Antilia (building)

Antilia
Antilia
General information
Status Complete
Location Altamount Road, Cumballa Hill, Mumbai
Country India
Coordinates 18°58'6"N, 72°48'35"E
Completed 2010
Opening 5 February 2010
Cost US $1-2Billion[1]
Owner Mukesh Ambani
Technical details
Lifts/elevators 10 ko
Design and construction
Architect Perkins and Will
Developer Mukesh Ambani
Structural engineer Sterling Engineering Consultancy Services (Mumbai)
Main contractor Leighton Holdings

Antilia is a private home in South Mumbai, India. It is owned by Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and has a staff of 600 to maintain the residence 24 hours a day.[2][3][4][5]

As of November 2014, it is deemed to be the world's most expensive residential property, after Buckingham Palace, which is designated as a crown property. It is thus the world's most expensive private residential property,[6] valued over $1 billion. Its controversial design and ostentatious use by a single family has made it infamous across the world, with severe criticism in the architectural press and mockery in popular media.[7]

It is located on Altamount Road, Cumballa Hill in Mumbai.

Naming

The building is named after the mythic island Antilas (with two Ls).[8]

Construction

Antilia as seen from Altamount Road

Antilia was built in consultation with US architecture firms Perkins and Will & Hirsch Bedner Associates (though neither firm lists it as a Notable Project), with the Australian-based construction company Leighton Holdings initially taking charge of its construction.[9] The home has 27 floors with extra-high ceilings. (Other buildings of equivalent height may have as many as 60 floors.).[10] The home was also designed to survive an earthquake rated 8 on the Richter scale.[11] It is considered by some to be the tallest single-family house in the world. Because it includes space for a staff of 600, others reserve that honour for a house meant to be occupied only by a single family.[12]

Controversies

In 2005, this property was purchased by Mukesh Ambani-controlled entity, Muffin-Antilia Commercial Private Limited from the Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja Trust, in direct contravention[13] of § 51 of the Wakf Act.[14]

The 4532sqm[15] plot of land had been previously owned by the Currimbhoy Ebrahim Khoja Yateemkhana (an orphanage). This charitable institution had sold the land allocated for the purpose of education of underprivileged Khoja children to Antilia Commercial Private Limited in July 2002 for ₹210.5 million (US$2.9 million).[16] The prevailing market value of the land at the time was at least ₹1.5 billion (US$21 million).[17][18][19]

The Waqf minister Nawab Malik opposed this land sale, as did the revenue department of the Government of Maharashtra. Thus a stay order was issued on the sale of the land. The Waqf board also initially opposed the deal and filed a PIL in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the trust. The Supreme Court, while dismissing the petition, asked the Waqf board to approach the Bombay High Court. However, the stay on the deal was subsequently vacated after the Waqf board withdrew its objection on receiving an amount of ₹1.6 million (US$22,000) from Antilia Commercial Pvt Ltd, and it issued a No Objection Certificate.[20]

In 2007 the Allahabad government said the structure is illegal because the land's owner, the Waqf Board, had no right to sell it, as Waqf property can neither be sold nor transferred.[5] Ambani then obtained a No Objection Certificate from the Waqf Board after paying ₹1.6 million and began construction.[5] In June 2011, the Union government asked the Maharashtra government to consider referring the matter to the Central Bureau of Investigation.[21][22][23][24]

In regards to the three helipads, the Indian Navy said it will not allow the construction of helipads on Mumbai buildings, while the Environment Ministry, following a representation from Awaaz Foundation,[25] said the helipads violate local noise laws.[5][26] Issues have also been raised with regards to the construction of an illegal car park.

In 2011 it was reported that Ambani had yet to move into the home, despite its completion, for fear of "bad luck".[27]Basannt R. Rasiwasia, an expert in Vastu shastra, claims the home does not conform to Vastu requirements.[28]

Cost and valuation

Antilia is the world's most expensive home, costing approximately US $2 billion.[29][30][31] Thomas Johnson, director of marketing at architecture firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (consulted by Reliance during the design of the building's floor plan) told Forbes magazine the residence cost nearly $2 billion.[32]

Public reception

It's a stupendous show of wealth, it's kind of positioning business tycoons as the new maharajah of India.

