No less than Singapore President Halimah Yacob presided today over the grand opening of The Podium, a project of BDO Unibank and Singapore-based Keppel. Mrs. Yacob is on a state visit to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines. She was joined at the grand opening by BDO Unibank chairperson Teresita Sy-Coson and Keppel Corp. CEO and chairman of Keppel Land Loh Chin Hua.
“Today, we mark the completion of The Podium development, comprising an expanded Podium mall and an office tower, which is envisioned to serve the growing demand for prime office spaces of the Ortigas Center,” Coson says during her speech, announcing that The Podium is now fully functional. “The Podium project clearly demonstrates the shared optimism of Keppel and BDO on the growth prospects of the Philippines’ retail and office sector as economic growth and domestic demand remain strong,”
Developed in phases since 2002, The Podium comprises The Podium retail mall and The Podium West Tower. The development of The Podium retail mall was part of phase one. Phase two was the retail mall’s commenced operations in 2017 and the construction of The Podium West Tower, which started in 2015, and was completed this year, was the project’s third phase.The total net leasable area of The Podium is about 140,000 sq.m., covering about 50,000 sq.m. of retail space and about 90,000 sq.m. of office space.
The Podium also has a 2,000 sq.m. garden wall, the largest vertical green wall in the country. With over 6,500 plants, it provides a green lung to the property’s environment. In recognition of its sustainable features, The Podium was awarded the LEED Gold Mark (Core & Shell) pre-certification by the US Green Building Council. It is the first building in the Philippines to receive the provisional Green Mark Gold Award by the Building and Construction Authority of Singapore, as well.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and the Philippines, Enterprise Singapore is staging “Singaporium,” an exclusive lifestyle and food pop-up fair at the atrium. It is available to the public until September 15. The fair will showcase 17 Singaporean brands in the fashion, food and lifestyle sectors.
The Podium is located at 12 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City.
