The World’s Most Expensive House
Monday, 10th January 2011 by Ian Brown
Perhaps proving that money can't buy taste, an Indian billionaire will soon occupy what is being described as the world's most expensive house. Antilia1 is estimated to have cost up to $70million (US) to construct2 and manages to squeeze 27 totally incongruous floors into a 173m tower which could accommodate sixty conventional storeys.
Located in Mumbai, India's most densely populated city, Antilia was constructed for Mukesh Ambani - the world's fifth-richest person with an estimated wealth of $43bn.
While you might expect that such a large building (over 37,000 square metres of living space) might be intended to accommodate an extended family, Ambani will live there with just 5 other people - his wife, three children, and his mother. Their every whim will be catered to by a staff of around 600 people!
The residential floors were designed such that each is totally different from the others, as can clearly be seen from the exterior.
© Copyright Jhariani and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence
Many of the features of this residence are just staggering:
- Parking space for around 170 vehicles.
- The roof has a helipad with space for three helicopters, and its own air traffic control.
- Nine elevators lead to the private residences, multiple gyms, pools and spas and a 50-seat theatre.
- There is also a ballroom with a ceiling lined with crystal chandeliers, the latest audio and video technology, and a separate room where security personnel accompanying VIPs can relax.
- Three floors of hanging gardens will offer peaceful respite from Mumbai's heat.
- However, if they really need to cool off, residents and guests can pop into a room filled with artificial snow!
While we don't have Street View to give us a closer look, Google Earth does allow us to go back in time and see a number of images of Antilia's construction over the past few years.
Construction of this ostentatious abode hasn't been without controversy, perhaps understandably in a city where millions of people live in abject poverty.
The tower stands on land that was intended for construction of an orphanage. A modest legal payment took care of this inconvenience. The helipad on the roof also contravenes city and naval regulations, but this doesn't seem to stopped it from being put in place.
You can read more about Antilia at Wikipedia, while this blog post has much more detail and a number of pictures of the interior.
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The building was named after a mythical Atlantic island. ↩︎
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NOT the $1billion+ originally mentioned here, and as is widely reported elsewhere. See discussion in comments below. ↩︎
About the author
Ian Brown lives in Ottawa, Canada, and spends his spare time perusing maps to find new routes to ride on his orange bicycle.
“Antilia is estimated to have cost up to $2bn (US)”
No it’s not 😉.
Wikipedia also mentions $50-70 million.
As a reference: Burj Dubai cost about $1.5 billion…
Antilla is still a very impressive “private home” though.
Taking conspicuous consumption to new heights, and in a country wracked with poverty.
And it’s butt ugly, too.
I thought I should point out that hiding wealth by living in a rich area in a rich country does not in any way make excessive consumption any less morally wrong. One could equally say “in a world wracked with poverty”.
Conspicious consumption may be in “poor taste”, but the fact remains that humans the world over live in very different economic circumstances, and if that inequality is wrong, then it is wrong regardless of whether it is conspicuous or unsegregated.
Well, this writer is rather embarrassed. In my defence, the Wikipedia article has changed a lot in the weeks since I first wrote this article.
But, as the article linked to by Pete says “Forbes as a source is not helping and neither are any publications that mindlessly copied from it (which seems to be just about all of them).” Every site I researched (including Wikipedia at the time) mentioned the billion-plus estimate. I apologise that I didn’t question it more, and that I didn’t find the more factual number. Thanks Pete for posting your comment.
Though I have to say, $50-70 million seems low to me. Taking away 6 floors of parking, which presumably didn’t cost much, the 21 remaining floors would have cost approx $2-3 million each. Given the size and level of extravagance involved, personally I could easily imagine spending way more than that.
I will edit the post and leave these comments intact as evidence of my inaccuracies…
And perhaps just to add to the discussion, this Guardian article pegs the construction cost in the lower range, while suggesting the overall site (building + land) could eventually be worth $1billion given property values in this part of Mumbai. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/13/mukesh-ambani-india-home-mumbai?intcmp=239
Remember the land was purchased very cheaply and was intended for an orphanage…
I love you dear GSS readers, for never letting a ridiculous claim go unverified.
To use the parlance of the modern age – editor-in-chief fact-checking FAIL!
My apologies Ian, and I shall beat myself around the head with a copy of “Fact checking for dummies: Ridiculously big numbers are usually made up”.
Yours,
Humbled editor-in-chief.
Mukesh’s Antilla consumed Rs70 Lakh ( $154,833 ) electricity
Reference: News24desk
Mumbai: The mammoth home of oil-rich Mukesh Ambani has consumed the electricity of worth of Rs70 lakh in just one month since the Ambains moved the house.
According to a report published in a leading daily, Mukesh moved with his wife and their three children in Antillia a month ago and the house clutched up new spot as it has generated power bill of Rs.70,69,488, Mumbai`s highest residential electricity bill.
According to the bill for the month of September, Antilia consumed 6,37,240 units of power. To put it in perspective, an average household equipped with all electronic amenities consumes 300 units per month.
Ambani was, in fact, given a discount of Rs 48,354 for prompt payment, so the Rs 70 lakh quoted earlier is minus this amount. Experts say it`s is roughly equivalent to the monthly power bill of 7,000 homes.
The error was coming from wrong currencies (indian rupies and dollar). If you understand german, you can read the history of the wrong numbers here: http://www.bildblog.de/25710/slumdog-billionaire/
I’m jealous… I want my own room of home-made snow…
To the dear family that have acquired this new abode, are you not humble, do you know no modesty, I am from grand line of Kings but my wealth is now represented in knowledge. You will not inherit the earth, unfortunately as you try to do so already with no success. No opulence will satisfy your desires to have never wronged. The more you have, the less you will appreciate, and soon with a life full of possession, you will find that you have nothing of any value, except each other. Give what you have so that others may appreciate their families also. This world longs for a good man, with a good heart, who will help those who cannot help themselves, not simply waste his life acquiring more than he can use for himself. Janaka…..King of your Valley