Mumbai Claims World's Largest and Most Expensive Residence

Antilla Residence

Antilla Residence is designed as the largest and tallest “living wall” in the world — a seamless, vertical garden that encompasses all walls of the building climbing to the 40th floor. A modern day Hanging Gardens with a revolutionary design that stretches the boundaries of architecture and engineering, and questions traditional skyscraper design.


The building’s height is significant. According to the plan, the house will rise to a height of 173.12 meters, equivalent to that of a regular 50-storied residential building. However, Antilla will have only 27 stories in all, which means each floor will have a ceiling considerably higher than the current average of nearly three meters.

27 Storey Home

The design of the Residence Antilla, as it came to be called, was kept a close secret even after construction started in 2006. In early May, 2007, the architects released the building’s design to the public on their website.

Designed by Chicago architecture firm Perkins + Will, the in-progress glass-tower is estimated at over $1 billion. Construction of Mukesh Ambani’s new house at Altamount Road in Mumbai, where real estate prices are now in the region of Rs 75,000 per sq ft, began in late 2006, and the first six floors are already in place. The building is expected to be complete in September 2008. It is said to feature the following-

Six floors for parking

The first six floors — which have come up — will be reserved for parking alone, and that too for cars belonging only to Mukesh’s family. Space for a total of 168 ‘imported’ cars has been earmarked here.

Floor for car maintenance

Sources said the Ambanis would prefer to have all their cars serviced and maintained at an in-house service centre. This centre will be set up on the seventh floor.

Entertainment floor

The eighth floor will have an entertainment center comprising a mini-theater with a seating capacity of 50.

Balconies with gardens

The rooftop of the mini-theater will serve as a garden, and immediately above that, three more balconies with terrace gardens will be independent floors.

The ‘health’ floors

While the ninth floor will be a ‘refuge’ floor — meant to be used for rescue in emergencies — two floors above that will be set aside for ‘health.’ One of these will have facilities for athletics and a swimming pool, while the other will have a health club complete with the latest gym equipment.

For guests

There will be a two-storied glass-fronted apartment for the Ambani family’s guests above the health floors. One more refuge floor and one floor for mechanical works will be built on top of these apartments.

Family

The four floors at the top, that will provide a view of the Arabian Sea and a superb view of the city’s skyline, will be for Mukesh, his wife Neeta, their three children and Mukesh’s mother Kokilaben.

Air space floor

According to the plan, two floors above the family’s residence will be set aside as maintenance areas, and on top of that will be an “air space floor,” which will act as a control room for helicopters landing on the helipad above.

Helipad

The plan states that three helipads are to be built on the terrace.

However, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials told this paper that permission for the helipads has not been granted yet.

“The residential plans were approved three-four years ago. Two levels of basement have also been shown in the proposed project,” Sudhir Shinde, deputy engineer at the BMC’s building proposals department said.

Staff

Nearly 600 staffers are expected to work full-time in the building, sources said.

Total Stats

According to BMC records, the total area of Mukesh’s Altamount Road plot is 4,532.39 square meters. The proposed built-up area is 4,778.09 square meters (only for residential purposes), and the permissible built-up area 4,939.81 square meters.

Watch a video of the tower's progress here: