights which are not advisable in a tropical country
because of the scorching sun and the heavy rain that may cause leaks -- the
lack of windows being another mall design staple to remove the concerns of the
outside world and focus the customers' attentions on the hundreds of retail
outlets.
What
is apparent in the design is that SM Mall of Asia is not really an architecture
that is uniquely Asian, or even Filipino, but rather an SM that is distinct
from the rest of the SMs. However, considering the design limitations in making
a successful mall and the desire to create an international feel, it would be
fair to say that SM Mall of Asia is unique enough to justify its grandiose
name. Despite the idealist notion that places should speak of their locales,
the reality is that SM is a business and its architectural design model has
worked to forward its aims and has undeniably succeeded repeatedly.
On the Environmental Impacts of SM Mall of Asia
With all the fast-paced developments around
us today, there exists a kind of social revolution that calls for a concrete
response in saving ourselves from our own impacts to the environment. For
architecture alone, such call is a pressing issue as 40% of all the
environmental damage can be traced back to the booming construction industry.
The concrete jungle of central business districts, and commercial complexes,
shopping malls and the like stand as unfaltering evidences of both
technological advancement and humanity’s increasing ecological footprint. For
that, sustainability efforts in architecture, engineering, and planning arise
and are being constantly pushed for to alleviate the dire condition of Mother
Earth.
In
this light, how can a carefully planned establishment as the Philippines’
largest and world’s third largest mall, the SM Mall of Asia has contributed to
the built environment’s condition, implies an initiation of several
perspectives towards ecologically responsive design.
Close
to two million bags of cement used to build it and 44,000 gallons of paint
consumed, it also has 1.9 million floor tiles installed in it – so described,
the SM Mall of Asia has a lot more ecological impact than that related to its
constructional composition. Its mechanical system is perceivably of centralized
mechanical ventilation such that with its kilometric scale, environmental effects
are just as much complicated. Though the
design have elements of walk-able landscapes encouraging courtyard passive
cooling and natural lighting, the entire development sits on a coastal land
area reclaimed whose preceding environments have been altered drastically for capitalistic
potentials. Huge developments similar to this case nowadays are expected to
have sustainability initiatives. Some even apply for accreditation from LEED,
BERDE, and similar distinctions that practice energy-efficiency methods even at
the onset of construction. For SM MoA,
building construction follows conventional-contemporary framework that are not
practically at par with the rising crusade.
However,
the SM group or chain of malls takes pride of public-known awards like the PCCI
Excellence in Economy and Ecology Award in 2009. This particular distinction
credits their outstanding efforts in waste management, water conservation, and
air quality efficiency among others.
But what are they there for if the truest
essence of ecologically-responsive design is not directly felt? SM MoA may be
well-maintained but just the fact that the facility operates posing a huge
impact to the environment is a critical consideration for the future’s welfare.
On a lower scale even, the strolling grounds have little or no trash cans to be
used, so some wastes people accumulate welcome you besides the mall’s iconic
globe.
It is not only about the future effect of the
mall as a melting pot of Filipino culture in the environmental crusade, but the
reflection of what people patronize amidst a pressing issue of their
generation. It is not only about looking good, but feeling good, and knowing
that what one enjoys, as a cultural commercial hub can be guilt free from the
larger picture that is, the worsening state of Mother Earth.
Beyond All the Noise: Refining Sensibilities in Public Architecture
It is quite difficult
pinpointing the purpose and potential of architecture beyond aesthetics to a
majority. More often than not, an architecture student in the Philippines will
encounter questions such as, “In what style (of architecture) do you do?” “What
do you there, (just) draw?” and other questions go on. These are forgivable in
relation to the context or circumstance from which they are asked from.
Communicating sensibilities and the derived preferences to one’s surroundings
cannot be particularly expected from most of a still-progressing country. A
bountiful number are happy simply having a house and lot to live in. But what
of those who have the power to manipulate the surroundings of a place,
particularly the Metro? Did they perhaps consider the possibilities of the
different roles architecture does play in our society?
This piece would like to answer
such a question by placing a magnifying glass above the overwhelming grounds of
SM Mall of Asia – zooming into, particularly, its concert grounds and the venue
called “centerstage” in which international corporate functions may be held.
