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Published on September 7, 2007

Billed as Pattaya's tallest condominium project, Ocean 1 Tower with 90 floors on Jomtien Beach Soi 5 will start building soon as the developer expects to obtain the environmental impact assessment permit shortly.

A visit to the site shows that Thai Bauer, assigned to provide the foundation work, has begun test runs on piling at the 12-rai site. The estate is situated about 250 metres inland from the beach and main road.

Ocean 1's sales office is located near the entrance to Jomtien Beach from Pattaya, where a mediumsized billboard hangs.

The developer has not built anything at the actual site, saying it needs to devote the entire  plot to hold facilities that make "a special kind of concrete". Show units at the site are scheduled to open in 16 months.

The road at the site will also be widened to 12 metres from the existing 8 metres in compliance with building regulations, said the developer.

The building is designed by Woods Bagot while K-Tech has been contracted to build Ocean 1.

Because of the scale of the project, the developer expects the condominium to take four years to complete, roughly by 2011.

It will contain about 610 units, ranging from studios of about 50 square metres to 300 squaremetre penthouses.

The selling rate ranges from Bt125,000 per square metre at the low zones to Bt135,000 for high floors.

Studio units are priced from Bt130,000 a square metre.

The developer calls the project a "prestige residence" and, in its online advertisement, urges buyers to reserve their "place in Heaven".

While it is true thousands of tourists flock to Pattaya and Jomtien for recreation, it is rare to hear the resort compared to Heaven. Yet there is a great deal of truth in that, as an investment vehicle, quality projects in this part of the country is quite limited.

On paper, the plan is enticing indeed. The tower will have eight floors of car park to ensure ample space for residents, who will be assigned fixed parking spaces.

On the top of the podium on the 9th floor, residents will be able to enjoy a large swimming pool as well as a 50-metre lap pool. A children's pool will be at the other end of the podium.

The developer also plans to install a 150-metre jogging track on the same floor.

The tower will be served by 13 elevators in all.

The units will be fitted with kitchens from SieMatic, a top brand from Germany. They will also employ the latest Daikin airconditioners, where one compressor will be sufficient to serve all cooling units in an apartment.

The most interesting feature is the company's plan to use solar energy to power much of the building's upkeep, which is expected to lower maintenance fees to between Bt28 and Bt30 a square metre.

As of last week, 24 per cent of the project had been sold, said the developer.

The optimism for property projects in Pattaya stems from the massive influx of tourists, both local and foreign, all year round.

The journey from Bangkok often takes three hours or more because of chronically jammed roads, not only at Pattaya but at many towns along the way, especially Chon Buri and Sri Racha, which have exploded in size and population the past few years.

Overcrowding in Pattaya has led to frequent power outages as overloaded fuse boxes blow up or catch fire, blacking out entire blocks for long hours.

The flood of arrivals and unchecked growth have sent food prices spiking in Pattaya.

Some fastfood outlets charge 10-20 per cent more for items than in downtown Bangkok, an indication of inflationary trends sweeping the cash-flushed city.

Itthi C Tan

The Nation

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