TriNoma
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA major Ayala Malls shopping and lifestyle complex in Quezon City, Philippines.
Last updated October 14, 2026
Overview
TriNoma is a large mixed-use shopping mall in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, operated within the Ayala Malls portfolio of property developer Ayala Land, Inc. Its name is derived from “Triangle North of Manila,” referring to its position in Quezon City’s North Triangle district. The mall occupies a strategically important site at the intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, North Avenue, and the Mindanao Avenue extension, and is directly integrated with the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 North Avenue station and depot. The property was conceived partly as a commercial use of the underground depot associated with MRT Line 3. The Line 3 consortium had considered an underground depot because the site offered substantial retail and development potential. Although the rail system began operations in December 1999, construction of the mall was delayed for several years because of financing and ownership issues. The North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation was incorporated in 2001, with Fil-Estate Holdings initially leading the development and Ayala Land holding a minority interest. Between 1999 and 2004, the depot area remained largely idle. Ayala Land later acquired Fil-Estate Group’s 30.89 percent interest in the depot corporation for approximately PHP 600.1 million, together with other agreed assets and interests, clearing the way for the project’s development. Construction began in June 2005. The project was initially referred to as the North Triangle Commercial Center or North Triangle Mall, but it was subsequently renamed TriNoma. The name was intended to create a distinctive identity for the development and was reportedly inspired in part by the naming and redevelopment associations of New York’s TriBeCa district. TriNoma was privately launched on April 25, 2007, and opened to the public on May 16, 2007 after a planned earlier soft opening was postponed because parts of the structure were unfinished. Its formal grand opening took place on October 16, 2007, attended by national and local government officials. Ayala Land positioned TriNoma as a mall serving a broad range of consumers while placing particular emphasis on higher-income shoppers in Quezon City. It quickly became a major competitor to the nearby SM North EDSA complex and an important retail destination in northern Metro Manila. The mall was also the first completed building in the 62.3-hectare Triangle Exchange district, part of the wider Vertis North development and the planned Quezon City Central Business District. Together with Ayala Malls Vertis North, TriNoma forms one of the principal retail components of the emerging township. The complex has approximately 195,000 square meters of gross floor area on a site of about 20 hectares. Its tenant and visitor experience combines department-store and supermarket retail, specialty shops, restaurants, cinemas, entertainment facilities, services, religious spaces, parking structures, and landscaped public areas. A defining feature is TriNoma Park, a two-level landscaped area of roughly one hectare with water features, restaurants, and a performance stage. The mall’s design uses open-air and alfresco sections, planted spaces, and cascading pools to distinguish it from a conventional enclosed shopping center. TriNoma has experienced several operational changes over time. The ABS-CBN Studio Experience, an entertainment attraction based on television programs, operated in the mall before closing permanently in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the controversy surrounding renewal of ABS-CBN’s broadcast franchise. The entertainment area was later expanded and reconfigured, with the existing branch reopening in October 2023 after renovation. A major renovation program began in the first quarter of 2024. The North Avenue Wing is planned for expansion into The Exchange at TriNoma, a mixed-use addition expected to include retail space, offices, parking, and a transport terminal. The project is b…
History