Such would particularly be a curious case due to its scale, its market, and the
fact that such places would be catering to the world-known interest
characteristic to Filipinos: the art of performing or music in general. How
would the venue which offers the largest capacity in terms of market for such
events look like? How would the people of the creators of the karaoke determine its space?
SM Mall of Asia is owned by SM
Prime Holdings. It is located at the very southern end of C-4 or Epifanio Delos
Santos Avenue. Such a position in the city enables permeability as it is
reachable by all types of transportation available in the metro – the MRT,
buses, jeepneys, and vehicles. Its area is meant to cater to greater than the
typical two kilometer radius planned cachment market for commercial areas,
especially with its size and people carrier capacity taken into consideration.
Its conception had been done with the vision of creating the largest mall in
Asia; however, it now presently is known to be the second largest within the
Philippines. Strangely, it has been dwarfed by the final product of SM North
Edsa located in Quezon City. SM Prime Holdings boasts to “have it all for you”
and indeed in a crazily hastened pace with the simultaneous planning and
erection of a multitude of other projects. Due to its scale and footprint on a
myriad of cities, its presence is a formidable and influential force. Its
characteristic box-like image or façade may possibly become the visual
definition of a mall for those unexposed to other forms of commercial areas of
such a scale.
As a form of
public architecture, it carries with it the potential to influence Filipino
culture and thinking. Hellman words the relevance in architecture finding
reason for it specifically as it is a form of art when he said, “architecture,
being art, communicates… and like art, it can be disturbing, inspiring,
alienating, transcending… depending on the goals, conscious or unconscious, of
the people who instigate and design it.” Such does undermine a political
perspective into its conceptualization; this was especially used by those in
power or those who craved it. Adolf Hitler saw this possibly function of
architecture as he claims it to be “stone documents… an expression of power of
the nation.”
Every single
physical element of architecture has a corresponding anthropomorphic meaning to
those exposed to it. It would be easier for architects, as De Botton mentions
in his work, Architecture of Happiness, to have a certain guide which gives
forms to its corresponding meanings or intentions that it can render to those
it serves. Alas, the diversity of the context from which the character and
thinking of people are formed, is an indomitable force that cannot be reckoned
with. Of course, there are other considerations in the interpretation and
analysis of physical and visual elements which also goes against such an
invention. Such leaves architects to rely on the lasting impression their
structures may have on its people, that is, if they were to use architecture as
a symbol of intention, an artwork that is capable of speaking, eliciting
reaction and influence on people.
The experience of
architecture and what potential it has in manifesting a certain ideal will rely
on the elements which create an impression on a lay person. Here, a lay person
shall be the term used for those who are not sensitive to architecture or the
power of semiotics in its design. The venue known as CenterStage and the SM MOA
concert grounds will be considered as these cater to interesting participants:
audience capacity of 70,000 as the highest number recorded for the concert
grounds, with 995 accomodation for CenterStage. It is a recommended location
thus for international guests and artists. For
those attending events in these areas, architecture does not seem particularly
at a focus here wherein it can be used as a means of reinforcing identity or an
idea. The elements of architecture taken into consideration here, are those
which have left obvious impressions on guests such as the stage, the lighting
display, the performance of its sound system, accessibility as well as the area
in which the guest would be seated or standing by.
The experiences which I have gained in these areas had been in
attendance of the David Cook, David Archuleta and the Black Eyed Peas concert
held at the outdoor grounds and the Green Global Concepts, an international
symposium hosted by Archinet and the University of Santo Tomas last 2011.
Concerts and pedagogical areas are venues in which inspiration, as well
as a sharing of interest takes place. Indeed, both venues did serve its
function in accommodating a plentitude. But if one were to think towards the
details of the experience for the concert grounds, all would particularly agree
how different and relevant seating matters when attending concerts. Its capacity
of 70,000 strong hold located on the SMX side is too much, as it divides the
spaces so far back linearly away from stage.
