is being valued at Rupees
4000 crores and will be 173
metres tall. Normally that
is the equivalent of a 60
storeyed tower, but in this
case each floor is more
than twice the height of a
normal floor, with the
result that the building will
only have 27 floors when
completed. Given the
prevailing state of
skyscrapers in Mumbai, this
building will be more than
twice as tall as the earlier
tallest buiilding. The view
from the top will be
breathtaking, no doubt.
Some other absurd facts
about this'house'..
1. 3 helipads on top. Mumbai
corporation has not given
permission for making this
operational yet.
2. Hanging gardens within the
structure
3. Swimming pool within the
structure
4. A two storey Health centre
5. Parking space for 168 cars
(6 floors). I initially thought
that meant there will be a
mini office in the building
but apparently that is not
the case. All these cars will
belong to Mukesh Ambani!
Just in case you are
interested, he drives a 5
crore Maybach now.
6. A floor exclusively for
servicing these automobiles
within the building.
7. A floor for Home theatre –
sitting capacity of 50
Most absurd of all, the
house will have a staff of
600 to do the maintenance
activities. That gives a ratio
of 1:100 for people living in
the house and those who
are paid to take care of it.
The six lucky ones are the
man himself, his wife, his 3
children and his mother
Kokilaben. The family will
be moving in from their
old home'Sea Wind' which
was a 14 floor building at
Cuffe Parade.
In fairness, Mukesh bought
the property in 2002. So he
has not spent anywhere
close to the $1 billion
people are now valuing the
property at. And it is not
just him, plenty of other
rich tycoons have indulged
in their residences. Two
people who immediately
come to mind are Mittal &
Gates.
UK-based steel tycoon
Lakshmi Mittal (he is still
an Indian citizen though)
bought the most expensive
house in London last year,
paying £60m for a place in
Kensington Palace
Gardens.Microsoft founder
Bill Gates had built as
technology showpiece
several years back. The
house is reputed to have
cost upwards of $100
million. I will write about
this particular property
sometime in the future. It is
much more interesting
than the Ambani house,
because Gates tried to
implement many new, yet
to be proven technologies
in his blueprint.
The world,s Most expensive
home
skyscraper being built in
Mumbai by Mukesh
Ambani, the richest person
in India, could be the
world's largest and costliest
home with a price-tag
nearing two billion dollar,
according to Forbes
magazine.
"When the Ambani
residence is finished in
January, completing a four-
year process, it will be 550
feet high with 4,00,000
square feet of interior
space," Forbes said in a
report on its website.
Earlier in March, Mukesh
Ambani was ranked as the
fifth richest person in the
world with a net worth of
43 billion dollars by the
Forbes magazine in its
annual list of world's
wealthiest billionaires.
While Lakshmi Mittal, who
is an Indian citizen was
ranked higher at fourth, he
is a British resident. Among
resident Indians, Mukesh
was ranked at top.
"The only remotely
comparable high-rise
property currently on the
market is the 70 million
dollar triplex penthouse at
the Pierre Hotel in New
York, designed to resemble
a French chateau, and
climbing 525 feet in the
air," Forbes said in its
report titled, "Inside The
World's First Billion-Dollar
Home."
Mukesh Ambani heads
India's most valuable firm
Reliance Industries, an oil
and petrochemicals giant.
"Like many families with
the means to do so, the
Ambanis wanted to build a
custom home. They
consulted with architecture
firms Perkins + Will and
Hirsch Bedner Associates,
the designers behind the
Mandarin Oriental, based
in Dallas and Los Angeles,
respectively," the report
said. "Plans were then
drawn up for what will be
the world's largest and
most expensive home: a 27-
story skyscraper in
downtown Mumbai with a
cost nearing 2 billion
dollars."
According to Forbes,
Mukesh, along with his wife
Nita Ambani and three
children, currently live in a
22-story Mumbai tower.
The report further noted
that the cost for the
Ambani residence, called
Antilla whose shape is
based on Vaastu, would be
more than a hotel or high-
rise of similar size because
of its custom
measurements and fittings.
While a hotel or
condominium has a
common layout, replicated
on every floor, and uses
the same materials
throughout the building,
the Ambanis' home has no
two alike in either plans or
materials used, it said.
"At the request of Nita
Ambani, say the designers,
if a metal, wood or crystal
is part of the ninth-floor
design, it shouldn't be used
on the eleventh floor, for
example. The idea is to
blend styles and
architectural elements so
spaces give the feel of
consistency, but without
repetition," it said.
"Atop six stories of parking
lots, Antilla's living quarters
begin at a lobby with nine
elevators, as well as several
storage rooms and lounges.
Down dual stairways with
silver-covered railings is a
large ballroom with 80 per
cent of its ceiling covered
in crystal chandeliers."
The report said that
Ambanis plan to use the
residence occasionally for
corporate entertainment
also and they want its
interiors to have a
"distinctly Indian" look and
feel.
"The top floors of
entertaining space, where
Ambani plans to host
business guests (or just
relax) offer panoramic
views of the Arabian Sea…
For more temperate days,
the family will enjoy a
four-story open garden," it
noted.
