Gateway Mall (Quezon City)

Gateway Mall is a shopping mall in the Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. Owned and operated by the Araneta City, Inc. (ACI, Inc.), a subsidiary of the Araneta Group, the mall was completed in 2004 and currently has 300000 m2 of total floor area, making the mall one of largest in the Philippines. The Gateway Mall also currently sits on the northern area of the Araneta City, located at the northern end of the Araneta Coliseum and attracts over 220,000 shoppers daily, due to its close proximity to transport terminals and train stations.

The Gateway Mall underwent an expansion project which was completed in 2023 named the Gateway Mall 2, located along the western side of the Araneta Coliseum. The expansion will feature a variety of shops, restaurants and leisure amenities and also includes the Ibis Styles Araneta City within the development.

History and planning
The Gateway Mall was once known as the "Millenium Mall" project, a planned 7-storey mall adjacent to the Araneta Coliseum in the early stages of planning of the Araneta Center Redevelopment Master Plan. The redevelopment plan also included the "Manhattan Mall", a 200000 m2 mixed-use development with retail and residential components, which became the present Manhattan Gardens complex, a 400-room business hotel now known as the Novotel Manila Araneta City, and the "Manila Tower", a 300 m planned mixed-use tower with communication facilities, as part of the Araneta Center Master Plan in the year 2000, and was established in 2002, under a ₱66.25 billion (US$1.25 billion) budget.

For the full commencement of the project, the Araneta Group tapped Felino Palafox of Palafox Associates and Sudhakar Thakurdesai of RTKL Associates as the main architects and urban planners of the project, along with the Deshazo Starek and Tang (now Deshazo Group), Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated and Colliers International as main consultants of the master plan. The plans for the mall contains a large part of the Araneta City, spanning from the Araneta Center–Cubao Line 2 station, around the west side of the Smart Araneta Coliseum, up to the Farmer's Market and General McArthur Avenue, with connections to the adjacent Farmers Plaza. The planned mall is included within the master plan of various developments covering malls and commercial buildings with retail spaces, which aims to have a total floor area of 600000 m2 for retail spaces, with plans including an additional 340000 m2 of entertainment spaces, a full scale skating rink, cineplexes, an IMAX Theater, a bowling alley, and a children and family entertainment center, which is aimed to have a total of 972000 m2 of overall retail space in the Araneta City. The master plan commenced with the construction of the Gateway Mall in 2002, and the Gateway Mall 2 in 2017. Within the next few years, an additional expansion plan was being laid out for the upcoming Gateway Mall 3, planned to be built along the Araneta City Cyberpark site.

Development
The Gateway Mall, along with the New Gateway (Gateway Mall 2), the Gateway Tower, the Gateway Office Building, the Araneta Coliseum, the Araneta Coliseum Parking Garage, the Novotel Manila Araneta City, and the Ibis Styles Hotel are situated within the Gateway Square complex, a 5 ha superblock within the Araneta City, offering retail, dining, leisure, lodging, and entertainment facilities. The complex is also set to have 400000 m2 of floor area, and a total of 3,000 parking spaces upon completion, and is connected to other buildings and developments via sky bridges and walk paths.

Planning, construction, and development
The ₱2.5 billion, 85000 m2 shopping complex was originally occupied by the Aurora Shopping Arcade, which became the Gateway-LRT 2 concourse, the Quezon Arcade and Plaza Fair, one of the main department stores in the area, until the building was demolished within 2001. The mall became the first property to break ground under the Araneta Center Redevelopment Plan, in which the project broke ground and commenced construction in October 2002 before the mall opened in October 2004, tapping CE Construction Corporation as the project's general contractor. However, the mall encountered construction and funding issues with its contractor, and the Araneta Group was forced to pay ₱114 million for the issues caused by the mall's construction. The mall was also a part of the Metro Centro Project of Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.. The mall's owner, Jorge L. Araneta, hired Sudhakar Thakurdesai of RTKL Associates as the main architect of the project, and Ralph Peter Jentes of Hyatt International Hotels for the services offered in the mall.

Features
The Gateway Mall has five levels above ground primarily for retail use and three levels of basement parking space, for a total floor area of 100000 m2 before expansion. The mall has a total of 197 shops, with Rustan's as the primary anchor tenant and 72 restaurants and food stalls, and hosts primarily upscale, electronics, and fashion shops, such as Automatic Centre Digital Plaza, H&M, Uniqlo, Miniso, Samsung, Apple Store, Lacoste, Xiaomi, Robinsons Supermarket and other retail shops, restaurants, and dining outlets.

Gateway also highlights a Fabergé egg-inspired glass pavilion located along General Aguinaldo Avenue. The pavilion is also surrounded by the al-fresco dining Coliseum Circle and the Courtyard, and connects the Araneta Coliseum through the mall's sidewalks and alleyways. The mall features an activity atrium; The Oasis, an indoor, air-conditioned open-roof garden; The Gateway Gallery; and The Topiary Garden, an open-air rooftop garden, both located at the 5th level. The 3rd level of the mall houses The Food Express food court, and the 4th level of the mall contains a 10-cinema cineplex, known as the Gateway Cineplex 10, which includes the 500-seater Cinema 5 and the Platinum Cinema.

