You need a visionary mindset — and some serious backup capital — to do what Nigel Cornick did for Pattaya City and the Pattaya real estate market..
Pattaya Back in 2000
Back then, Pattaya was little more than a growing resort destination on the Gulf of Thailand.
Travel from Don Muang International Airport took 3–4 hours. The most expensive bottle of cold Singha beer on Walking Street? Probably THB 90. Times were good.
From Concrete Skeleton to 5‑Star Luxury
Along Pattaya Beach Road stood an abandoned condo project — a concrete skeleton since the early ’90s, owned by two local Thai families who had fallen out.
Cornick, CEO of Raimon Land (listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand), saw potential. Through his connections, he negotiated a deal to take it on.
The building was pre‑EIA requirements, so Raimon Land had to complete the structure to match the original exterior.
Nigel recalls:
“It was a tough structure. Low floor‑to‑ceiling heights, a challenging main frame — we had to use carbon fibre to strengthen the slabs. Originally 300+ units, but we redesigned to 187.”
Cornick brought in architecture firm Woods Bagot to re‑design and re‑configure the towers, and signed K‑Tech to build them.
Pattaya’s First 5‑Star Luxury Condo
The result? Pattaya’s very first luxury condominium project, completed in April 2006. Look at Our Northshore Listings
187 state‑of‑the‑art apartments — 1, 2, and 3 bedrooms — plus a penthouse atop each of the two towers, reaching 24 and 28 floors.
Communal facilities centred on the 6th floor include a swimming pool and gymnasium.
The overhaul transformed the old structure into timeless architecture and design a benchmark in Pattaya property.
Raimon Land has invested about THB 900 million in the project, which will total 21,000 square meters of saleable space worth an estimated THB 1.4 billion.
Northshore was probably the most profitable project Raimon Land developed for those buying off-plan.
Prices starting at a “whooping” THB 50,000 per square meter (currently selling at THB 100,000 + per square meter) and were gradually marked up 5% during the various milestones of construction progress. Overall, the project enjoyed brisk sales.
Northshore worked as a magnet for those “players” buying off-plan with the intention to flip it before balance payment on completion. And successful they were.
Town & Country Property sold units in Northpoint 3-times to different buyers before the project completed at prices DOUBLE from the initial sales chart.
What made Nigel’s project so successful?
Was it the impressive “Bangkok style” show lounge with smart photo backdrops of the ocean views from the balcony? Or was it simply the first “Bangkok developer” to enter the Pattaya market with a luxury condo project that Pattaya has never seen before?
Why It Worked
Was it the impressive “Bangkok‑style” show lounge with smart photo backdrops of ocean views? Or simply the first Bangkok developer to bring a beachfront condo Pattaya project to market?
Whatever the reason, Northshore set a benchmark and marked the start of a new Pattaya.
It took developers like Q‑House, Ananda, Sansiri, and Lumpini several years to follow.
Meanwhile, Cornick moved on to another landmark: Northpoint Condominium Wong Amat Beach — 376 luxury apartments across 54 floors, completed in 2009.
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others” – Thank you Nigel Cornick for making Pattaya great.
Author: Mr. KC Cuijpers
For more information: Please contact Town & Country Property – [email protected]
