Mark Zuckerberg’s football field-sized facility has a doomsday bunker (2024)

In 2014, Mark Zuckerberg began purchasing land parcels along the northeast side of Kauai island in Hawaii and constructing six-foot walls to block views from nearby roads.

After a series of public record requests and interviews, Wired has now learned that the Meta CEO is building a professional football-field-sized facility with at least 30 bedrooms, baths, conference rooms, offices, elevators, an industrial-sized kitchen, and an underground doomsday bunker.

Kauai is the smallest of four main islands Hawaiian islands with a population of 73,000 people who are native Hawaiians or descendants of migrant laborers who worked on plantations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, the island's economy is fueled by tourism and an uptick in the construction industry that focuses on building luxury homes for the ultra-rich.

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Over the past decade, Zuckerberg's land holding has swelled to 1,400 acres, and inside this compound, Mark and his wife Priscilla plan to construct the "Koolau Ranch" even though it might not sound like a ranch. Together with land acquisition and construction costs, the couple is spending more than US$270 million to build one of the most expensive properties in the world.

What is Koolau Ranch?

From the design plans viewed by Wired, we know that the facility will host two mansions with a floor area of 57,000 square feet (5,295 sq m). Another building is designed to host facilities like a full-sized gym, swimming pool, sauna, hot tubs, and a tennis court. In addition to operation buildings, the woods nearby will host 11 tree houses interconnected with rope bridges.

The idea that this is more than just a personal getaway for the Zuckerbergs is further reinforced with plans for a 5,000 sq ft(464 sq m) underground bunker with a living space, mechanical room, and blast-resistant steel and cement door. The property is also designed to be self-sufficient, with the inclusion of an 18 feet high and 55 feet-wide water tank.

Schemes and Secrecy

Zuckerberg's plans to build a bunker for himself are not very different from those of other billionaires who have purchased properties away from the mainland US to safeguard themselves in case of an apocalyptic event. However, the decision to purchase and build something has been shrouded in secrecy.

The property is owned by more than ten shell companies that filed lawsuits against landowners in the area to either sell their lands or bid for them in an auction. Reports allege that Zuckerberg supported a resident in buying up these land parcels, who also ended up winning side of auctions by paying over two million at bids.

The project is shrouded in secrecy associated with a military establishment, with contractors not only being required to sign strict non-disclosure agreements before taking up work but also required to work without interacting with other crews on site. Wired also reported that contractors were allegedly fired for sharing site images on social media platforms such as Snapchat.

In 2019, a 70-year security guard allegedly died of a heart attack after a 12-hour shift at the facility, but the family was not provided details surrounding his death, nor did the guard provide details of his employment to the family owing to the NDA.

A spokesperson for the Zuckerberg family, however, told TIME that the construction of the bunker was being undertaken in compliance with local laws. Previously, 80 luxury homes were planned for the site, but the Zuckerbergs only used one percent of the land for construction while leaving the rest for farming, ranching, and wildlife preservation.