TriNoma developed from the commercial potential of the underground depot built for MRT Line 3 in Quezon City. The Line 3 consortium, involving Fil-Estate Holdings and Ayala Land, selected an underground depot concept partly because the site could support a substantial retail project. MRT Line 3 entered operation in December 1999, but the planned mall did not immediately proceed. Financing constraints and ownership arrangements left the depot area inactive for several years. The North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation was incorporated in 2001. Fil-Estate initially spearheaded the development, while Ayala Land participated as a minority shareholder. In an agreement completed between December 1999 and December 2004, Ayala Land acquired Fil-Estate Group’s 30.89 percent stake in the corporation for approximately PHP 600.1 million, in exchange for agreed property and share interests. This transaction enabled Ayala Land to take a more decisive role in developing the site. Ayala Land began construction in June 2005. The project was initially described as the North Triangle Commercial Center or North Triangle Mall, before receiving the TriNoma name, based on the site’s location north of Manila’s central area and its relationship to the North Triangle district. The mall was privately launched on April 25, 2007. Its planned May 3 public opening was delayed by unfinished structural elements, and the center ultimately began welcoming shoppers on May 16. The grand opening followed on October 16, 2007, with participation from Ayala Land, Quezon City officials, and national government representatives. The completed mall became one of northern Metro Manila’s largest retail complexes and a significant competitor to SM North EDSA. Its location on the east side of EDSA, beside North Avenue and above the MRT-3 depot, gave it unusually strong transport access. The property was also planned as the first building in the Triangle Exchange district, one of the principal components of Ayala Land’s Vertis North township and the broader Quezon City Central Business District redevelopment. Ayala Malls Vertis North was later developed nearby as a complementary lifestyle center. TriNoma’s physical identity is based on a combination of enclosed retail areas and landscaped outdoor spaces. The center occupies roughly 20 hectares and contains approximately 195,000 square meters of gross floor area. Major components include The Landmark supermarket and department store, specialty retail, restaurants, cinemas, entertainment venues, service businesses, two principal parking structures, and religious facilities. TriNoma Park, a landscaped two-level area of about one hectare, provides restaurants, water features, planted areas, and a stage for performances. The mall has also adapted its entertainment and leisure offer. ABS-CBN Studio Experience, which used themed areas based on the broadcaster’s television programs, operated alongside other family-entertainment facilities before closing in 2020 during the COVID-19 period and amid the broadcaster’s franchise-renewal dispute. The surrounding entertainment space was later expanded and reconfigured, with the existing branch reopening in October 2023 after renovation. The property has experienced operational incidents. A section of ceiling approximately 20 meters long collapsed on June 2, 2007, shortly after the mall opened. A fire was reported at an appliance warehouse near the MRT station area on March 13, 2017; the Bureau of Fire Protection later declared the fire out. In January 2020, a fatal fall occurred at the Mindanao Carpark Building. These events are recorded as incidents associated with the property and do not, on the available material, establish a broader corporate scandal. Renovation began in the first quarter of 2024. The North Avenue Wing is planned to become The Exchange at TriNoma, a mixed-use extension with retail, office, parking, and transport functions linked to the future North Triangle Common Station. The expansion is expected to continue into 2026. Cinema upgrades have been implemented incrementally, including the reopening of auditoriums in late 2024 and 2025 and the introduction of A-Luxe and A-Giant formats. The renovation and transit-oriented expansion reflect TriNoma’s continuing role as a major Ayala Land retail asset and as a gateway to Vertis North.
- 2025
Cinema upgrades continue
[1]Renovated auditoriums reopened in stages, including A-Luxe Cinema 5 and A-Giant Cinema 7.
- 2024
Renovation and expansion begin
[1]A broad renovation program began, including the planned transformation of the North Avenue Wing into The Exchange at TriNoma.
- 2020
ABS-CBN Studio Experience closes
[1]The themed entertainment attraction permanently closed during the COVID-19 period and amid the ABS-CBN franchise-renewal controversy.
- 2017
Mall fire
[1]A fire at an appliance warehouse near the MRT station area was extinguished on March 13.
- 2007
TriNoma opens
[1]The mall opened to the public on May 16, followed by a formal grand opening on October 16.
- 2005
Construction begins
[1]Ayala Land started construction in June on what was initially called the North Triangle Commercial Center.
- 2004
Ayala Land consolidates its development position
[1]Ayala Land acquired Fil-Estate Group’s 30.89 percent interest in the depot corporation under an agreement completed during the 1999–2004 period.
