SM reinvents ‘Building on Stilts’ as a Climate Resilient Design for the Futur

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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.

Have your breakfast and save the planet

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 World's first breakfast set made from 100% bio-based plastics launched in South Korea, with impact in the Philippines

• Products come with high-quality features with a low environmental impact

• Philips Domestic Appliances (DA) partners with EcoMatcher to plant trees with every purchase from the Eco Conscious Edition

• Philips DA invests in a few thousand trees to be planted by an NGO in the With the Eco Conscious Edition, Philips Domestic Appliances introduces the first complete sustainable breakfast set made with 100% bio-based plastics    from plant oil waste. The breakfast set is designed to offer consumers a green alternative and supports our collective Philips Domestic Appliances’ ambition to grow responsibly and sustainably. The Eco Conscious Edition includes a modern designed kettle, toaster, and coffee maker that comes with different energy-saving functionalities.

In line with the sustainability push, Philips Domestic Appliances is partnering with EcoMatcher to plant trees with every purchase from the Eco Conscious Edition products i.e., each item comes with a tree that can be redeemed.  At EcoMatcher, there is emphasis as well on the social and economic impact tree planting can have on societies, partnering with foundations with a focus on long-term and sustainable empowerment and development on local communities . 

Consumers can redeem trees and track every tree with satellite maps. Philips Domestic Appliances will create a forest by initially investing in a few thousand trees and will work with EcoMatcher’s NGO partner in the Philippines, Fostering Education & Environment for Development (FEED), to plant the trees.  Trees can be tracked on EcoMatcher’s website as well on EcoMatcher’s iOS/Android app. Consumers can name their tree(s), see where it is planted, track its CO2 performance online, and so much more. What’s more, through ForestSounds, tree recipients now can immerse themselves in the local environment of their tree by listening to the sounds of the tree's location. 

High-quality features with a low environmental impact

The complete, durable breakfast set consists of three kitchen utensils: a kettle , toaster  and a coffee maker . The set of these three products accounts for 21% less CO2 emissions . Even the packaging is eco-friendly. 

Sustainably designed with 100% bio-based plastics

The introduction of biologically based plastics made from used cooking oil as part of the product assembly not only means a reduction in water pollution, CO2 emissions  and overall use of natural resources, it represents a breakthrough in the field of developing and manufacturing sustainable materials. A more environmentally friendly production process has emerged: it starts with sunflowers that are processed into cooking oil. After the cooking oil is used in kitchens it is safely collected and transported to a factory that specializes in processing waste products into biobased plastic granules. These granules are then used by Philips Domestic Appliances to manufacture the Eco Conscious Edition. 

5000 Series Eco Conscious toaster

Make your toast exactly how you like it thanks to eight browning settings including a reheat and defrost function. The automatic power button ensures energy savings. It comes with a handy crumb tray and a removable dust cover to close the appliance when storing. List price: ₩99,000.

5000 Series Eco Conscious kettle

Get your favorite wake up beverage quick and easy every morning. Our kettle comes with a capacity of 1.7 liters and an easy-to-read water level indicator. This way you know exactly how much water you need for the number of desired cups and you don’t need to waste a drop. The automatic power button also ensures energy savings. List price: ₩99.000.

5000 Series Eco Conscious coffee maker

Enjoy your coffee’s great taste and aroma every morning. Thanks to the “aroma twister” you enjoy the taste and aroma of your favorite coffee to the fullest. In just 10 minutes you brew no less than 10 cups, saving you energy. List price: ₩129,000.

Nicholas Lee, Market Leader and Vice President, Philips Domestic Appliances said, “The Eco Conscious Edition products represent one of the next steps on our journey towards achieving a comprehensive set of commitments across all the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) dimensions. We are also very pleased to partner with EcoMatcher, an innovative platform that allows consumers to track and watch their trees grow in a transparent way. Our vision is to grow this forest in time thereby offsetting our carbon footprint and at the same time, help the planet and local communities.” 

B.K. Shin, Country Manager, Philips Domestic Appliances South Korea said, “We are seeing more Korean consumers willing to buy eco-friendly products and they are willing to pay more for them . Our ambition is to eventually create a complete Philips Domestic Appliances collection of products designed with sustainability in mind. By introducing bio-based plastics made from used cooking oil, we contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions, we help to reduce water pollution, we limit overall use of soil resources (meaning a lower impact on food production) and we create products with parts that are recyclable.” 

The products are available on online malls and Coupang, and some Lotte department stores. 

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Funding helps promote electric vehicle uptake in B.C.

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Community groups and local governments throughout B.C. can receive funding through the province’s Community Outreach Incentive Program to educate and encourage people to switch to electric vehicles.

“We’re helping to raise awareness about the many benefits of EVs in communities across B.C. As more and more people make the switch to EVs in all parts of the province, everyone benefits from cleaner air and less pollution,” Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, said in announcing the initiative. “And by reducing carbon emissions and using clean energy to get around every day, we’re working toward our CleanBC plan to build a stronger, brighter future.”

The Province is providing $118,000 through the Incentive Program under a partnership with the Emotive outreach and awareness campaign to support B.C. communities, organizations and local governments delivering local and regional EV-awareness campaigns that include video production, EV charging, EV events and demonstrations.

This year, funding was also provided to the Clean Transportation Targets and Planning pilot that supports target setting, policy planning and implementation to encourage the transition to EVs as well as other forms of transportation, such as walking, cycling and public transit.

“More people than ever before are discovering the benefits of switching to electric vehicles in communities across the province,” noted George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

Among those funded in this round of Community Outreach Incentive Program is the Musqueam Indian Band, receiving $13,000 to create a series of videos showcasing Musqueam residents and staff sharing their EV experiences to promote the health and environmental benefits of EVs. Funding is also supporting research and planning for future electrification of the Musqueam vehicle fleet.

“Experiencing the adverse effects of climate change in recent years has made reducing on-reserve CO2 emissions a priority for Musqueam membership and administration,” said Ehsan Haghi, project lead and community energy specialist, Musqueam Indian Band. “The COIP funding enables the band to provide information to the membership about the cost of purchasing an electric car, the financial and environmental benefits of switching to an electric car and critical factors to consider when buying an electric car.”

The Resort Municipality of Whistler and District of Squamish received $9,960 to create videos that profile EV drivers in the commuter workforce in the Sea-to-Sky region and host a webinar to educate people about the advantages of EV ownership.

The programs align with the goals in the Province’s CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, which details a range of expanded actions to accelerate the transition to a net-zero future and achieve B.C.’s legislated greenhouse gas emissions targets. Included is a required 26 per cent of light-duty vehicle sales to be ZEV by 2026, 90 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2035 – five years ahead of the original target.

Today, B.C. is leading the country in transitioning to EVs with more than 60,000 light-duty EVs on the road, the Province said.