1. Super Luxury Homes for Growing Number of Super Rich
India, with a 20.5 per cent increase in the number of HNWIs to 100,015 recorded the
second-highest growth rate in HNWIs globally, said the annual World Wealth Report by
Merrill Lynch and Cap Gemini. India trailed only Singapore, where the increase in
HNWIs grew by 21.2 per cent.
The HNWIs are keen to flaunt their wealth & acquire prestige assets. Realizing the
market for super-luxury homes, more and more developers are coming up with million
dollar homes in formats ranging from condominiums and suburban town houses to golf
villas.
These millionaires could be professionals earning in the excess of 1 crore per annum,
industrialists and businessmen. Add to this list NRIs from the US and the UK and one
can conclude that super premium housing in India is on a high-growth trajectory. Super
premium housing is growing at 25-30%, luxury housing has already grabbed a 10% of the
housing market in value terms. Analysts say the country has seen an unmatched surge
in demand.
Along with high disposable incomes there are other trends that are fuelling the
demand for super luxury homes. Members of the joint family who are breaking away
invest money from their ancestral property in new super luxury developments. Besides
the super rich are upgrading from old buildings (which no amenities to speak of) to
new buildings which have a pool, a gym, liftmen and a concierge, not to mention
enough parking for family’s many cars.

2. Mumbai’s Richest Live in Presidential Apartments
The Mumbai’s richest live in ‘Presidential Apartments’.
Presidential apartments are super-premium apartments in exclusive neighbourhoods,
with oodles of space, the most luxurious of interiors, named architects, private lifts,
landscaped gardens, and every facility that could be required such as a gym,
swimming pool, security and CCTV, children's play areas.
These apartments are large; typically in the 4,000 to 7,000 sq ft range, though some
can go as large as 10,000 sq ft. Some of the presidential apartments have as many as
8-10 bedrooms. The prices for these average Rs 30,000-35,000 per sq feet and above.
On average, 20,000 sq ft of space can cost as much as Rs 60 crore (Rs 600 million).
The characteristic feature of a presidential apartment is its privacy and exclusivity,
rather than the amenities offered. So you have one apartment per floor, with the
habitable floors starting from the 10th floor level or above, in order to rise above the
clutter of the buildings around. Besides space, these buildings have top-notch
clientele, people that each of the prospective buyers would like to associate with.
Most are sold by invitation only to the chosen few to maintain the exclusivity of the
community.

3. Super Luxury Addresses in Mumbai
The super luxury addresses in Mumbai are Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Napeansea
Road, Colaba, Carmichael Road, Altamount Road and Worli.
"Every second building in Mumbai commands a huge price, anything above Rs 25,000
per sq ft to sometimes even up to a whopping Rs 75,000 per sq ft," says architect
Hafeez Contractor.
o Indiabulls promoter Saurabh Mittal recently bought a 5,500 sq ft apartment in
Maker Building on Cuffe Parade for Rs 40 crore (at Rs 72,000 per sq ft)
o Leading stockbroker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala bought a 4,400 sq ft apartment at El
Palazzo on Malabar Hill for Rs 25 crore (at Rs 57,000 per sq ft)
o Vice-chairman of Reliance Capital, Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, recently bought a
2,880 sq ft apartment at NCPA, Nariman Point for Rs 18 crore (at Rs 63,000 per
sq ft).

4. New Developments in South & Central Mumbai: Castles in the Air
Imperial Towers on Kambala Hill, Tardeo, South Mumbai.
Developed by Shapoorji Pallonji along with S D Corporation, Imperial Towers has two
65-storey towers. Designed by Mumbai architect Hafeez
Contractor, apartments will begin only on the twelfth floor,
with the first 11 reserved for parking and common utilities like
a fitness centre. The Imperial offers sea-views by virtue of its
height, and a resort-like gardens and fountains on top of the
parking-structure podium, with hanging gardens that mask the
structure itself.
Each apartment, sized 2,550-10,105 sq ft, will be designed
specifically for the buyer. Brokers say the smallest flat here will cost Rs 6- 7 crores.
Imperial towers have two 25,000 sq ft penthouses on top. At a conservative Rs 50,000
a sq ft, each of these penthouses could cost Rs 125 crore.
K Raheja’s Project at Altmount Road.
Altamount Road, the 2-km stretch of real estate in upmarket
South Mumbai, is the hottest address in Mumbai — tall trees,
quiet by lanes and thick foliage.Standing tall at 36 storeys, the
building on the old Chattan Bungalow site at Altamount Road,
being developed by K Raheja Universal. The first 12 stories