Despite the presence of two wide-screen, approximately 9 meter high and
12 meter wide screens on either side of the stage set-up, those end up seating
on the silver set-up area can barely see a thing (with the following scale
which follows large-amount to
lower-amount corresponding to the nearness to the stage: VIP A&B, Gold,
Silver, Bronze). Grounds are located in areas with sidewalks, trees, and
different levels of grounding making it very difficult for ease and safety of
passage especially within a crowd. Having VIP passes do not ensure seating (on
monobloc chairs), depending on the type of concert. Albeit, that the area is more
level and safe, as it is on a grassy plain. No other shelter is provided in
case of the absence of clear skies. According to announcements made for other
concerts, if in case the weather is rainy, the entire venue will have to be
transferred to the SMX Convention Center on its side.
Lights and sounds vary depending upon the concert, but access to the
grounds are always located on the side closest to the SMX area for convenience
of those travelling from the road and the mall. On the other side of the grounds
does lie the bay area where there are two fountains and some landscaping that
may be enjoyed if one decides to go earlier in the afternoon the area before
attending the concerts which are usually scheduled in the evening. Though these
are elements incomparable to the sculptural and sensual titanium façade of the
Walt Disney Concert Hall or perhaps the light show evidently emanating from the
LA Staple Center even from afar – all mentioned elements which have been
recorded in passing memory are key factors in manipulating experience. As public architecture, these possess a
greater potential in encompassing ideas, reinforcing concepts and experiences.
If one were to meet one’s idol in the music world, would it be wonderful to
remember doing so tiptoe-ing and stepping on another foot while clinging onto
the side of a fence? It is as well, commonplace that in concerts planned in
Manila whether in this location or in the Araneta Coliseum, the guests can wait
up to an hour or more before the awaited artist makes the grand entrance. Was
this perhaps taken into consideration in its design?
Public
architecture, particularly in the form of venues which cater to entertainment
or of places which house the interests of the people, can speak so much. The
blaring and visually liquid impression which Broadway at New York leaves the
impression of the glitz, glamour and the reverberating statement “You have
arrived”, likewise to how some may find profound sense of resilience,
determination and perseverance in the creeping ivy in one’s backyard wall or on
the facades of an ivy league school. These can also serve as political and
economical solutions as likewise the past generation has observed the “Bilbao
Effect” caused by the Bilbao Guggenheim created by Gehry for its city image. SM
Mall of Asia’s size obviously draws attention, and boasts of its amenities. But
are these worth being so proud of when it comes to its concert grounds and
international conference area? These cannot possibly considered innovative or
in any way leading towards discovering new experiences for these activities in
contrary to the SM Prime Holdings vision.
What we see or are
exposed to is not the end all of how things can be. Architecture serves as a
visual record of culture. Despite the very dynamic forms in which our Filipino
culture evolves into, the sensibility of a Filipino lay person and architect
can sometimes be lacking. This as well speaks of one’s open-mindedness and
imagination. SM Mall of Asia will be opening its SM Mall of Asia Arena wherein
Lady Gaga will grace its halls for its first due performance this May 2012.
Would it be a better version of what SM Prime Holdings as currently offered
avid music-lovers and academicians? We shall find out.
The typical meaning of a mall for people is a building that contains a complex of shops that represents merchandisers, with interconnecting pathways to enable the visitors to walk from one unit to another and a parking lot for the customers who will ride their cars to reach the mall. Different stores every floor, a lot of restaurants to choose from where the people may eat and a lot of stores to buy clothes from. Malls also include stores where you can buy school materials, furniture, electronics, foods and grooming products at the supermarket and many more which the stores near your place does not have.
407,000
square-meters. The Philippines’ largest and world’s third largest mall. This is
the SM Mall of Asia or MOA as we Filipinos call it. From regular SM Super Malls
to SM Mega Mall to SM Mall of Asia, it’s sort of ironic that a third world
country like the Philippines holds one of the world’s largest malls and
probably the most enthusiastic mallers in the world. We are a developing
country yet we have more shopping centers than of those highly developed ones.
Glorietta and Ayala Malls caters the upper class and SM caters the middle and
lower classes. As Conde (2009) describes the Philippines being a “mall nation”
he says, “Malls serve as cultural centers in a nation where many live on less
than $2 a day.”