Gateway is directly connected to the lower six retail levels of the adjacent Gateway Tower, known as the Gateway Tower Mall. The expansion increased the mall's space with additional 15000 m2 of retail space, and was completed in 2013. The mall is also directly connected to the Farmers Plaza, and the Smart Araneta Coliseum previously via footbridge, giving direct access to the MRT 3 Cubao Station. The mall is also directly connected to the LRT 2 Cubao Station, the 11-storey Gateway Office Building located adjacent to the LRT 2 Cubao Station Concourse,the Gateway Mall 2 and the Ibis Styles Araneta City. Other direct connections include an elevated link bridge connecting the mall to the New Frontier Theater.

In 2018, the Araneta Group announced renovation plans for the Gateway Mall.

Planning, construction and development
The New Gateway (Gateway Mall 2) is an 8-storey topped-off expansion project of the Gateway Mall. Plans for the Gateway Mall 2 complex were laid out in 2014, and construction commenced in 2017 at a cost of ₱6.5 billion, wherein ₱5 billion were spent for the New Gateway Mall and ₱1.5 billion for the Ibis Styles Hotel. The new expansion of the mall stands at the former Gateway Food Park, the former Gateway-Farmers Plaza elevated walkway and an open lot parking space, located at the west side of the Smart Araneta Coliseum (Red Gate), giving easy and direct access to the Farmers Plaza, the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Araneta Center–Cubao MRT Station and the Ibis Styles Araneta City, a 286-room economy hotel.

Gateway Mall 2 is a part of the Araneta Center Redevelopment Plan. The mall's construction began in the second quarter of 2017, where the foundations linking to the Farmers Plaza was constructed, and in August 2017, the former Gateway Food Park, as well as the former parking space located on the Coliseum's western Red Gate facade, were excavated to give way for the construction of the main building of the mall, while the official groundbreaking ceremony followed in July 2018. Megawide Construction Corporation served as the general contractor of the project, while the Araneta Group tapped Aidea as the main architectural firm. The Araneta Group also hired Stages, Design and Construction (SDC) for the ending phases of construction and finishing works, and AMCOM & Company Inc. as the general consultant of the project. The new mall will comply with basic LEED development standards.

The New Gateway Mall officially topped off on February 11, 2020, and is originally scheduled for completion in the 4th quarter of 2020, to commemorate the 60th anniversary opening of the Araneta Coliseum. However, due to the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the country, the construction and opening of the mall, along with the adjacent Ibis Styles Hotel was delayed, and the construction cost of the entire complex grew from ₱6.5 billion to ₱7 billion, wherein ₱2 billion were allocated for the Ibis Styles Hotel. The new complex is expected to embark its grand opening within 2024, after being partially opened on April 9, 2023 (Easter Sunday), before being fully opened in September 2023. The opening of the mall was eventually moved thrice from its original opening date within December 2022, and was initially moved on the first quarter of 2023 and to November 2023.

Features
The Gateway Mall 2 features a nature-inspired design within the mall's interiors and exteriors. Gateway Mall 2 also contains the Lagoon Restaurant Collection, a restaurant row located at the Lower Ground and Ground floors surrounding The Lagoon fountain; a Coliseum Plaza filled with restaurants at the Ground Level located adjacent to the Smart Araneta Coliseum Red Gate entrance; and a 700 m2 activity area atrium with ceiling LED screens, known as the Quantum Skyview located within Upper Ground-B Level. The Quantum Skyview is also the first wave-shaped, ceiling-installed LED screen in the country.

The mall also includes an Asian Village food hub for restaurants based within the Asia-Pacific region, occupying the 2nd floor; a Pop Culture Center housing a K-Pop and P-Pop themed Cafe, and a Bowling Center named Paeng's Gateway Bowl at the third floor; a 18-cinema cineplex and a "Boqueria-inspired" organic culinary garden both located at the 4th floor. The Ibis Styles Hotel's restaurants, StrEats and Le Bistro, are also accessible within the mall's walkways.

The new mall has 200000 m2 of total retail space and is set to house over 500 shops, including over 100 food and beverage shops and restaurants, and will also include retail, dining, nightlife, and leisure spaces, along with a supermarket, with Shopwise occupying the lower ground floor of the mall, as the supermarket transfers in a new location, occupying at least 3760 m2 of retail space in the mall, which opened on July 28, 2023, which was followed by the opening of Sunnies Studios, Daiso, and Foot Locker.

On April 9, 2023, the mall became partially opened with Botejyu as its first restaurant tenant, followed with the opening of Dairy Queen, Manam, BLK 513, Pizza Hut, and Anta Sports. The Quantum Skyview Atrium was opened in a soft opening on May 20, 2023, during the Exo-SC Fancon Tour, while the first two restaurants within the Skyview Atrium, Classic Savory and Burgoo opened their new branch in the mall on May 26, 2023.

