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Who designed Antilia, Mukesh Ambani’s mansion in Mumbai? Discover 15 must-know facts about its architecture, interiors, features, and the story behind the world’s most extravagant private home.
In the heart of Mumbai’s elite Altamount Road stands Antilia—a towering private residence that has sparked global attention, admiration, and debate in equal measure. As the home of Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man, Antilia is not just a house; it’s a landmark of extreme luxury and architectural ambition.
But who designed it? What lies inside it? And what does it say about architecture today?
Here are 15 detailed and eye-opening facts about Antilia, its architects, interiors, inspirations, and the legacy it continues to build.
1. The Architects of Antilia: Perkins & Will
The architectural design of Antilia was led by Perkins & Will, a globally renowned American architecture firm headquartered in Chicago.
Specifically, the project was helmed by James von Klemperer, a design principal at the firm during the early 2000s. Klemperer would later gain acclaim for designing some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, including One Vanderbilt in New York.
Perkins & Will was chosen for their innovative approach to complex, high-scale design, and for their ability to merge luxury with structural engineering—essential for a residence of this magnitude.
A Global Firm with a Visionary Portfolio
With projects spanning universities, hospitals, cultural institutions, and high-rises across the world, Perkins & Will focuses on design excellence, sustainability, and future-ready architecture.
Though Antilia is one of their most iconic private commissions, it also became one of their most debated, given its size, context, and symbolism in a city of glaring socioeconomic contrasts.

2. The Interiors Were Designed by HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates)
While Perkins & Will handled the architectural shell, the interior design of Antilia was entrusted to Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), a luxury interior design firm headquartered in Los Angeles.
Known for opulent interiors in high-end hotels across the globe, HBA brought a hospitality-grade finesse to Antilia’s design language. Their challenge? Transforming a vertical megastructure into a warm, personalized family residence.
Antilia’s interiors include:
- Dozens of custom lounges and drawing rooms
- Private spa and wellness zones
- Lavishly designed guest suites and personal quarters
- Aesthetic combinations of Indian craftsmanship and global luxury standards
3. The Design Concept: Inspired by the Lotus and the Sun
Antilia’s conceptual design draws heavily from nature-inspired symbolism, particularly the lotus flower and the sun—two powerful motifs in Indian culture, representing purity and energy.
These symbols are reflected in:
- Crystalline forms in the building’s glass-and-steel structure
- Custom textures inspired by natural elements
- Non-repetitive, asymmetrical floor layouts—with no two floors designed exactly alike
Rather than building a traditional symmetrical tower, the architects embraced the fluidity and unpredictability of nature, with every level expressing a unique spatial experience.
The design avoids rigid repetition, offering instead a stack of thematic, purpose-built volumes—each responding to function, mood, and ambiance.
Also Read: Master Architecture Appreciation: How to Experience Buildings Better
4. Antilia Has 27 Floors, But Stands as Tall as a 60-Storey Tower
Due to its generous ceiling heights (some as high as a double-height commercial space), Antilia’s 27 floors collectively reach the height of a 60-storey skyscraper. That’s nearly 173 meters tall—taller than most office buildings in Mumbai.
5. Parking for Over 160 Luxury Cars
Antilia has a six-floor underground car park that can accommodate over 160 vehicles—including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and other supercars in the Ambani fleet.
6. A Full-Sized Private Movie Theatre
The house includes a 50-seat private cinema with state-of-the-art acoustics, projection, and custom theatre seating—a luxury escape from crowded public screenings.
7. It Even Has a Snow Room
One of the most buzzed-about features is the “snow room”, designed to mimic winter conditions by releasing artificially generated snowflakes—offering cool relief in Mumbai’s tropical heat.
8. Equipped with Three Rooftop Helipads
Antilia includes three helipads on its rooftop, offering quick aerial mobility. While approved in the design, these have faced regulatory delays in terms of operation from Mumbai’s civic authorities.
9. Built to Survive an Earthquake Measuring 8.0
Structurally engineered to the highest standards, Antilia can reportedly withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 on the Richter scale. It’s designed as a self-contained vertical fortress.
10. No Two Floors Are the Same
Each of Antilia’s floors was uniquely designed with different materials, color palettes, functions, and spatial geometry. This makes the home a true vertical mansion, with private family spaces, guest wings, recreational areas, and service zones.
11. Staffed by Over 600 Employees
From housekeeping and maintenance to security and hospitality, Antilia is said to be operated by 600+ full-time staff members, functioning more like a luxury hotel than a private home.
12. The Price Tag? Estimated at $1–2 Billion
While exact figures are speculative, Antilia’s total cost—including land, construction, interiors, and tech systems—is estimated at over $1 billion, making it one of the most expensive private residences in the world.
13. Antilia Is a Technological Powerhouse
Beyond its architectural marvel, Antilia is equipped with cutting-edge smart home technologies. The building integrates intelligent climate control, automated lighting, advanced security systems, and high-speed elevators—all optimized for comfort, efficiency, and safety.
Each floor’s environment can be controlled independently, including air quality, temperature, and lighting moods, tailored to the Ambani family’s preferences. With such a complex vertical layout, smart automation ensures that the building functions seamlessly 24/7.
14. A Landmark on One of the World’s Most Expensive Streets
Antilia is located on Altamount Road, ranked among the world’s most expensive residential streets, alongside the likes of Fifth Avenue in NYC and Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
15. Despite Its Scale, It’s Still a Private Home
At the end of the day, Antilia is a family residence—occupied by Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita Ambani, and their children. Behind its layers of luxury lies a home designed for family, heritage, and legacy.
Antilia Is More Than a Building. It’s a Statement.
Antilia is one of the most talked-about buildings in the world. It challenges the boundaries between residence and monument, luxury and necessity, culture and spectacle.
For more deep dives into iconic Indian architecture, stay tuned to SMART.POV — where design meets discourse.