Malls to the Filipinos are like museums to
the Europeans. Filipinos are more fascinated rather addicted to “malling”
rather than visiting museums and rediscovering their histories. Filipinos are
able to isolate themselves from the opposite realities of society the mall
presents. The mall became a social status and at present, in what mall you are
shopping in, ranks your social status. Maybe that brings the so-called “malling
experience”
Malls
in the Philippines these days are no longer for shopping primarily. We asked
the people why they were in moa that day and the answers we got were to:
“Gala”, spend time with family, to “Pasyal-Pasyal” and “Palamig”, to eat, to
bond with friends and date. It’s a place for leisure and entertainment. Or for
some people, the tropical climate of our country with the heat magnified by the
summer season leaves some of us with no choice to run to these malls.
The mall simply provides them a venue to bond and be with each other. Having
malls of this size also seem very practical to us. Just go to the mall and
everything is walking distance and within our reach. In fact, the first thing
most students think of when planning a gimmick is “Saang mall tayo?”
Malls have also been a tool in
showcasing Filipino traditional cultures since when there are special occasions
in some provincial malls like their festivals; the malls also participate in it
by decorating themes that are related to the festivity of the locality where
the mall is situated. For example, in SM Baguio, during Panagbenga, there are
many decorations inside the mall showcasing major themes in the festival like
flowers, strawberries, etc. “Kultura,” one of the boutiques in SM Mall of Asia
and other SM malls also showcase some of the traditions of the Filipinos by
selling t-shirts, mugs, decorations having some traditional picture or themes
printed or engraved in it.
MOA has this different structure
which, as we observe it, affects the behavior of people differently compared to
the typical malls in the metro. For example, in between its buildings, Mall of
Asia has these open spaces where people can chill out while having snack. In a
typical mall, the places to rest were the food court, the restroom, or the
vacant seats in the department store where shoe buyers would be seated. Maybe
it has been anticipated that since the place is large, there must be a place
where people could rest after a tiring day of walking. Convenience is brought
to the people.
This
mall is also a melting pot of people from different levels of society. It’s a
place where the rich and not-so-rich share common ground. You may get lost in
the huge space but you won’t feel out of place. For SM Mall of Asia, there are
those international stores that offer international brands of clothing,
jewelries and other luxury items that only those who are part of the high-class
customers can afford. One example here are the coffee shops, Coffee shops
became mainstream places to pass idle time for our generation and most people
in my age bracket would have at least one coffee shop experience. The prices of
coffee shop products are not for the general population and that serves as one
of the criteria that reserved these food establishments only for those who have
the money to spend. Another example, although it doesn’t just cater high class
people but also those who are in the middle, In the ice cream parlor, which I
judged to be western inspired, the customers were more often foreigners than
Filipinos. It can be construed in this particular type of food establishment
that it caters more to the westerners mainly because it is their brand and they
have a particular taste for their food, how it is prepared and the general
culture in which food is served and consumed inside that particular restaurant.
The foreigners might have felt a certain affinity for the place, because even
the interior design of the restaurant was rodeo/Wild Wild West themed. And also
some Filipino cuisine restaurant where most of the time a large Filipino
family, the extended one, so it may be composed of six to ten members per
table, are the customers. It is very common in these occasions for the
restaurants to adjust their tables to accommodate the large group.
But
there are also local stores that cater to middle-class customers with
reasonably priced items. Like fast food chains, in the fast food restaurant,
the customers were of a wider range. The restaurant was full, especially at the
particular time when we observed—lunchtime. Customers from different walks of
life come and go in the fast food restaurant. There were families, groups,
couples and those who are alone. There were Filipinos and foreigners. There
were elderly people and youngsters. Fast food restaurants are for general
patronage. They were designed to cater to everybody, there’s always something
that a fast food restaurant that would please a certain customer.
In
some cases that we believe there is, people spend their time in non-sense
window shopping, pretending to be of higher class rather than finding jobs. “Yumayaman
lalo ang mga mayayaman at naghihirap ng tuluyan ang mga mahihirap ng dahil sa
pangangarap.”
Always
spending time in this type of environment may also foster feelings of
discontent. Certainly an intent in the malls that advertise “mall walks” is
that in browsing past the storefronts a desire will rouse to want something or
more bluntly create a discontent for that which you already have. Moreover, it
feeds our compulsion. As sociologist Maria Rowena SA Briones stated, “The mall
slogan 'We’ve got it all for you',” which the SM mall chain uses, “gives the
impression that when you go to a mall, everything is easy and fanciful. (Conde
2009)
On
a bigger scale, SM Mall of Asia revolves around some principles of these
struggles for power through capitalism, competition, and neo-colonialism by the
force of globalization.
