The First Billion Dollar Home!

March 30, 2012

Construction on the first billion-dollar home was completed in 2010.  The world’s fifth richest man, Mukesh Ambani, commissioned the residence.   This multi-billionaire is CEO of a large petro-chemical company called Reliance Industries.  The house, named Antilla by its owners, was built in the center of the city of Mumbai. Because of the dense population of the city, available land is difficult to obtain. Hence Antilla was built up rather than out.  It is a futuristic-looking structure that is fully 570 ft. tall.  This is comparable to a twenty-seven-storey building.  Its soaring façade closely resembles a jigsaw puzzle, and is not necessarily aesthetically appealing to everyone.  But the house boasts amenities that most people can only dream about.

A cavernous lobby takes up the whole first floor of this luxurious dwelling. There are nine elevators in this reception area to service the family and their guests.  The ceilings are extra high and the floors are travertine marble.  Only the finest materials were used throughout the structure.  Each of the over one hundred rooms was professionally decorated. There is a crystal chandeliered ballroom that has a retractable stage with professional lighting and sound systems built in.  Off the ballroom is a state of the art kitchen that is equipped to serve hundreds of guests.  There’s also a two-storey health center and a theater-like cinema that can seat fifty people.  And even in a crowded city like Mumbai, parking is never a problem.  That’s because six of the house’s twenty-seven levels are devoted to parking.  There’s obviously ample space for Mr. Ambani’s luxury and antique car collection.  And because this billionaire often prefers to travel by helicopter, there are three helipads for his convenience.  600 fulltime servants are employed to keep everything running smoothly.

Mrs. Ambani has a preference for beautiful plants and flowers, so there are several “floating gardens” located around the structure. These gardens can be enjoyed through many of the sea-facing windows that adorn the home.  But as stunning as this extravagant home is, its owners have never resided in it.  They have parties there, and then go home to a less costly abode. This is because the owners consider the house unlucky because it doesn’t conform to the ancient Indian architectural principles of Vastu Shastra.  If the Ambanis decide to sell the house, it may be difficult to find buyers who can afford a billion dollar home!