- 2001
North Triangle Depot Commercial Corporation incorporated
[1]A dedicated corporation was established to advance development of the commercial project above and around the MRT depot site.
- 1999
MRT Line 3 begins operations
[1]MRT Line 3 entered service in December 1999, leaving the underground depot site available for a future commercial development.
Products and positioning
A major urban lifestyle and retail destination for northern Metro Manila, combining premium and mass-market shopping with dining, entertainment, landscaped public space, and transit connectivity.
Department store and supermarket
The Landmark
The Landmark is TriNoma’s principal department-store and supermarket anchor. It broadens the mall’s everyday retail offer beyond specialty stores, providing groceries, household goods, apparel, personal-care products, and other general merchandise.
Lifestyle and dining destination · 2007
TriNoma Park
TriNoma Park is a landscaped, two-level public area of approximately one hectare. It combines planted spaces, pools and water features, restaurants, and a performance stage, giving the mall an outdoor lifestyle component and a venue for events and entertainment.
Cinema and entertainment · 2007
TriNoma Cinemas
The mall’s cinema complex provides movie entertainment and has been undergoing phased modernization. Renovated auditoriums include premium A-Luxe and A-Giant formats, with reopening activity taking place from December 2024 through 2025.
Mixed-use expansion
The Exchange at TriNoma
The Exchange at TriNoma is the planned expansion of the North Avenue Wing. It is intended to combine additional retail space with offices, parking, and a transport terminal, while improving integration with the future North Triangle Common Station.
Themed family entertainment
ABS-CBN Studio Experience
ABS-CBN Studio Experience was a themed attraction based on television programs from ABS-CBN. It operated at TriNoma before closing permanently in 2020. The former entertainment area was later expanded and reconfigured for other uses.
Brand decisions
2024
TriNoma renovation and transit-oriented expansionStrategyBackground
The aging mall is positioned beside the developing Vertis North township and future North Triangle Common Station, creating an opportunity to refresh the retail environment and strengthen transport integration.
Action taken
Ayala Land commenced renovations and planned the North Avenue Wing expansion as The Exchange at TriNoma, with retail, office, parking, and transport uses.
Aftermath
The expansion is expected to continue into 2026, while phased cinema renovations have already reopened several upgraded auditoriums.
2005
Ayala Land proceeds with TriNoma developmentStrategyBackground
After years of inactivity at the MRT depot site and the consolidation of Ayala Land’s interest in the depot corporation, the company moved forward with a major retail project.
Action taken
Construction began in June 2005, transforming the planned North Triangle commercial project into the TriNoma mall development.
Aftermath
The project opened in 2007 and became a major retail competitor in northern Metro Manila and an anchor of the Vertis North area.
Recent events
- 2024
TriNoma begins major renovation and North Avenue expansion[1]
Other
Renovation work commenced in the first quarter of 2024, including plans to expand the North Avenue Wing into The Exchange at TriNoma, a mixed-use retail, office, parking, and transport facility.
- 2024
TriNoma cinema modernization proceeds in phases[1]
Product generation · Other
Several cinemas closed for renovation in June 2024. Cinemas 3 and 4 reopened in December 2024, followed by Cinema 6 in February 2025, Cinema 5 as an A-Luxe auditorium in March 2025, and Cinema 7 as an A-Giant auditorium in July 2025.
- 2017
Fire reported at TriNoma appliance warehouse[1]
Other
A fire broke out on March 13, 2017 in an appliance warehouse near the MRT station area. Fire authorities raised the incident to the second alarm and declared it extinguished later that afternoon.
- 2007
TriNoma opens to the public after delayed soft opening[1]
Other
TriNoma began public operations on May 16, 2007 after its planned early-May soft opening was postponed because structural and finishing work remained incomplete.
- 2007
Section of TriNoma ceiling collapses[1]
Other
A roughly 20-meter section of the mall ceiling collapsed on June 2, 2007, shortly after the center opened.
Sources2 sources
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