It
is like a small society that is structured as a building – the mall owner
(Henry Sy) being the top of the hierarchical political structure of the mall
society and the customers being the people and the different boutiques/shops
being the departments of the mall bureaucracy. There are the policemen that
focuses on the mall security, there are also places for baby-sitting, breastfeeding
for mothers, sight-seeings, etc. It is like the concept of the Panopticon for
almost all of the places in the mall have CCTV cameras that records and watches
every actions of its customers.
The
economic importance of malls is obvious. It is evident that SM Mall of Asia and
other malls employ hundreds of Filipinos (its salesmen and salesladies,
cargomen, janitors, etc). On the other hand, It is an apparent ideology that SM
Mall of Asia or any of SM Corporations’ branches pursues Capitalism. The latest
controversy that went viral on the news was the clearing down of 182 Baguio
Pine trees. He eyed on 182 Pine Trees to be turned into a parking lot extending
SM Baguio. The society demands for the proper discretionary measure which was
to leave the Pine trees still deeply rooted. The market of SM Baguio encouraged
innovation in the form of new products and better production process.
Giant
food chains versus weakling food chains, branded apparels over locally made
shirts, and Jeepneys over buses or even co-jeepneys for commuters. Competition
is present on the four corners of the mall. This competition aims for greater
pull of customers or purchasers using different marketization techniques. The
Philippines practices a free market society wherein government intervention is
limited only to some tax, waste, and other regulations based on Constitutional
laws. As we (the class) roamed around the mall, stores or retail outlets are
mostly franchises from abroad or caters to the mid-to-high class of the
society. The concept of neo-colonialism and globalization enters the scene.
Globalization affects our preferences and choices in life. Market of
globalization has entered the arena because of the goal to promote healthy
competition for the benefit of accumulating wealth. But industries that are
weak namely our local products are being thrashed aside by the imported
products which caused a rapid decline of our nation's industry.
With
today’s dynamic changes brought about by these innovations it also somehow
serves as a catalyst for the people to be driven to a strongly materialistic
lifestyle.
Walking
around the Mall of Asia one can’t help but think that every mall is indeed not
just another establishment with fancy stores selling fancy stuff and all that
but every mall is to be considered as the modern cathedrals of consumerism. In
contrary to what people of the past do whenever problems arise or whenever
depressing situations come up, people of our modern time tend to substitute
churches with malls, prayers with shopping, and deities with aesthetic
superficial images of perfection. In times of depression or solitude, people
are urged to shop. In times of contentment and pleasure, they are urged to go
celebrate and be the big consumers as they are. For many years this has been
how people cope up with life, by shopping. Like the traditional notion of
religion, everyone is free to choose anything he/she wanted and after achieving
self-fulfillment, like a old TV set, discards it.
Because
of consumerism, the idea of “holy” and “sacred” for consumers are the brands of
items that they own. In Sigmund Freud’s book The Future of an Illusion, he
considers religion as a defense mechanism for everyday life. It becomes a
defense mechanism for the consumers to shop and shop so they will be able to
avoid and forget their loneliness and life’s frustrations. In other’s defense,
they consider shopping as something that it therapeutic or something that calms
their moods and soothes their nerves but in some cases due to the intense
desire of entirely abandoning the reality that is life some consumers get lost
and turn into shopaholics.
Malls
are structures of illusions. They provide people with uncertain present see,
feel, hear and experience the grand and successful future. We see malls as
structures of advancement and success. A great example of this idea of escapism
is what consumers get in aesthetic cinema that depicts the picturesque world of
the alternative. It’s like an escape for the consumers from their hard
lives to see these actors in their perfect world, with their perfect lines, and
their perfect lives. In this case, Ludwig Feuerbach’s idea of how people
perceive their gods to be their “perfect projection” is the same as to how the
consumers or the movie goers feel about the actors in the movie. Consumerism is
now the modern religion and the market as the God.
In
conclusion, we have observed five factors present in the culture of malling,
namely: leisure, escapism, social interaction, social status and of course
capitalism. As stated above, one of the most sought after when going to a mall
is the leisure, whatever pleasure or entertainment it gives to the person.
