Expect a fresher look for Greenbelt, Glorietta, Trinoma, and Ayala Center Cebu in the coming years.
For most of us, malls are a huge part of our lives. More than just places to shop, malls have become memory markers for some of our most cherished moments—romantic dates, graduation dinners, family reunions; the list goes on.
They are also an integral part of the mundane—a grocery or bank run, a visit to the pharmacy for maintenance meds or the appliance center for a new toaster because the old one conked out.
While new malls are sprouting on a regular basis, there are the OG ones which are already part of our core memory—Ayala Malls included.
Keeping up with the times
Ayala Malls president Mariana Zobel de Ayala said in a press briefing on Feb. 15, Thursday, that it is the first time in the company’s history that they will be renovating at least four of their major flagship malls at once.
She added that these efforts will increase the gross leasable area by 10 percent.
“We’re really positioning to develop our malls to their full potential,” said Zobel de Ayala, who is also the senior vice president and head of leasing and hospitality at Ayala Land.
The company is earmarking P13 billion for the redevelopment of Glorietta and Greenbelt in Makati, Trinoma in Quezon City, and Ayala Center Cebu.
With some of the malls already around for three decades, such as the 35-year-old Greenbelt 1, it is high time for Ayala Malls to keep up with the fast changing and more competitive times. The company’s chief operating officer Paul Andrew Birkett recognizes this, saying “we are now at this revolutionary stage where we have to make changes in order to stay relevant.”
Together with expanded leasable spaces, enhanced business operations, and improved aesthetics, sustainability is a top priority in the redevelopments, since this is Ayala Malls we’re talking about.
For this herculean endeavor, Ayala Malls has tapped experts, architects, and designers from around the world: Buchan of Australia for Glorietta and Ayala Center Cebu, Gensler of the US for Greenbelt, and CAN Design Ltd of Hong Kong for Trinoma.
Greenbelt
Greenbelt 1, the oldest among the five malls within the complex, is the mall of my childhood alongside SM City North EDSA. Opened in 1988 and designed by National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin, it will be torn down in April. The amount for the reconstruction is separate and will be costlier than the P13 billion allotted for the four malls, said Zobel de Ayala.
The current Greenbelt Park and chapel, meanwhile, will remain largely untouched.
The refreshed Greenbelt 1 will have more energy-efficient features, including a direct cooling system, skylights to maximize natural sunlight, and a rainwater collection system. It is targeted to reopen by 2028. Greenbelt 2, which opened in 2002, will reopen in 2026.
Glorietta
Just like its older sister, Greenbelt, Glorietta has become an icon in its own right, especially with its proximity to the MRT-Ayala station, making it a popular meeting place—a contentious halfway point for those from the north of Manila and the south of the metro.
Its first two wings opened in 1991, with Glorietta 3 and 4 opening in 1992 and 1998, respectively, and Glorietta 5 in 2009. It is now also integrated with three hotels—Ascott, Fairmont, and Holiday Inn.
With its mammoth size, it has gained notoriety for its confusing layout, having been the butt of jokes online—and apparently, the redevelopment of the mall will address this concern.
Similar to Greenbelt, mall goers should expect Glorietta to have a more modern look, both inside and outside. The redevelopment will also offer a more cohesive customer experience and improved pedestrian connectivity, especially with the mall near the MRT and the One Ayala Terminal.
Trinoma
If Greenbelt 1 is an indelible part of my childhood, Trinoma is its equivalent for my son. Opened in 2007, the same year that my only child was born, Trinoma will always be known as Ayala Malls’ first mall in northern Metro Manila. Despite it being a popular meet-up point just like Glorietta, it is as notorious for being confusing, even for regulars like myself.
The mall is expected to have more dining options, a massive LED wall with 3D capacity, and more multipurpose spaces at its rooftop. Its activity center is also said to be revamped, with it being an increasingly popular venue for performers both established and up-and-coming.
Its cinemas will also have plusher seats and will be equipped with Dolby ATMOS for a more immersive cinematic experience.
The façade facing North Avenue—which still looks okay, at least for me—will have a redesigned entrance and a landscaped garden.
Target completion is by the fourth quarter of 2025, the first to be completed among the four complexes.
Ayala Center Cebu
Photo from Ayala Malls
Ayala Malls’ first venture outside Metro Manila and Luzon, and which looks uncannily like Glorietta, is also set to have a more modern look.
Opened in 1994, Ayala Center Cebu is expected to have a revitalized activity center featuring a four-floor LED wall. Its grand atrium will also have architectural treatments on the ceiling.
The redevelopment will link it to Seda Hotel, Ayala Land Premier’s Park Point Residences and The Alcoves, and the 20-floor Ayala Center Cebu Corporate Center.
