(Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin L. Tan and architect Dave Rivera of RDES show artist’s rendering of Capital Mall. Contributed photo)
ANGELES CITY — Anchoring its development on the preservation of the rich heritage of the City of San Fernando, Megaworld has announced its P1.8-billion lifestyle mall inside its new township that pays tribute to culture and history of Pampanga’s capital city.
Kevin L. Tan, chief strategy officer of Megaworld said Monday that Capital Mall would be completed by 2022, with construction set to start early next year for the company’s very first full scale mall development in Central Luzon.
Before local media at the Park Inn by Radisson Clark here, Tan said that Capital Mall will have a 33,000 square meters of floor area in three levels. It will be located at the heart of Capital Town, a P30-billion township that will rise at the former Pampanga Sugar Development Company (Pasudeco) sugar mill in the City of San Fernando.
The Capital Mall is highlighted by its unique architecture that takes after the sugar mill that was built a century ago. It will be reminiscent of the original structure that stands on the same spot of the township.
“We put a lot of emphasis on historical preservation. Even the way that walls are designed resembles the old sugar mill. We made it a point that the silhouette of the mall actually takes after the old Pasudeco. We preserved one of the original chimneys and reconstructing two additional so that they would look like to the scale of original ones,” Tan said during the press conference.
He added that there will also be a museum that would take back visitors, shoppers, and residents of Capital Town to the history of the sugar mill.
“We know how important is this landmark (sugar mill) to the people of San Fernando,” he added.
The mall, which will be operated and managed under the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls brand, will also feature the re-created chimneys of the Pasudeco central, and the bricks recovered from the original sugar mill will be used for the mall’s interior walls.
“We are curating a new and unique design concept for this mall. As a tribute to the legacy of Pampanga’s oldest sugar mill, we will build the Capital Mall with its rich cultural heritage in mind. Other recovered portions of the sugar mill such as the giant bull gears, sprockets, and mechanical parts will become part of the mall’s interiors,” Tan said.
The Capital Mall will have a landscaped garden enclave of restaurants and cafes surrounded by water ponds and century-old trees. It will also have four state-of- the-art cinemas, a food hall, and a shophouse strip.
“Even the food hall will sport an industrial architecture highlighted by more mementos of the sugar central. The cinemas will also feature the 1960s charm and ambience,” adds Tan.
Just like in its other new malls, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls is integrating sustainability features for Capital Mall such as solar roofing provisions, and rain water-harvesting facility.
Megaworld has been known for its Lifestyle Malls brand, and is currently operating 17 commercial and mall properties in its portfolio. Just a few days ago, it also announced that it is building a “beach mall” in Mactan, Cebu, another new concept in mall development in the Visayas.
Under its heritage-meets-progress program, Pampanga and the rest of Northern and Central Luzon region will soon get a taste of a celebrated township as one of the country’s classy and most successful property developers brings its live-work-play environment. Megaworld last year launched its Chelsea Parkplace at the Capital Town, its flagship development at the former sugar mill.
