Euro Prime is part of a 38-rai housing project called European Town that is being developed by Prinsiri along the Onnuj-Lat Krabang Highway, near the new Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The detached-housing site covers 15 rai 203 square wah and forms one of the three zones that make up European Town.

The other two zones are a town-house estate called Euro Nova, which will have 184 town houses built on an 18-rai 179-square-wah plot; and a shop-house phase, which is yet to be named, covering five rai. The shop-house units are not yet being offered.

The entrance of Euro Prime is next to Euro Nova, and both are situated along the main road, about 700 metres before the King Kaew Road junction. But the two estates are registered separately, and both have their own facilities such as swimming pools and common grounds.

Prinsiri is best known for its detached homes. Two years ago, it won a prestigious US-based design award called the PCBC. The winning format was its Siritawara homes, which are located at its Ekamai-Ramindra project.

Siritawara uses a fusion of styles from northern Thailand, China and Bali. These exotic units are on par with top designs from North America.

But Euro Town is built more for the middle market and is more practical than fancy. As the Onnuj-Lat Krabang area is strictly a lower- to middle-income zone, the estate has correctly identified its target group and has not gone for luxurious homes that few people can afford.

Euro Prime homes sell for Bt4.29 million for a 187-square-metre, two-storey unit, built on a modest plot of 52 square wah.

In contrast, Siritawara homes had built-up areas of between 300 and 400 square metres and sold for Bt13.5 million upwards.

With the luxury housing market suffering a glut of supply and with the middle market limited in purchasing power - to somewhere between Bt2 million and Bt5 million - Prinsiri has adapted well by concentrating on this end-user segment.

The company's philosophy, which has enabled it to thrive in a competitive market, has always been, "Undercut the main competitors by offering a bit more and charging less".

As with its earlier estates, Euro Prime has a fair amount of landscaped grounds as the company realises that trees, gardens, ponds and fountains go a long way in creating an attractive sanctuary for its residents.

Its Prima Nova town houses cover three floors, with built-up areas of 174-274 square metres. Buyers have a choice of units with a frontage of five to 6.5 metres.

Three- and four-bedroom units sell from Bt2.79 million, which is lower than its main rivals in the area, including professional town-house builders such as Asian Property and Property Plus Partners.

The European town estates opened at the weekend with completed show units at both sites. Visitors can visit the grounds from 9am to 6pm daily.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation