SM
Marikina stands tall above a 23-meter Marikina River water lever rise because
it sits on 246 stilts and an additional 20 meters farther than the suggested
90-meter distance from the Marikina River centerline
SM
Marikina’s resiliency saves an average of Php1 billion in terms of business
losses during calamities which helps MSMEs who rely on the mall for their
business growth
For its neighboring communities, SM Marikina also serves as a safe
haven and a first responder to families who are affected during calamities.
Floods and rising water levels brought about by typhoons are
perennial problems in Marikina city, which is considered as one of the
low-lying areas of Metro Manila. During typhoons, Marikina River’s water can
rise up to 23 meters compared to its normal average level of 13 meters. While
this causes the communities surrounding the Marikina Watershed to be
underwater, SM Marikina stands tall, serving as a safe haven to its neighboring
communities.
The secret? It is sitting
on 246 stilts.
SM City Marikina is
uniquely designed. The 6-hectare mall property which is located within the
Marikina River Watershed is an elevated mall built on top of 246 stilts.
“A critical part of building climate resilient structures is to
understand weather patterns and how it affects the environment where your city
or building will be,” explained Architect Fides Garcia-Hsu, Vice President of
SM Engineering Design and Development (SM EDD). “During the design phase of SM
City Marikina, we considered the long-term flood cycles of the Marikina
Watershed, which was identified to be a high-risk area by the World Bank in
1977.”
Building on stilts traces back to ancient civilization from
different parts of the world. The answer lies in its powerful functionality.
Elevated construction had been the way earliest people groups would protect
themselves from flooding, moisture and surface organisms. It also gives them
provision for open space storage or cultural activities. Lastly, it reduces
cost in modifying natural terrain. While building on stilts have been adopted
by modern architects through the years, people had lost interest in it during
the rise of urbanization.
SM revisited the functionality of ‘building on stilts’ and
reinvented the concept as a climate resilient feature. This design was
complemented with other disaster preparedness considerations to help reduce the
risk of damages during extreme flooding. As such, SM City Marikina was built an
additional 20 meters farther than the suggested 90-meter distance from the
Marikina River centerline. Moreover, the ground floor parking was purposely
laid out as an open-design, without walls to allow water to flow, while the
second floor was elevated at 20.5 meters, which is higher than the maximum
recorded flood levels.
During super typhoons, SM Marikina’s resiliency saves an average
of Php1 billion in terms of losses from business sales alone. This means that
it is able to help its tenants, especially the micro, small and medium
enterprises that depend on the mall for their business continuity and growth.
For its neighboring communities, SM Marikina also serves as a safe
haven and a first responder to families who are affected during calamities. It
also provides free parking spaces for those who are stranded and need a safe
place to wait for flood water to recede.
“Our ultimate goal is to help build the resilience of our
stakeholders. This begins by building our own resilience to serve as a good
foundation they could rely on especially during calamities,” Garcia-Hsu said.
Beyond the city of Marikina, building on stilts may be
experiencing a revival in other parts of the world as urbanization begin to
rise along with a greater demand for greener spaces. This would allow for high
rise developments while keeping ground levels reserved for much needed green
open spaces.
While it took SM an additional 15% in its capital investments to
make SM City Marikina a disaster resilient mall, the group sees it as an
essential investment in its commitment to create shared value for its
stakeholders. This, complemented with a science-based approach on climate
scenario risk analysis, allows SM City Marikina to defy odds and prove that
integrating resiliency is the way to a climate resilient future.
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