5. offer just amenities. The remaining 24 storey have 12 duplex apartments stacked on
top of each other. Each apartment has its own huge terrace and an elevator to take
the car right up to the living room. The whole building itself is on a hill, enhancing the
view. The price tag is Rs.15-25 Crore.
Lodha Solitaire, on Napean Sea Road in South Mumbai.
The area of Lodha Solitaire is 30,000 sq ft. The target
possession is in 2008. There are 7 apartments and 1 duplex
penthouse. Lodha Builders is selling a 7,200 sq ft
apartment for Rs 4.32 Crore, which comes to Rs 60,000 a
sq ft. The project highlights are beautiful décor and
spectacular sea views. Amenities include an infinity-edge
swimming pool and mini-theatre.
Lodha Bellissimo, Mahalakshmi, South Mumbai
Lodha Bellissimo is a 50 storey building, with views of the race course and Arabian Sea
situated in the west and an extensive breathtaking garden in the east. Apart from the
sprawling garden at the ground level, there is one garden at every four floors. This
means that there are over ten flats that come with a
garden and sundeck area.
Since it is inviting to South
Mumbai’s richest of the rich,
the Lodha Bellissimo promises a
three-level parking to
accommodate 500 cars within

6. the premises, with valet service for all. The project will only be ready in the middle of
2009. The flats will only be given to people ‘by invitation’.” The building will be
providing 3 and 4 BHK flats at Rs. 4 to Rs. 8 crores.
Lodha Bellissimo has three phases A, B and C. While A & B are already launched and
are under construction, which are expected to get complete by September 2009,
Bellissimo C is set to get complete by December 2010. Bellissimo C is being sold at the
rate of Rs 25,000 per sq ft. Bellissimo A & B have already been sold out.
Residents will have the luxury of access to all the ‘club facilities’, a yoga and
meditation pavilion, a hi-tech gym, separate swimming pools for adults and kids, a
tennis court with floodlights, squash court, multipurpose hall for basketball, volleyball
and badminton, indoor games arena, a well-stocked library, a café, a banquet hall
and a cricket pitch.
Villa Orb at Napeansea Road
Orbit Corporation Ltd is set to deliver Villa Orb, an extravaganza costing Rs 55,000-Rs
60,000 a square feet along the upscale Napeansea Road, Mumbai beachfront.
Villa Orb consists of seven apartments of 7,500 sq ft each with
one apartment per floor. There are eight floors to park over
80 cars.
A top floor penthouse will make up a total of eight residential
floors of the 18-storeyed super structure, which will also
house a gym, squash court, snooker and table tennis tables,
swimming pool and health club on the 9th and 10th floor. The
façade will have a cladding of Italian
marble. An air-conditioned lobby,
piped music in common area and a 24- hour concierge system
make up the rest.

7. Clients are offered a bare shell structure to opt for the number of bedrooms they
prefer — either four or five. The concept of relating the number of parking slots to the
number of built-up units appears to be of a bygone era here. “It’s one for each
bedroom we are thinking of, if not more,” says Mr Yadav. Moreover, the company
claims to be first in using stainless steel in reinforcement
Super Luxury Developments in Suburbs
Hiranandani's Evita at Powai
The Hiranandani Group is selling a premium 72-apartment building in Hiranandani
Gardens at Powai. The apartments are five bedroom flats ranging between 4,880 sq ft
and 4,925 sq ft, at prices starting at about Rs 5 crore. Its selling point, especially for
the higher floors, is a spectacular view from 30 feet-wide windows offering an
uninterrupted vista of greenery (Powai Lake, National Park Hills and the woods of
Aarey Milk Colony). More than 40 % of the area set aside for gardens, forests and
playgrounds.
Signature Island at Bandra Kurla Complex
The Bandra Kurla complex is also to see its first residential development, Signature
Island comprising 48 duplexes and two penthouses up to 6,000 sq ft and priced at Rs.
20,000 per sq ft.
Sunteck Group is constructing a Signature Island jointly with Ajay Piramal’s Indiareit, a
real estate venture fund. The India Reit fund is to invest Rs.
63 crore in Mumbai's Signature Island project. The project will
be ready for possession by February 2008. The project has got
a lot of enquiries from diamond traders due to its proximity to
Bharat Diamond Bourse. The facilities at Signature Island will

