Greenbelt (Ayala Center)

 

The origin of Greenbelt could be traced to the 1970s as an open-space park also known as Greenbelt Junction, which had an aviary and was surrounded by low-rise structures featuring various dining establishments.^[2][3] The park underwent renovations, followed by the inauguration of the Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel on the park in 1983 and the decommissioning of the aviary later that decade.

In 1982, Greenbelt Square, a three-story Brutalist building containing cinemas and retail spaces, was inaugurated. It was designed by Leandro Locsin, who would later be named as a National Artist for Architecture. Structures that were later added are:

• Fair Center, a three-story department store opened in 1983, later known as Shop & Lift Plaza;
• Greenbelt Arcade, a two-story shopping arcade opened in 1985;
• McDonald's Greenbelt branch, opened in 1985; and
• Greenbelt Mall, a three-story building with parking spaces, boutiques, and shops, opened in 1987.^[4]

The park, aforementioned buildings, and open parking area collectively formed the retail complex known as Greenbelt,^[4] officially opening as such in 1988 as the second Ayala Mall.^[5] Real estate company Ayala Land conceptualized Greenbelt as the Philippines's first lifestyle center with bars, posh boutiques, lush tropical greenery, a world-class museum, and an elegant chapel.^[6] In the 1990s, Greenbelt, along with the adjacent Makati Commercial Center, was integrated into the Ayala Center.^[7]

Greenbelt underwent enhancements, starting with the construction of the indoor Center Mall from 1989 to 1994 and the renovation in 1994 that added wheelchair ramps. The original wing was subsequently renamed Greenbelt 1 in 2000 as part of an expansion project, which involved renovation until 2001, redevelopment of the Ayala Museum from 2001 to 2004, expansion of the park, and the addition of Paseo Steel Parking and new wings such as Greenbelt 2 and 3 (ground broke in 2000 and opened in 2002), Greenbelt 4 (ground broke in 2002 and opened in 2004), and Greenbelt 5 (opened in 2007).^[8][9] Demolition of surrounding structures, including United Supermarket, Garden Square Building, Shop & Lift Plaza,^[10] Greenbelt Arcade, and Greenbelt 1's service driveways occurred until 2006, mostly due to expired contracts, to make way for these developments.^[4][8][11]

The mall underwent major redevelopment, with the ground level of Greenbelt 3 closed in 2019 for renovation.^[12] The new area reopened in October 2021, which now hosts luxury labels and a newly renovated Starbucks Reserve cafe.^[13] Greenbelt 4 was later renovated from the third quarter of 2022 to its reopening in April 2023.^[14]

 

On July 25, 2023, Ayala Land filed a Petition to Remove the Presumption as Important Cultural Property designation from Greenbelt 1 before the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. This was made due to the alterations made to the original structure as a result of renovations over the past decades, as well as its impending demolition for future redevelopment.^[4]

Greenbelt 1 and 2 are undergoing a major redevelopment, costing ₱13 billion, since the first quarter of 2024. Greenbelt 2's ground level was closed in January 2024 for renovations scheduled to be complete in 2026.^[15][16][17] Greenbelt 1 was later closed on April 1, 2024, for its eventual demolition, done gradually with Paseo Steel Parking and McDonald's.^{[18][19][20][21]} It will be replaced by a newer complex that will include a hotel, office spaces, a larger cinema complex, a four-level shopping mall with four parking levels beneath, and possibly a new park expected to open in 2028.^[15][22] Ayala Malls has tapped San Francisco-based architectural firm Gensler for the redesign of Greenbelt.^[23]

Greenbelt, located in Ayala Center, has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 250,000 m² (2,700,000 sq ft), making it the ninth largest shopping mall in the Philippines in terms of GLA, tied with Glorietta. Its lot is bounded by Legazpi Street, Dela Rosa Street, Makati Avenue, Esperanza Street, and Paseo de Roxas. It is divided into five sections: Greenbelt 1 to 5. Surrounded by those sections is the Greenbelt Park, which contains the Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel and is bisected by Greenbelt Drive. Level 2 pedestrian footbridges connect the mall to Legazpi Village through the De La Rosa Elevated Walkway, The Landmark, and The Residences at Greenbelt.

