The recent opening of SM Seaside City Cebu gave Cebuanos a first look at the state-of-the-art, environmentally sustainable urban center in Cebu, the Philippines’ second largest city and a major tourism hub in the country.
SM City Seaside Cebu is part of the sprawling 30-hectare expanse in one of Cebu’s booming development areas. When completed, the SM Seaside City Cebu Complex will include a five-star hotel with a convention center, high-rise office and residential buildings, and an event center
The 429,917-square meter mall is SM Prime Holdings’ 55th mall and the third in the Queen City of the South, after SM City Cebu and SM City Consolacion. The new mall is one of the first developments in the master plan of SM Prime Holdings for its 30-hectare space at the South Road Properties (SRP), a prime property development project on reclaimed land located a few meters from Cebu’s central business district.
This first-of-its-kind urban development at the SRP designed by Miami-based international architecture, interior design, and planning firm Arquitectonica will be a landmark in the region that would transform the way people live, work and play in the said community. When completed, the complex will include residential towers, hotels, a convention and exhibition center, a school, and hospital.
The development has been compared to that of the SM Mall of Asia since both are located beside the waterfront: SM Seaside City Cebu has a spectacular view of the Cebu Channel, while SM Mall of Asia has Manila Bay and its glorious sunset as a picturesque backdrop. SM Mall of Asia has the Globe as its iconic landmark and SM Seaside City Cebu has the Cube – a steel 21-meter by 21-meter sculptural piece that symbolizes strength and stability and serves as a tribute to the resilience of Cebuanos in particular and the Filipino people in general.
The nautilus inspired design of expanding, concentric arcs from a central multi purpose space, with the mall having multiple anchors including a two-storey SM Store, as well as an SM Hypermarket and SM mainstays like SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware Watsons, Our Home, Kultura Filipino, Toy Kingdom, Surplus, and Sports Central will have over 400 food and retail shops, including international brands.
Specialty restaurants, international and local food chains as well as a Food Court provide a wide variety of dining options. Cebuanos will also enjoy the leisure and entertainment excitement of an IMAX Theater, a 16-lane bowling and amusement center, plus an Olympic size ice skating rink. It will also have four state-of-the-art cinemas, two Director’s Clubs, and one live theater.
The Sky Park is an elevated area set amongst a landscape of verdant foliage and soothing water features with a playground that will have installations designed by world-renowned Cebuano designer Kenneth Cobonpue
The Cube is a sculptural steel piece symbolizing the Cebuanos’ strength and resilience. It is envisioned to be an iconic landmark at the mall in the same way the Globe has been to the SM Mall of Asia
Several features make SM Seaside City Cebu a must see, and these include:
– A nautilus design concept inspired by the spiral shell with a pale pearly partition, which includes a series of expanding, concentric arcs.
– The Cube. Viewed from any angle, this sculptural piece consistently appears the same, reflecting the philosophy of giving the same high level of quality service in all areas it operates. Interestingly, the words Cube, when re-arranged, form the word Cebu.
– The Sky Park that features diverse dining outlets situated amongst verdant trees and charming ponds, with installations by renowned Cebuano designer Kenneth Cobonpue when completed.
– The Iconic Seaside Tower. The 25-storey tower has a roof deck, viewing deck, and restaurants, offering sensational panoramic views of the entire city of Cebu, while serving as a landmark of the Queen City of the South.
– Global Brands. SM Seaside City Cebu will raise shopping standards in the Queen City of the South as home to major global brands such as Sweden’s H&M, Japan’s Uniqlo, US-based Forever 21, Spain’s Sfera, and the UK’s The Body Shop.
SM Seaside City Cebu will also showcase homegrown brands while a covered parking area with 4,336 slots is also incorporated in the design for customer convenience.