8. include separate lift for each flat and a two-level car parking lot.
Premium Developments in Other Metros
Delhi – Super Premium Developments
Super premium apartments are also becoming in vogue in Delhi & the National Capital
Region.
DLF is building a nine-storey apartment complex on 2.5 acres in W-block of Greater
Kailash II, in south Delhi. These 6,000 sq ft apartments are being sold for over Rs 21
crore (Rs 19,000-25,000 per sq ft), by invitation only.
Gurgaon too has some big ones. The top-end penthouse at Ansal's The Ivy could cost
between Rs 7-8 crore. A 2,500-4,500 sq ft apartment at DLF's new Park Place and Park
Tower ranges between Rs 1.75-3.15 crore. DLF Aralias is a choice property located on
the Golf Course in Gurgaon. Apartment sizes range from 5,800 sq ft to over 10,000 sq
ft for the penthouse. Renowned architect Hafeez Contractor has designed DLF Aralias.
The price is between Rs.6 to 10 crores for a bare apartment minus flooring, plastering
or woodwork so that the owner can design the interiors as they wish.
DLF’s another project at Gurgaon is The Magnolias. The
project is a 410-apartment complex on an 18-hole golf course.
The 5,900 sq ft flat costs Rs 9,000 a sq ft and DLF has sold
nearly 20 apartments at this price which is around Rs 5.25

9. crore. The 10,000 sq ft penthouses, 32 in the complex, are selling at Rs 10 crore.
In Noida, Unitech has launched Grande, a project featuring high rise apartments and
penthouses on a signature Greg Norman nine-hole golf course. Prices here start at Rs 2
crore and go up to Rs 5 crore. Omaxe's The Forest at Noida offers apartments ranging
from 4,000-6,500 sq ft for Rs 2.25-4.5 crore.
Bangalore is catching up on Super Premium Developments
In Bangalore, the trend took off when the city-based Mantri Developers launched its Rs
40-crore, 17-floor super premium residential project `Mantri Altius' on an 85,000-sq-ft
built-up area in a prime locality in 2006. What was unique, perhaps unheard of even in
Mumbai and New Delhi, was that the developers selected the occupants of the
apartments themselves, making the neighbourhood exclusive. Each floor has a single
5,500-odd sq-ft apartment. The first apartment was sold for Rs 3 crore, and the last,
Rs 9 crore.
Another project is Nitesh Estates' Buckingham Gate project in Lavelle Road marries
European architecture with modern-day technology. Set within landscaped gardens,
the complex is hidden away from the main road by lush foliage. Apartments range
from 4,000 to 5,000 sq ft in size and are priced at approximately Rs.12,000 per sq ft.
Sobha Anantha off Richmond Road in Bangalore offers 7 four-bedroom apartments up
to 5,600 sq ft. The apartments are priced at Rs.11,500 per sq ft.
Kolkata is Ready to Start Super Premium Developments
A 41-floor residential building is going to be the latest and
truly high-priced edifice in the Kolkata. This will be called
Diamond Top, a product of the Diamond Group headed by A N
Shroff.

10. Going by reports, the 84/86 living units in the proposed super-premium double towers
in Gurusaday Road will cost anything between Rs 4.5 crores and Rs 7 crores.
The towers are being designed like a futuristic spacecraft. Each of the units will be
patterned like an exclusive villa, some spread across three levels going up to 10,000
sq. ft., according to the architect. Literally on top of everything, a glass-house,
illuminated party lounge on the topmost floor, rightly called The Crown, is the piece
de resistance.
Premium Villas in Other Parts of the Country
In Hyderabad, Emaar Properties is developing villas and apartments along an 18-hole
golf course in Boulder Hills. Brokers say the project is so exclusive that just a visit to
see a sample villa is nearly impossible to get. Each villa is expected to be sold for Rs 7-
8 crore.
DLF also has a plan for very high-end villas in posh Chanakyapuri. These 6,000-7,000 sq
ft villas could cost between Rs 12-14 crore (Rs 20,000 per sq ft).
And there are developers such as Purvankara who promise to bring Europe to
Bangalore's outskirts. One such project, Purva Venezia, would have everything from
the sparkling waterways with gently rocking gondolas to the arching bridges, the vast
piazza and the manicured gardens inspired by the magical landscape of Venice. The
project would also include a supermarket, gym, swimming pool, health spa, jacuzzi,
and tennis court
In Pune's upmarket Kalyani Nagar, Kumar Builders is selling its
last 5,322 sq ft bungalows for Rs 4.25 crore (Rs 42.5 million).
Gera Developments are developing 3- and 4-bedroom Sky

11. Villas at Kharadi, Pune. These villas combine the feel and privacy of independent villas
with the security and conveniences of apartments. In addition to 600 Sky Villas, this
project will also include a full-fledged country club and a hotel on a total of 25 acres.
Gera Developments is also developing GreensVille, with 89 luxury Garden Villas on 13
acres, again at Kharadi.