(22 October 2007. Pasay City, Philippines) The biggest mall in the Philippines has just gotten larger. SM Prime Holdings’ SM Mall of Asia now has 389,241 square meters of gross floor area with the opening of its SM Science Discovery Center, a cutting edge futuristic display of new technology, astronomy, robotics, marine life and many other scientific facts and breakthroughs.

The 3,241-square meter SM Science Discovery Center which opened in October 19, is the first of its kind in the Philippines, designed by US-based Leisure Entertainment Consultancy (LEC). The US-based firm specializes in the development and construction of targeted concepts for theme parks, water parks, entertainment, edutainment attractions, museums and leisure tourism destinations. Some of LEC’s known projects include Downtown Disney, Disney’s California Adventure, Legoland, Universal Studios in Hollywood and Orlando, City Walk, and Ramoji Movie Magic Park.

SM Prime President, Mr. Hans Sy said, “We are very excited about this new facility at the SM Mall of Asia. The Science Discovery Center adds a totally new dimension to malling as it guarantees to educate, entertain, and amuse visitors of all ages.�?

The Science Discovery Center has 11 interesting offerings. Apart from the Digistar Planetarium, there is the Life Clock, Image Port, Media City, Transportation Nation, Grossology, Spaceship Earth, Virtual Reef, City Science, Robot, Inc., and Lego Mindstorm.

The Digistar Planetarium is a 15-meter, 160-seat theater with a dome-like screen. It offers its viewers a three-dimensional view of the stars, planets, and galaxies through very entertaining shows and documentaries.

The Life Clock at the ground level provides information on the WorldWideWeb and Planetarium show schedules. A digital time capsule is also available at the second level
where visitors’ messages and images are stored. The Image Port focuses on the green screen technology and allows visitors to play around with the latest in photo technology by having their photos taken from a slew of interesting backgrounds. This technology allows the images to be printed on photopaper, mugs and shirts

The Media City boasts of the best in computer software, PC games, trends in computer
graphics, animation and special effects. Visitors can interact and play in computer kiosks and stations that generate blazing speeds and dazzling effects.

The Transportation Nation shows the latest in transport technology: planes, trains, ships, and cars. It has flight simulators and “build-a-car�? kiosk stations.

In Grossology, visitors get to learn about the gross facts about the human body such as how burps are made or what bacteria causes the body to stink. There are also Grossology games such as one that tests the nostrils in identifying stinky smells, and another that simulates how the kidney works.

Spaceship Earth introduces us to Mother Earth like no other. It shows our planet in all its beauty and majesty through images and sounds that tell us how we should be caring for it, so we become masters of our own progress.

The Virtual Reef highlights the beautiful marine life in the Philippines. It transports visitors to life underwater through images, sounds and special effects. Meet Mr. T, a cartoon fish, who jumps out of the coral coves to tell everyone about how life goes underwater.

City Science talks about the magnificence of modern architecture and technology. This area gives visitors a chance to go on a real-time tour of specific buildings and cities all over the world through a webcam. It also has an earthquake simulator to give visitors a feel of what tremors are like when up in a building during an earthquake.

Robot Inc. is a collection of robots and machines that use robotic technology. Here, visitors can interact with remote-controlled robots like “Slambots�? that can be maneuvered by joysticks. Visitors can also indulge in robotic workshops at the Lego Mindstorm Robotics Center.

All these and more await visitors at the SM Science Discovery Center, open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Philippines’ largest mall, the SM Mall of Asia.

For further inquiries:
Mr. Jeffrey C. Lim
Executive Vice President
SM Prime Holdings, Inc.
Email: [email protected]
Tel no: 831-1000 loc. 1401