Malls have become the “parks” of our generation. It has been a source of escape
to some people who for a moment wanted to forget what has been happening in
reality. Some people might call this distressing, treating yourself for a nice
movie or other things you find distressing.
On
social interaction, it is possible that “MOA” as a term is associated with
convenience, experience, and family. This is how people defined MOA all over
the years, and such consciousness has been echoed through social media or by
word of mouth. When you hear the term MOA, you might associate different
properties that would give you a definition of the term. The definition,
however, is dynamic and is relative to our experience with the term.
Another
thing, using Sikolohiyang Pilipino as a perspective, one of the core theories
lies on the notion of kapwa as the central value inherent to all
Filipino people. As defined, kapwa is the shared identity of self &
other, the notion that a part of your identity relies on what is not you
– that is, what others are. This is regarded as the core value of SP on the
basis that it serves as a guide for Filipinos to base their social interactions
and cognitive processes on.
BibliographyFirst, it seems that social interaction between strangers arises when such an interaction could benefit one party. Taking one side’s point of view, there was benefit obtained from asking someone directions (one would know where to go next). For the other party, he/she would have something to gain from another person moving out of their way as he/she takes a picture (or rather, they would not have to take the picture again in the event that the passing party was caught in the picture as well). Second, it seems that such interactions are very limited in time and duration. Actually talking to a stranger, on average, took only less than ten seconds to finish. An exception to this would be cases wherein the one person was asking for directions from another person, which usually took longer. Malls have also become a status symbol, it maybe subtle because technically anyone could go there. But there are establishments that are specifically for the rich, especially when we pertain to prices of goods, whatever goods there are. Most of the time, one look at the tag price and your off the store, if you know you can’t afford it. This is true for almost everything like restaurants, apparel stores, etc. but the most obvious one of them all is the skating rink. Most of the people, skating in the ice were obviously rich kids and some adults, and not to mention the price of that commodified experience. Of course these are all visible observations what could really be seen, and what they want us to see. As social science student, we also see what they don’t want us to see, that behind these perfect and fascinating structures, capitalism prevails. The market principles of SM Corporation reflect their focus on profit-maximization and self-interest. Because of the capitalist behavior of those of managing SM, and their greed for a larger income, protests and boycotts are done by people; militant groups have criticized them for their unfair labor practices, encouraging excessive consumerism, catering mostly to the affluent, harming the poor by enticing them with things they can’t afford. Nonetheless, there is nothing inherently wrong with malling. We all need to buy some stuff from time to time but what is wrong with what is happening to our society today is that we buy much more than what we need. We let consumerism take over us. Let us not forget that we are not the only people in this world and not all of us, enjoy the things that we enjoy, even on the basic things such as food. It is bad for us, for the environment, for the next generation, for everyone and for everything. It makes the world go around money and material things and that is never the point of existence. SM MOA and its Effect on SME's and other Surrounding Businesses in the Surrounding SM Mall of Asia (MoA) has been around for 6 or so years. Dubbed as the largest shopping establishment in the Philippines, Asia even, and third in the world when it was completed, it has become a site for almost any kind of activity: shopping, dining, family and individual fun and entertainment. Housing over at least 1000 shops and sites and continually changing, ranging from everything anyone needs, SM MoA proudly boasts that they truly “Got it all for you.” But with everything here, what about existing establishments in the area?
MoA
stands at the southern tip of EDSA and parallel to both Roxas Boulevard and
Taft Avenue. These are the sites of some once major sites in the Philippines:
Cubao, Quiapo, Baclaran, The National Museum, PICC, CCP, the World Trade
Center, and Phil Trade Center, to say a few. These landmarks house few of the
Philippines’ greatest and historic artifacts and some of the cheapest bargains
inside the metro. Sadly, the local market for these sites have drastically
decreased since the gates of the MoA complex opened. We now often hear schools
arranging field trips to MoA and the kids just loving the idea. Has the mall
replaced our national treasures?
To cite a few, the National Museum and Museong Pambata are now rarely seen in
itineraries of students. MoA’s Nido Fortified Science Discovery Center and of
course other modern day science museums are slowly replacing the home of our
national heritages, Spolarium and the Manunggul Jar among other national
heritages. The history of our nation is now slowly being forgotten and replaced
my modern science in which only few of our own Filipino inventors are
recognized.
