Mumbai’s $1 billion Residence

Indian billionaire and successful chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd., Mukesh Ambani, is raising eyebrows with his $1 billion home under construction in Mumbai. Ambani’s personal residence, named Residence Antilia (after a mythical island) is a 570-foot high tower.

Perkins+Will developed the plan for the house (or should we say ‘building’) whose first six floors are already in place, and the rest to be completed in 2008. The building equivalent to 60 floors, will be built into a 27 story residence where the first six floors will accommodate Ambani’s 168 imported cars. Then the 7th floor will serve as a service & maintenance center for the cars, the 8th floor will be an entertainment center including a mini-theater with a capacity of 50. The 9th floor will be a rescue and refuge floors in case of emergency, the 10th & 11th floors will accommodate health facilities including the latest gym equipments and a swimming pool. The following two floors will be turned into guest apartments with all glass facades. Then another refuge & rescue floor on the 14th floor, and the 15th floor will hold the tower’s mechanical works. The 16th thru the 20th floors will be consecrated to the 6-member family, as expected the tower will boast unobstructed views of the Arabian Sea and Mumbai’s skyline. The 21st floor will contain maintenance areas, and the 22nd will serve as a control room for the helicopters landing on the rooftop helipads (there will be 3 of them!). And the rest of the space will lodge Ambani’s staff of 600 house workers who will work full-time in the building.

If your head is not turning yet than consider this: there are over 1 million people living in vagrant conditions in Mumbai. Ambani’s super-extravagant glass tower will certainly accentuate the line between the fortunate and unfortunate ones in India.

Via Wall Street Journal & Mumbai Mirror