CASTLES IN THE SKY
Reading this Gizmodo piece on the $2 billion home being built by one of India's billionaires, brought to mind how the 21st Century is going to be both different and the same, as the developing world morphs into the developed world. First, here's a description of the home in case you've missed it before:
"Mukesh Ambani, head of Mumbai-based petrochemical giant Reliance Industries, is ranked as the fifth richest man in the world with a net worth of $46 billion. Unlike billionaires like Warren Buffet who reside in modest accommodations, Ambani is going balls-out with his new home.
In fact, the home he calls "Antilla" will be the world's most expensive residence when the four-year building project is completed this January. When all is said and done, the 22-story Mumbai Tower it is based on will reach 550 feet into the sky with an absurd 400,000 square feet of interior space at a total cost of $2 billion.
First off, no two floors are alike. Ambani specified that each story of his home should be made using different plans and materials, with styles and architectural elements tying it all together. Furthermore, the odd shape of the structure is the result of a discipline called Vaastu, which is an Indian tradition that is similar to the principles of Feng Shui.
As for some of the more technological elements, the lobby grants access to the home via nine elevators, and the elaborate crystal laden ballroom features a mount of LCD monitors, a huge sound system and a retractable showcase for artworks. There will also be an ice sauna where family and guests can escape the heat in a room filled with man-made snow."
The description brought to mind another over-the-top residence built by one of the richest dynasties in America, in the early part of the 20th century, Hearst Castle. Here's a description of that project:
"Hearst Castle was built on a 40,000 acre (160 km²) ranch that William Randolph Hearst's father, George Hearst, originally purchased in 1865. The younger Hearst grew fond of this site over many childhood family camping trips.
He inherited the ranch, which had grown to 250,000 acres (1000 km²), from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, upon her death in 1919. Construction began that same year and continued through 1947, when he stopped living at the estate due to ill health. San Francisco architect Julia Morgan designed most of the buildings. Hearst was an inveterate tinkerer, and would tear down structures and rebuild them at a whim, so the estate was never completed in his lifetime.
The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles that Hearst admired in his travels around Europe. For example, the main house is modeled after a 16th century Spanish cathedral, while the outdoor swimming pool features an ancient Roman temple front transported wholesale from Europe and reconstructed at the site. Hearst furnished the estate with truckloads of art, antiques, and even whole ceilings that he acquired in their entirety from Europe and Egypt.
Hearst Castle was like a small self-contained city, with 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, and the world's largest private zoo."
The more things change, the more they remain the same. Gross extravagance and self-indulgence is a universal human trait.
I have nothing against the amount of money being spent on a home but there's only one word that perfectly encapsulates my sentiments...yuck.
Posted by: galtroarc | Saturday, May 03, 2008 at 03:53 PM