MoA’s
IMAX Theater and its other cinemas, like in other malls in our country, have
almost already killed the small movie theatres in the manila area. The mall’s
Hypermarket also have seen the downfall of some wet markets and some smalltime
supermarkets in the metro though this has not yet been fully seen in Baclaran
and Quiapo, Manila’s discount capitals. Good for them, though with the rise of
sales and discount stores inside the mall, selling originals not knockoffs,
some people now tend to go to these stores rather than risk being pick-pocketed
or snatched.
Other areas that have been affected are the
World Trade and Phil Trade Centers, and PICC. With the rise of MoA’s SMX, the
three have seen less and less conventions and trade shows. Also the nearby Star
City is currently slowly losing some of its customers since MoA added some
carnival rides, one of which is now the Philippines largest ferris wheel
surpassing Enchanted Kingdom’s, and other sport and outdoor activities by the
bay. MoA offers both leisure plus site seeing in one minus the risk since they
boast that their rides are new.
MoA,
in its 6 more or less years, has also seen a lot of events and concerts, local
and foreign artists alike. Because of this, CCP and Cubao’s Smart Araneta
Coliseum (Big Dome) have seen fewer concerts and events. Now with the upcoming
opening of The Arena even sporting events may also be affected bringing the
possible downfall of the Big Dome, Cuneta Astrodome and other Sports complexes.
Yes,
SM Mall of Asia does have it all for us, but at what cost? Is the aircon and
free wi-fi connection they give nowadays much important than our own history
and national treasures? The future of the establishments around MoA is
certainly unsure. Let’s just hope that it will never come the time that we will
call Manila, SM City, Philippines since they already got everything a city
needs.
The SM Mall of Asia as the Center of Cultural and Shopping Spree
Shopping is just one of the options from a variety of
services that Philippine malls can offer. To many Filipinos, the mall is not
only a public space for commercial purposes such as food courts, restaurants,
cinemas, entertainment venue, sports and fitness but in addition it became a
venue for different cultural activities.
Here in the SM Mall of Asia, the music hall is one of
the places where in you can indulge sightseeing on the seaside and a large
Ferris wheel, typically a unique experience of enjoyment while listening to the
musical concerts. It was located at the Level 1 entertainment section facing
the Manila bay. But unfortunately there was no scheduled concert on my visit
last Saturday.
Several different Asian-culture restaurants may be found on the entertainment hall's second level. I have sampled the Thai cuisine at Jatujak restaurant. I especially liked their version of "yom yum" which is made with thick coconut milk. If you're looking for Filipino ethnic products, ranging from musical instruments to clothing, textiles, accessories - "Kultura Filipino" offers a variety of indigenous products of our country. While whiling my time away, I walked around the main mall of MOA looking at the different clothes, shoes, and things of the sort. I then noticed the newly opened Japanese branded store, "Uniqlo". The printed t-shirt shows the image of the Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Philippine popaular culture. The mall in the Philippines exercises an important influence on the development of our culture by offering different local products, while at the same time introducing the imported products of our neighboring countries from Asia and other parts of the globe ranging from food to clothes. Thus, the malls have become our parks and squares customized to showcase our new economic purchasing power box commercially our cultural custom and traditions.
· Appleyard,
Brian. “Shopping around for salvation” Obtained from:
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/shopping-around-for-salvation-the-new-religion-is-consumerism-and-massive-malls-are-its-cathedrals-let-us-bow-our-heads-and-pay-1501792.html
· Conde,
C. (2009) Mall nation. Global Post. Retrieved May 19, 2012 from
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/philippines/090428/mall-nation?page=0,1
·
Feuerbach,
Ludwig. “The Essence of Christianity.” 1841.
·
Freud,
Sigmund. “The Future of an Illusion.” 1927.
· Weber,
S. (2011) The tyranny of the discontent. SM Mall of Asia Website. Retrieved May
18, 2012 from http://smmallofasia.com/moa/?p=1097
·
Hale, Jonathan. The Old Way of
Seeing. New York: Houghtin Mifflin Company, 1994.
Photos from:
·
Nikko Ner
|
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Malls & Cultural Consumerism in the Philippines: The Case of SM Mall of Asia
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