Richest Man In India Builds $1 Billion House

What would you do if your net worth were $22 billion? If you were Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, you might build yourself the world's most expensive home. As designed by Chicago architecture firm Perkins + Will, the in-progress glass-tower is estimated at $1 billion and is known to feature, at the least, a health club, multiple "safe" rooms, 3 helipads, 168 parking spaces and require 600 servants to maintain, and physically, the structure stands at 27 stories, or 570 feet tall.

According to the Mumbai Mirror, the tower will also contain:

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 centre comprising a mini-theatre with a seating capacity of 50.

Balconies with gardens
The rooftop of the mini-theatre 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 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.

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.

Watch a video of the tower's progress here:

Comments

[CosmoPlavix]

01:33 AM on 02/21/2008

One would think that a billionaire may have read a newspaper and noticed there are people who could use a few bucks to get vaccinations for their kids. Or maybe that's just me.

[GoBamaGo]

12:15 AM on 02/21/2008

That's sort of crazy sick

[puppyranch]

10:15 AM on 02/20/2008

oh boy

[diamndpeace]

12:15 AM on 02/21/2008

As rich as this guy is, you would think he could afford a more attractive design... seriously, that is one really fugly building!

Just goes to show you, money can't buy good taste, nosir.

[shedances]

09:05 PM on 01/31/2008

Hmm, I think this is the fellow who's father amassed a huge fortune in ruthless (but clever, certainly) ways by getting around the system in India. The recent film "Guru," is based on his father's life & climb up the ladder of success. You see, in India, it's not at all uncommon to find praise bestowed upon the highly ambitious, smart village boy who is able to get out of such conditions & make his fortune ... even if it involves manipulating the system, so-to-speak. It is not a work ideology that I am comfortable with ... yet, it's not the fault of the architectural firm he's employed to do his over-the-top new home.

Kelli

[shedances]

10:36 AM on 01/31/2008

I think Ambani could've used his vast riches a little more wisely ... esp. considering the immense poverty in India! But at least, he picked a fine architectural firm in Chicago (Perkins & Will) to do the creative designs.

K

[theshelia]

03:07 PM on 01/30/2008

Just before coming to this message board, I read an article about the poor in Hati - things are now bad in that country that the people are literally eating dirt.

While I don't think anyone has a right to tell someone else how to spend his/her money (if they earned it honestly), I am rather disappointed that this guy is going to drop $1 billion on a house when it might be better spent by, say, sponsoring a program that would help the Hatians restore the land (they have serious enviromental problems because of deforestation) so they wouldn't have to eat dirt. There would probably be more than enough left over to build a house worth several million that could be just as tricked out as what you see on MTV's Cribs.

[FeloniouslyAnnoying]

10:16 AM on 01/31/2008

Hatians? Really? the dudes effing indian; why should he give a damn about hatians? India has enough problems without the dude needing to throw money at hatians.

Again... six hundred people will be employed, by his effing house!

God honestly! Take your commie bullshit back to your undergraduate poli-sci 101 class.

You people are ridiculous, guess what, communism doesn't work. The fact that you can't see that the employment of 600 people in India is a good thing, shows that you don't actually care about poor people. You're just mad because some people are really rich.

[diamndpeace]

12:18 AM on 02/21/2008

Wouldn't one billion be easily used to create companies that would hire FAR more than a measly 600 footservants?

Ummm, and look up 'communism', this word, it does not mean what you seem to think it means...

[Roxanna]

12:29 AM on 02/21/2008

I agree... How much is Too Much... How much does one need to be happy when so many others are starving.. What joy can a home that size possibly bring while others are in the streets eating dirt.

Something is really wrong in the picture where humans can be so profoundly disconnected from each other.

[white mende man]

01:45 PM on 01/30/2008

actually what is really VILE is the trillion dollar projection that will be spent on the 2008 election.

[white mende man]

01:41 PM on 01/30/2008

Man! I wish I could afford two of them. One for everyday and the other for weekends... or maybe one for the wife and the other for me... LOL

[Slowride]

12:45 PM on 01/30/2008

All that space and only one bathroom.

[WilliePilgrim]

11:59 AM on 01/30/2008

I still love the look, and even more so, the concept of this building. For those who think it's ugly; there is very little as ugly as envy. Think it's stupid? There is very little as stupid as ignoring one's good fortune and failing to capitalize on it. Ruining the slums from which it emerges? Funny, really, and totally out of touch. The money could be used for better things? Certainly and the critics should begin by doing it themselves.
This building holds the promise of transforming urban cities into gardens and reconnect city dwellers with the outlet they crave for natural beauty and thereby make living together a saner relationship. Vertical farms would produce urban farmers' markets that wouldn't need fleets of gas guzzling trucks to transport it to our markets. Our waste water instead of pollution would be used in recycling through gardens. Pigeons instead of being flying pests would nest of cliff faces and be subject to falcons again. I deeply hope to see more and bigger designes using these concepts. Ignore the "nay sayers" whose criticisms are largely the result of their inability to see beyond their own pet peeves. Cheers.

[diamndpeace]

12:21 AM on 02/21/2008

no, actually it's just a really ugly building.

And a totall waste of a billion dollars. You can justify and pontificate all you like, but that money can do much much better in the world than this fuglyassed monument to excess.

[We]

11:57 AM on 01/30/2008

Yes, but can he afford a MacBook Air?

[hrayovac]

11:28 AM on 01/30/2008

Cain't buy the sky above, y'all. We are all just as rich (or poor if you have to suck up that Indian air).

[bac]

11:25 AM on 01/30/2008

Wonder what motivated him to build such as monstrous display of wealth amid such sickening poverty. He seems like a relatively simple level-headed man. Maybe it’s the wife! :)

[Gumby123]

11:19 AM on 01/30/2008

Damn that's an ugly building but geez folks, there's alot of resentment towards rich people around here.

[shag11]

10:46 AM on 01/30/2008

If this is true, the shit should burn down. I am not usually that vile, but with all of the extremely poor people there, this kind of shit is a disgrace. Fuck him.