Hamish McDonald, author of Ambani & Sons: A History of the Business[3]

Few Indians are proud of the ostentatious house, while most see it as "shameful in a nation where many children go hungry."[3] Dipankar Gupta, a sociologist at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, opined that "such wealth can be inconceivable" not only in Mumbai, "home to some of Asia's worst slums," but also in a nation with 42 percent of the world's underweight children younger than five.[3]

Tata Group former chairman Ratan Tata said Antilia is an example of rich Indians' lack of empathy for the poor.[33] Tata said, "The person who lives in there should be concerned about what he sees around him and asking can he make a difference. If he is not, then it's sad because this country needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways of mitigating the hardship that people have."[34] "It makes me wonder why someone would do that. That's what revolutions are made of."[35]

See also

References

Notes

    Citations

    1. ↑ The Most Expensive Billionaire Homes In The World
    2. ↑ "A peek into Shraddha Sharma US $1 bn Mumbai home". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
    3. 1 2 3 4 Mumbai Billionaire's Home Boasts 34 Floors, Ocean and Slum Views by Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 2010
    4. ↑ "The World's Most Expensive, Forbes Magazine". Forbes.
    5. 1 2 3 4 Headlines Today Bureau. "Mukesh Ambani all set to move into world's costliest house: India : India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. Archived from the original on 18 October 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
    6. ↑ Spillett, Richard (4 November 2014). "World's most expensive homes". Daily Mail. dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
    7. ↑ Bajaj, Vikas (2011-10-18). "Mukesh Ambani's 27-Story House Is Not His Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
    8. ↑ Hanrahan, Mark (18 May 2012). "Antilia: Inside Mukesh Ambani's 27-Story Mumbai Residence, The World's First $1 Billion Home (PHOTOS)". Retrieved 9 January 2018 – via Huff Post.
    9. ↑ "Oh brother, spare me the time – World". smh.com.au. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
    10. ↑ "Personal Green Skyscrapers – The 60 Story Antilia House (GALLERY)". Trendhunter.com. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
    11. ↑ Kwek, Glenda (15 October 2010). "India's richest man builds first $1-billion home, Antilia, Ambani". Melbourne: Theage.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
    12. ↑ Ro, Lauren (March 8, 2017). "Arizona's 'Falcon's nest,' designed by Sukumar Pal, asks $1.5M". Curbed. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
    13. ↑ http://www.samayindia.in/business-news/89-cbi-to-probe-mukesh-bhais-antilla%5Bdead+link%5D
    14. ↑ "Mukesh Ambani's new house – Antilla". aavaas.com. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
    15. ↑ "Allah's Left The Building". Retrieved 9 January 2018.
    16. ↑ "State may refer Ambani's Wakf land deal to CBI". The Indian Express. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
    17. ↑ Madhurima Nandy (5 August 2008). "Altamount Road in Mumbai is world's 10th dearest address". Livemint. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    18. ↑ "Lodha secures Mumbai land for Rs 4,053 cr". Business Standard. 26 May 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    19. ↑ "SC rejects plea to stop work on Mukesh mansion". Business Standard. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    20. ↑ "Mukesh Ambani pays 16 lakh to Wakf board, gets NOC". Ibnlive.in.com. 9 July 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    21. ↑ "Ambani dream house stands on shaky ground". Yahoo India Finance. 2 August 2011.
    22. ↑ Makarand Gadgil (1 August 2011). "Maharashtra govt to review Ambani home land deal". Livemint. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    23. ↑ "News # 020613-145152]". Newkerala.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    24. ↑ "Centre wants CBI to probe Mukesh Ambani home deal". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    25. ↑ "No private helipads: Jairam". hindustantimes.com/. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014.
    26. ↑ "Citizens say no to helipads atop private buildings". Hindustan Times. hindustantimes.com.
    27. ↑ Wil Longbottom (26 October 2011). "World's most expensive house Pies abandoned". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
    28. ↑ Elizabeth Flock (19 October 2011). "Mukesh Ambani never moved into his $1 billion mansion Antilia". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 December. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
    29. ↑ "Mittal's address more expensive than Ambani's – Money – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
    30. ↑ "Indian industrialist to build rs2000 "home" amidst Mumbai's multimillion slum-dwellers". Asian Tribune. 7 June 2007. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
    31. ↑ "Mukesh Ambani's new abode worth billion – Business News – IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
    32. ↑ Woolsey, Matt (30 April 2008). "Inside The World's First Billion-Dollar Home". Forbes. Forbes.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
    33. ↑ "'Antilla', Mukesh Ambani's house, shows lack of empathy for poor: Ratan Tata". The Times of India. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
    34. ↑ "'Antilla', Mukesh Ambani's house, shows lack of empathy for poor: Ratan Tata". The Times of India. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
    35. ↑ http://www.firstpost.com/business/ratan-tata-on-mukesh-lifestyl-13535.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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