Antilia is the name of a twenty-seven floor personal home in South Mumbai belonging to businessman Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire Chairman of Reliance Industries.There will be 600 full-time staff to maintain the residence, which was reported in the Indian Media to be the most expensive home in the world.It has been described as the "Taj Mahal of 21st century India".
The home will house Ambani, wife Nita, their three children and Ambani's mother.
Name and Location
Antilia is named after the mythical island in the Atlantic, Antillia.
The Antilia building is situated on a 4,532 square metres (48,780 sq ft) plot at Altamont Road, Cumballa Hill, South Mumbai, where land prices are upward of US$10,000 per square metre.
In August 2008, Altamont Road was the 10th most expensive street in the world at US$25,000/sq m (US$2,336 per sq foot)
Specifications
The structure was designed by U.S. architects using principles of Vaastu Shastra, the Hindutraditional geomancy akin to Chinese feng shui, to maximize "positive energy." No two floor plans are alike, and the materials used in each level vary widely.
The home will include:
- 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2) of living space.
- Parking space for 168 cars.
- A one-floor vehicle maintenance facility.
- 9 elevators in the lobby.
- 1 helipad and an air traffic control facility.
- Health spa, yoga studio, small theatre with a seating capacity for 50 on the eighth floor,multiple swimming pools, three floors of hanging gardens, and a ballroom.
- An ice room infused with man-made snow flurries.
Construction
Antilia was designed by Chicago based architects, Perkins & Will. The Melbourne-based construction company Leighton Holdings began constructing it. The home was also designed to survive an 8-richter scale earthquake.
Cost and valuation
Indian media frequently reported that Antilia is the world's most expensive home costing US$1 billion.
Thomas Johnson, director of marketing at architecture firm Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates that was consulted with by Reliance during building floor plan design, was cited by Forbes Magazine as estimating the cost of the residence at nearly $2 billion.
In June 2008, a Reliance spokesman told the New York Times that it will cost $50–$70 million to build.
Upon completion in 2010, media reports again speculated that, due to increasing land prices in the area, the tower may now be worth as much as US$1 billion.