On May 23, 2023, the Araneta Group and Wolfgang's Steakhouse signed a contract to launch a its fifth branch, located in the mall's upper ground level. It will feature a grill concept, which serves as the second branch to have the concept following the opening of the steakhouse's branch in City of Dreams Manila. On 25 August 2023, Wolfgang's unveiled their preview display to the upcoming branch in the mall up to 3 September 2023, while Shake Shack simultaneously opened their latest branch located at the Coliseum Plaza, and serves as the first "stadium shack" to open in the country and the Asia-Pacific Region. On October 3, 2023, Wolfgang's began their partial operations and on October 10, 2023, Wolfgang's made their grand opening in the mall, which was graced by Wolfgang's Steakhouse owner Wolfgang Zwiener and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, along with other officials.

Palenque
The Palenque is a 4200 m2 food alley, located along the mall's Upper Ground B floor, after being relocated from the 4th floor. The Filipino-themed food hall will various local dishes in the country, in association with Claude Tayag, which also has an establishment in the alley named Bale Dutung. Other tenants include Tindeli by Chef Tatung, B.E.L ILOCO by Al Puruganan, Palm Grill by Chef Miguel Cabel Moreno, Sa Salt by Davao Grill, and Chicken Fundian. The Palenque alsos feature Filipino culture, cuisine varieties, seasonal festivities and handicrafts.

Sagrada Familia Church
The Sagrada Familia Church is a rooftop Roman Catholic church located along the 5th floor of the mall, located to the adjacent Sensory Gardens. The church was inspired from the Mitre and features an all-white architectural design, with its curved interiors inspired from the Oculus Building in New York City, which stretches upwards to the sky, and features high ceilings and modern church glass windows emphasizing natural light. The church's hanging cross was sculpted and designed by Wilfredo Layug. The church also has a total capacity of 1,000 people and is air-conditioned.

On September 16, 2023, the chapel was baptized by Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. One day later, the first Sunday Mass was held at the chapel, with Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco presiding the mass.

Cineplex 18
On December 25, 2023, an expansion of the Gateway Cineplex was opened and is located at the 4th Level. The opening of the additional cinemas has made the Gateway Cineplex the largest cineplex in the Philippines with 18 cinemas, including the first 10 cinemas at Gateway Mall 1, surpassing SM Megamall, which has 14 cinemas. The Gateway Cineplex features an upward wave ceiling design within the main lobby, while the cinemas are also equipped with Dolby Atmos technology with La-Z-Boy seats. The opening of the cinema was made in time for the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, where 6 out of the 8 cinemas were opened. The cineplex will also include two additional Platinum Cinemas set to be completed within 2024.

Case settlement with Megawide
On April 18, 2023, an ongoing case was filed between the Araneta City Inc. (ACI) of the Araneta Group and Megawide Construction Corporation regarding costing issues in various projects within the complex, which included the Gateway Mall 2 and Ibis Styles Araneta City, and the Cyberpark Tower 2. The ACI filed a permissive counterclaim for the complaint filed by Megawide and has asked the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) to intervene and hasted the ongoing case, as Megawide was said to have violated the construction contract amounting to ₱1.53 billion, while ACI was also said to have violations worth ₱339.65 million, and the overall worth of the contract is worth ₱4.25 billion. The case was also the reason that the mall and hotel's construction was delayed and caused ACI to switch their general contractor to Stages, Design and Construction (SDC).

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the ruling regarding the case was released on January 11, 2024, which favored Megawide's case and has resulted to the Araneta Group being responsible to pay Megawide ₱180.2 million with 6% interest per annum. Based on the verdict of the CIAC, Megawide was also awarded ₱596.9 million for the damages under the deal while the Araneta Group was awarded ₱416.7 million. In the aftermath of the case, Megawide commented that the case "will not have a significant impact" on the company's operations.

Gateway Mall 3
The Gateway Mall 3 is a planned multi-level retail podium expansion project of the Gateway Mall, covering a total floor area of 100000 m2 of retail space upon completion. The mall is currently on the conceptual stage, set to rise within the Telus House and will also occupy an open lot located behind the building, located at the Araneta City Cyberpark. The planned mall will also connect all 5 office towers of the Cyberpark and features an outdoor park, underground parking spaces, and additional eco-friendly initiatives. Once completed, Gateway Malls 1, 2 and 3 will have an overall floor area of 390000 m2 and will have approximately more than 800-1000 shops upon completion.

Reception
Gateway Mall received critical acclaim from the retail and developer industries. The Philippine Retailers Association named the shopping mall as the Shopping Center of the Year twice, in 2006 and 2007. At the 30th Innovative Design and Development Awards of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the mall is a recipient of a Merit Award. It was also a finalist for the 2008 Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence.

During the 2024 Retail Asia Awards held at Singapore, the Gateway Mall 2 was awarded as the country's New Mall of the Year Award.

Incidents

 * November 9–10, 2012: A fire broke out at the basement of Gateway Mall at 10:05 p.m. PHT, reaching at third alarm until it was put out at 12:16 a.m. PHT. A report showed that a malfunctioning generator may have been the cause.