Meta Platforms Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly constructing an extensive compound in Kauai, Hawaii, featuring a unique blend of luxury and survivalist elements.
The compound, known as Koolau Ranch, is set to include a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker, complete with its own energy and food supplies.
The bunker’s design incorporates a metal door filled with concrete, a feature commonly found in bunkers and bomb shelters.
The project, which reflects a growing trend among Silicon Valley elites for preparedness and luxury, is estimated to cost around $100 million to build on top of the $170 million spent acquiring the land.
This brings the total investment to approximately $270 million, according to Wired.
The project has been shrouded in secrecy since the beginning. Workers on the ranch are required to sign strict nondisclosure agreements, and reports indicate people have been fired for posting on social media that they are working on the project.
Workers on the compound undergo constant surveillance from hundreds of cameras, and military-style security measures have been implemented across the ranch.
The methods to acquire the land also give rise to issues and speculation. Zuckerberg initially hid the purchases of land using shell companies and brokers to disguise them.
Those shell companies are now involved in several lawsuits claiming they pressured locals with ancestral land rights to sell the land or get into a bidding war at auction with one of the richest men in the world.
The sprawling 1,400-acre compound is planned to house more than just the bunker. It will include over 30 bedrooms and bathrooms, two mansions connected by a tunnel to the bunker and nearly a dozen tree houses linked by rope bridges.
The tree houses are designed to provide guests with an immersive treetop experience. The compound also will feature a fitness center, guest houses and other operational buildings.
The county where the compound is being built offers tax incentives for building hurricane-resistant safe rooms, which might partially explain the construction of such a robust structure.
Despite the grand scale of the development, representatives for Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, emphasize their commitment to preserving the natural beauty of the ranch. They point out that the development occupies less than 1% of the land, with the rest dedicated to farming, ranching, conservation and wildlife preservation.