 

 

Greenbelt 1, prior to its temporary closure in 2024 due to a needed renovation, featured lifestyle, food, and supply stores, as well as two cinemas and the OnStage Theater, a performing arts theater that hosted Repertory Philippines from 2002 to 2024. It was also the location of The Marketplace supermarket and Automatic Centre branches.^[24]

Greenbelt 2 features the Greenbelt Townhomes, a two- to three-story condominium on top, and, until 2024, high-end al fresco restaurants.^[25] The redevelopment will convert it into an indoor space with retail shops.

Greenbelt 3 features a mix of international brands including luxury labels at the ground level, sit-down restaurants, and entertainment facilities, as well as five cinemas and MyCinema, a private mini-theater.^[26] The largest Philippine branch known as Louis Vuitton was found here.^[27][28][29] It is also the location of the Philippines's third 4DX cinema, launched in 2016.^[30]

Greenbelt 4 features high-end boutiques.^[31] Also included are an H&M branch and a Gogoro concept store.

Greenbelt 5 has boutiques of Filipino designers, high-end department store Adora, art galleries, and boutiques.

Restaurants are located in Greenbelt 3 and 5, as well as in Greenbelt 2 prior to its ongoing renovations from 2024 to 2026, known for their sit-down dining options. Greenbelt 1 concentrated more on fast food until its closure in 2024.

The complex is also home to a colony of well-fed cats who lounge around walkways and in unoccupied al fresco cafe seats.

Greenbelt is served by an interconnected basement parking built beneath it, as well as the above-ground carpark inside Greenbelt 2.^[32]

Former parking facilities at Greenbelt were the Paseo Steel Parking at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Esperanza Street, Greenbelt 1 (initially known as Greenbelt Mall), and an open parking area, all above-ground. The open parking area has since been replaced by new wings in early 2000s, while Paseo Steel Parking was interconnected with the parking in Greenbelt 2 until its demolition in 2024 as part of a redevelopment, which also involved the demolition of Greenbelt 1.

 

Santo Niño de Paz Greenbelt Chapel is a Roman Catholic place of worship in Greenbelt Park at the complex's center. It is under the mission station of the same name of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila. Built as an open-air, concrete dome in the middle of a pond, the chapel holds masses and other religious services every day. It celebrates its titular feast day every third Sunday of January. It was inaugurated on July 28, 1983, and designed by architects William Fernandez and Jess Dizon.^[33] Additionally, glass sculptor Ramon Orlina contributed to the design by creating the tabernacle altar, ceiling art, the cross at one of the entrances, among others.^[34]

Point-to-point (P2P) bus stops are also located on Legazpi Street, just beside Greenbelt 5 and, formerly, Greenbelt 1, respectively.^[35] Additionally, a jeepney terminal and another P2P bus stop is located at The Landmark, adjacent to Greenbelt across Makati Avenue.

On October 18, 2009, between 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. PHT, heavily armed thieves overpowered the mall's security guards and broke into a Rolex watch shop in Greenbelt 5. The thieves, dressed in bomb squad uniforms, hammered the glass cases containing Rolex watches. A suspected robber was killed by two police escorts of Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tiñga who, incidentally, happened to be present upon the heist while the other gun-men escaped with an undetermined value of expensive watches.^[36][37]

• April 15, 2010: A fire broke out from an Indian restaurant in Greenbelt 3 at 6:44 p.m., causing adjacent restaurants and the nearby cinemas to temporarily close.^[38][39]
• July 4, 2016: A fire broke out from a BPI branch in Greenbelt 1 at 9:11 a.m.^[40] It reportedly started from the bank's warehouse.^[41] It was put out by 3:31 p.m.^[42]
• April 9, 2024: A minor fire broke out in Greenbelt 2 at 9:28 a.m., raising it to first alarm two minutes later. It was put out at 9:40 a.m.^[43]

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  Palm trees at the Greenbelt Park
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  View of Greenbelt Park from Greenbelt 5
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  Paul Smith boutique in Greenbelt 5
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  Raffles Hotels & Resorts as seen from Greenbelt
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  Greenbelt Park and dining
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  Greenbelt Organic Garden

• List of largest shopping malls
• List of largest shopping malls in the Philippines
• List of shopping malls in Metro Manila

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greenbelt (Ayala Center).

• Greenbelt Official website