Thread: Mumbai : World's first US$1b home

World's first US$1b home
Oct 15, 2010


Mukesh Ambani retained his title as the richest Indian for a third year in 2010 with a worth of 27 billion dollars.
PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI - INDIA'S richest and world's fourth richest man, industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has built what is claimed as the world's first billion-dollar home - a 27-storey luxury residence in Mumbai, said media reports.

The chairman of Reliance Industries, whom Forbes magazine forecast to be the world's richest person by 2014, is all set to move into his mansion, named Antilia, after a mythical island, by the end of this month, local media reported on Thursday.

Constructed in Mumbai's downtown Altamount Road, the palatial building took seven years to complete. It has three helipads on the top floor, a swimming pool, a health club, a ballroom, a salon and a mini- theatre.

The first six levels of the glass tower, which stands about 174 metres, has a garage where more than 160 cars can be parked and has nine elevators, the reports said.

On the top floors of the house, with a sweeping view of the city and out over the Arabian Sea, are quarters for the 53-year- old tycoon and his family of four.

Towering above the Mumbai skyline, the 37,000sq ft tower is more than the Palace of Versailles in France. To keep things running smoothly, there is a staff of 600.

straitstimes.com

Here's a peek into Mukesh Ambani's billion-dollar palace
2010-10-15

India's richest man Mukesh Ambani is set to shift to a new 27-storey palace, which has three helipads-worth one billion dollars.

The 570ft Mumbai tower-Antilia, named after a mythical island -has three helipads, 50-seat cinema, health club and ballroom.

It took seven years to build amid the city's slums.

The skyscraper has a whopping five football pitches of floor space.

Its 600 staff is housed on two floors, while the bottom six storeys provide parking for 168 cars and an in-house garage.

The top four levels, with sea views, are family quarters.

The pad cost 44 million pounds to build but is now worth 15 times that.

The 53-year-old industrialist would move to his new palace with wife Nita and three kids shortly. (ANI)

sify.com

Mukesh Ambani, has moved into his new home in Mumbai which is 27 storeys high and worth £630m
Photo: CORBIS/AP

Exterior

Antilla, the partially completed home of Mumbai-based petrochemicals giant Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani, will stand 27 stories high and is expected to cost $2 billion. Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, his wife and three children currently live in a 22-story Mumbai tower the family has spent years remodeling and refashioning to meet its needs



Lobby

Nine elevators dot the lobby floor: Two are designated for parking areas, three for guest quarters, two for the Ambani family residences and two for service. The lobby opens to numerous lounges, reception areas and powder rooms. Dual stairways lead from the lobby floor down to the ballroom, which is designed in an open layout with a two-story roof.




Ballroom

The most striking features of the Antilla ballroom are the crystal chandeliers that will take up approximately 80% of the ceiling. The silver stairways lead to a central landing, behind which two retractable doors can open to display works of art. There is also a stage for entertainment or speeches, with a projection screen behind it. A kitchen, about the same size as the ballroom itself, can service hundreds of guests



Bathroom

One of Antilla's key design themes is the mix of lavish features seen in worldwide homes and elements that are distinctly Indian. The Gingko-leaf sink designs are a good example. Native to India, the leaves in the sinks are shaped in such a way that their stems guide water into the bowl created by the basket of the leaf



Traditional Lounge

Ambani's home features countless lounges, offering Reliance Industries guests a quiet escape. Chandeliers and mirrors are a common feature of these rooms, as are finely woven Indian area rugs.



Modern Lounge

Each space and floor uses materials not seen anywhere else. The idea is that spaces will blend into one another, giving the impression of consistency and flow, while at the same time displaying different influences and traditions. This furniture, floors, lines and dark woods of this lounge have a more minimalistic approach than the home's other lounges



Entertainment Level

It's very common in large homes to have a theater or screening room, but usually they're just large projection screens with a few nice seats. The Ambani's theater is more like those seen in George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch or Frank Pritt's Portabello Estate--a full-fledged theater, indistinguishable from a cinema. A wine room, snack bar and entertaining space, including couches and tables, fill out the room.
This is a detail from a floor plan rendering.




Health Level

The indoor/outdoor health level features a lap pool and Jacuzzi that take in views of the city skyline, as well as lounge chairs shaded by trees. Yoga and dance studios, changing rooms for men and women, gyms and a solarium with a juice bar fill out the interior space. There are plans to include an ice room in the center space, where the Ambanis could sit on a hot Mumbai day to cool off in a man-made snow flurry.
This is a detail from a floor plan rendering



Garage

The first six floors of the residence will be dedicated to parking for the Ambani family, guests and employees. Hanging vertical gardens dot the exterior. While they make for good decoration, their key function has to do with energy efficiency: The hydroponic plants, grown in liquid nutrient solutions instead of soil, lower the energy footprint of the home by absorbing heat and sunlight and providing shade that helps keep it cool.

Roof

The top floor features a covered, outdoor entertaining space with panoramic views of the Mumbai skyline as well as the Arabian Sea. On those days when it's too hot, or cold, an interior space with floor-to-ceiling windows provides the same luxury

EXPRESS News - Mukesh Ambani The World's First Billion-DollarHome -Forbes

Cool. Must be great for him to live there, and be able to have a panoramic view of the people of Bombay starving in the streets below. I hope he is reincarnated as a rickshaw puller - in Calcutta, which is marginally worse than Bombay. Ostentatious asswipe.

Appalling.

Sums up precisely the inequities of India.

The abhorrent inequality of the nation.

Gross. really quite sickening, he should be ashamed for such crass insensitivity.

Reason I abhor India and Indian culture.

He's a [at][at][at][at].

Originally Posted by jandajoy

Appalling.

Sums up precisely the inequities of India.

The abhorrent inequality of the nation.

Gross. really quite sickening, he should be ashamed for such crass insensitivity.

Agreeable to the most part, JJ. Brutishly coarse and offensive. As class divisions universally are....but looked upon indifferently. Would the sickening feeling be felt if the same opulent structure were cast in New York, London, or Sydney? As class distinction is quite well-known in these societies, as well. OTT decadence and consumptive ideals are never worthy notions anywhere.

house still look horrible, despite being so expensive, I thought it was a joke first

this is another example of "excessive residual income" being wasted on stupid shit

that billionaire should be taxed at 90% level since obviously he doesn't know what to do with all his cash

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

New York, London, or Sydney?

I doubt the slums would compare.

But you do have a point.

Nevertheless, for what it's worth I curse and condemn the greasy bastard and hope he rots in hell.

I doubt it cost that to build, because I'm pretty certain he had a team of virtual slaves working round the clock for a pittance.