New Record for Monster Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 1.07
Its bigger than Versailles; as high as a sixty storey building (although with high ceilings, it is really only 27 floors). It is the new home of Mukesh Ambani, owner of India's largest private company, designed by the usually respectable Perkins+Will. It has six floors for parking, accommodation for six hundred servants, and a "refuge floor" that might well be needed come the revolution that such garish displays of excess might cause in such a poor country. According to the Guardian, last week India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, called on business leaders to "eschew conspicuous consumption" and "be role models of moderation". Clearly he was a little bit late. ::Mumbai News, ::Guardian via ::Core 77 full size below the fold.
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 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.
For guests
There will be a two-storeyed 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.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Less is More: Sheds For Living
- The Seven Most Un-TreeHugger Products of 2008
- Less is More: Stay at my Home by Designasyl
- Un-Treehugger Events of the Year
Most Huggable: A New Energy Approach, Tweaked Mileage, and Clogged Carbon Sinks
|
Biogas-Powered Fuel Cell System Wins Big, Crowd Goes Wild
|
You would think that in something so large, they would have a large array of solar panels designed in there somewhere. And rainwater collection. Among other earth-friendly features that appear to be missing. At least the parking is vertical.
What's a guy with a penis the size of a peanut got to do?
I have a friend at the P&W office that is working on this building, all I can say is they call it the "house from hell."
its rather ugly looking too
Well, technically it is a house for over 600 people.
I hate how people dehumanize servants when talking about rich people. Is the only reason for life to serve their masters? Surely they would live somewhere else, and have some other job, if they didn't work for the Ambani family. They aren't robots that can be decommissioned.
People do the same thing to prince Charles, and celebrities.
I must say for a SINGLE family it is more than OVER THE TOP especially in a country that bares so much poverty. BUT then find another 5 head family that will give full time employment (what ever salary) to 600 staff .
Sad it is not happening in a western country and as a general living concept, as it is novel for apartment or condo living. I find the sort of "folding pasta" very interesting. Go see in PRC monstrosities being built.
I don't know the gentlemen owner but at least HE HAS a DREAM and follows it and gives an Architect and amazing opportunity to show his creativity. I am sure if it was Bill Gates, no one would complain. I wish I could show the owner some of our unique glass and there is lot of utilized. I sense a sort of jealousy by the general viewers because it is AMAZING, ugly ,unique, or not . BEAUTY is in the eyes of the beholder. I admire that there will be WORK in surely an upmarket air con environment for 600 poor and some less poor in a city that caters badly for many poor and I have been there.
and seen flet and smelled it with my own senses.
I need a place with a pool, can I move in...
Dear Mr.Mukesh
Make sure this house is according to vastu shastra.
building shape must be like pyrmid from the top not
the square on top.please remember world tower in
usa (sqare building ....danger to stand.(
stiil you have time to make it angle from the top not
sqare/
remember this when something will go wrong.
H ambani
the 600 servant housing may not be as terrible as it sounds. mumbai is a penninsula and over 30% of it's population lives in the streets...not because it is that poor (it's a little less than THAT poor), but because there isn't enough housing for the thousands of people that arrive every month from the country side looking for work. for an ugly, self-righteous home it at least considered some things...and it has a lot of gardens! which, in a home this size might actually help the smog in mumbai...maybe...a little...if you are building glass-walled apartments it would be nice to have clean enough air to actually see the arabian sea.
correction to above posts: The 600 servants do not live in this building, they just park and work there.
Is this worse than rich people in other countries who have large estates taking up huge amounts of land devoted just to lawns and swimming pools and golf courses? I think it's an improvement.