WORLD’S BIGGEST HOUSE BOUGHT BY INDIA’S RICHEST MAN… SO HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

Sooner or later, somebody had to do it. 

The 27-story 400,000 sq ft billion dollar skyscraper in Mumbai has India tycoon Mukesh Ambani, whose net worth is estimated at about $50BB, as its homeowner.  Ambani is Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, a Fortune 500 company.  This purchase is not exactly “a stretch” for him, as his net worth ranks him in the top 5 richest people in the world category.  The building is the height of a 60-story residential residence, resulting in very high ceilings on each floor.  It has three helipads, a parking garage and 600 staff members.  He named the building, “Antilia,” after a mythical island in the Atlantic Ocean.

The first 6 floors will be for only parking with space for 168 “imported” cars.  The 7^th floor will hold a service and maintenance unit, with in-house service center for their cars.  An Entertainment Center that seats 50 and has a mini-theatre will be on the 8^th floor.  Rooftop balconies will hold gardens, some terraced.  This answers the question, “How does your garden grow?”

The 9^th floor, a “refuge” floor will be used for rescue emergencies, and two floors above will have health facilities for athletics, a swimming pool and the latest gym equipment.  Two-storied glass-fronted apartments will be for Ambiani guests and another refuge floor for mechanical works will reside above these apartments.  There are 9 elevators from the ground floor up.

The 4 top floors with a view of the Arabian Sea and the city’s skyine will be for 53-year old Mukesh Ambiani, his wife Neeta, their 3 children and her mother. 

Reports state that the materials being used and different designs of each floor have made costs run high. There has been criticism of such flaunting of wealth in a poor country with low-income, a food-deficit and low nutritional and health indicators.  However, consider that Ambani’s construction and staffing employment numbers are pouring money back into the economy and providing jobs.   

An asymmetric stack of glass, steel and tiles with a four-storey hanging garden, note that Ambani's new home has been built, reports say, with local materials as far as possible. According to Forbes magazine, the plants save energy by absorbing sunlight, making it easier to keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter.  See YouTube with photos of the house.