AIA developing its third premium office building on Bangna-Trat Road

AIA Thailand has now officially opened a sales gallery at AIA East Gateway, its new premium office building with retail space, located on Bangna-Trat Road Km4.5.

Developed as a green building with ESG at the core concept, emphasising AIA’s brand promise “Healthier, Longer, Better Lives”, AIA East Gateway is the third real estate investment by AIA, following the tremendous success of its earlier projects – AIA Capital Centre and AIA Sathorn Tower.

The construction of AIA East Gateway is scheduled for completion by the fourth quarter of 2022.

Johann Dutoit, Chief Investment Officer of AIA Thailand, said that AIA Thailand has continued to invest in real estate in line with AIA Group’s vision to diversify its investment portfolio.

AIA Thailand’s real estate investment will not only help drive the Thai economy, but AIA East Gateway will also offer premium offices and healthy lifestyles to office workers in Bangna, especially in the Next Normal era.

"AIA has been successful in developing two premium office buildings, namely AIA Capital Centre on Ratchadaphisek Road and AIA Sathorn Tower in Bangkok’s Sathorn area," he explained.

"Currently, the occupancy rate of these two buildings is as high as 90 per cent, despite an economic slowdown amidst the Covid-19 outbreak that has dragged on for two years already."

Spread over more than 10 rai (1.6 hectares) of land, AIA East Gateway will perfectly accommodate business expansions of Thai and foreign business groups and leading investors in this emerging CBD location of Bangna, he said.

AIA has recognised the potential of the Bangna–Trat area in both its outstanding development potential and strong economic growth. Its potential is solid for both the present and the future as Bangna-Trat is emerging as a new central business district (CBD) in Bangkok’s Eastern area.

This new CBD has convenient access to various transportation systems. It is easily accessible from both the Green Line and Yellow Line (Lat Phrao–Samrong), which will begin operating in the middle of 2022.

AIA East Gateway sits about 350 metres from the Yellow Line’s Si Iam station. The Yellow Line promises to enable easier and more convenient commute in and out of the inner-city area.

In the near future, the Yellow line will also be integrated with other mass transit routes such as the Blue, Grey, Orange, Pink and Green lines, and the Airport Rail Link.

AIA East Gateway is a 33-storey office building having an approximate area of 136,000 square metres with completion scheduled by the fourth quarter of 2022. The building will be built in accordance with the LEED Certification standard and the WELL Building Gold standard.

The LEED standard emphasises energy conservation and environmentally friendly construction, while the WELL standard focuses on the well-being of tenants.

This new building will be fully equipped with world-class health-themed facilities, encouraging dwellers to live “Healthier, Longer, Better Lives”. AIA Vitality Zone will provide health-promoting activities for building dwellers, allowing them to participate in the Urban Farming zone, which will also be a part of the building.

AIA East Gateway will boast a fully-equipped fitness centre with urban farming, rooftop running track and a saltwater swimming pool. Moreover, this building will include a co-working area and more than 1,500 parking lots.

Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, managing director of CBRE (Thailand), said that judging by its potential, prominence, and location in the new CBD, right on Bangna–Trat Road Km4.5, AIA East Gateway is truly a new outstanding landmark.

Its ceiling is a remarkable three metres high. Its modern design is also complemented by world-class energy-efficient technologies and green solutions, she added.

"On top of that, AIA East Gateway will also feature retail space, various parks, urban farming, and an exercise space. It, therefore, promises to answer well to the lifestyles of tenants who look for a quality office building and practical facilities for building users," she said.

AIA East Gateway is slated to offer over 70,000 square metres of lettable area; inclusive of 10,000 square metres of retail space that will span across the building’s five floors.

Each unit of retail space will start from 20 square metres in size. Retail space on the first to third floors is for shops, cafes, and convenience stores. The fitness centre and a swimming pool will sit on the fourth floor. Co-Working Space, meanwhile, will sprawl over both the fourth and fifth floors.

Total office space at AIA East Gateway is approximately 60,000 square metres. It is available from the sixth to 33rd floors. Each unit of office space starts from 85 square metres in size. The biggest unit covers the whole floor, with 2,270 square metres of space.

Tenants can design their office space with a great amount of flexibility. In addition, it is possible to instal internal stairways between floors for extra convenience.

With a ceiling height of three metres, the office space gives a sense of space and enhanced natural light. Each for-rent unit is column-free, rendering every square metre of the space fully usable.

AIA East Gateway’s asking rental rate is 700 baht per square metre per month.

People who are interested in visiting the project site or seeking additional information, can call 02-119-1500 from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 5pm.