Antilia

Mukesh Ambani has more money then he knows what to do with. In 2011, Forbes ranked him the 9th richest man in the world, with a net worth of $27 billion. In an attempt to spend a good chunk of that wealth, Ambani purchased land on one of the most expensive streets in Mumbai and began constructing Antilia, a towering behemoth that will serve as the family home for his wife, three children and 600 staff members.

In 2002, Ambani purchased the property and began work on his 400,000 square foot home. Although the house has 27 floors, it is 567 feet high, with each floor boasting incredibly high vaulted ceilings. Each floor in the complex offers something different and there are no identical floor plans. The Ambani family will occupy only the top four floors. Conveniently, there are still 23 other floors for luxuries such as parking space for 168 cars, a health spa, swimming pools, a movie theater and three spectacular hanging gardens spaced at different levels of the building. All told, the house will come with a price tag over $1 billion.

Since construction began, Antilia has drawn criticism from within India and across the world. From the top floor of the 27-story home, there are spectacular views of the Arabian Sea, as well as the slums of Mumbai sprawling on the outskirts of the indian city. Much of the criticism has been spurred by this fact, as Ambani’s impressive show of wealth seems to show a lack of empathy for the impoverished who inhabit the slums. This lack of awareness seems even stranger considering that Ambani’s father was born to a poor family and became a self-made billionaire.