01/07/2026
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗠𝗖𝗜 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗦𝗠 𝗠𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹
In 1991, D.M. Consunji, Inc. (DMCI) completed the construction of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, then the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and one of the biggest in the world.
The mall opened to the public on June 28, 1991. This year marks its 35th anniversary. SM Megamall is widely credited for driving the “malling” lifestyle in the country.
In his memoir A Passion to Build, DMCI Founder Engr. David M. Consunji recalled the scale of the project, noting that the volume of concrete used exceeded that of the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet.
"SM Megamall has a total floor area of 270,500 square meters; we poured more than 100,000 cubic meters of concrete there, more than the volume we poured in making the Ambuklao dam. The massive concreting work was facilitated by the use of the table form system, which speeded up construction work a great deal," Engr. Consunji said.
DMCI was well prepared for the massive job because of its investment in sophisticated equipment, particularly for concreting and foundation works. Prior to SM Megamall, the company built Pacific Plaza along Ayala Avenue, where it adopted the table form or “flying form” system to improve productivity.
In his memoir, Engr. Consunji described how these technologies were first used during the construction of Pacific Plaza:
"To speed up construction work, we brought in new concreting technology. We invested P2 million in a 'flying form' system that allowed us to finish one floor of about 1,400 square meters every seven days-quite a feat in those days. The 'flying form' was the latest in formwork technology at that time; this was made of prefabricated forms equipped with rollers that could be lowered quickly and moved to another area. There was no need to assemble and disassemble the forms every time we had to move to a succeeding floor. We also bought a high-pressure concrete pump that could pump up to 50 floors. Our old pump could pump up to 20 floors only. This pump was a big departure from the tower crane and bucket that some of the builders were still using at the time. With all the new construction technology that we used on the building, we managed to accelerate construction work tremendously. In 14 months, we finished the shell of the 43-storey residential condominium."
These innovations later helped DMCI deliver projects on a much larger scale, including SM Megamall.
"This would start our relationship with the SM Group, for whom we have built several malls over the past thirteen years,” Engr. Consunji said.
Over the years, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. awarded DMCI a series of contracts. Aside from SM Megamall, the company also built SM City Manila, SM Fairview, SM Dasmariñas, and SM Supercenter Sucat Annex.
In 1994, DMCI also simultaneously constructed two major commercial centers for the Ayala Group: Ayala Center Cebu in Cebu City and Alabang Town Center in Muntinlupa.
Sources: A Passion to Build: A Memoir of David M. Consunji
DMCI Holdings, Inc. 2003 Annual Report
Photo lifted from Creating Sustainable Magic: The DMCI Group Story
