Homebuyers looking for somewhere to shelter from an apocalypse or some sort of nuclear or biological war could be interested in the sale of luxury doomsday bunkers.
The unique property development, dubbed Survival Condo and located in a secret, undisclosed location in the American state of Kansas, will welcome its first residents by the end of the year.
It’s the brainchild of former US Government contractor Larry Hall and actually his second such project, with the first, near Wichita, selling out its 14 self-contained shelters.
The former Atlas F Intercontinental Ballistic Missile silos are 61m deep and built to withstand a 20-kiloton nuclear warhead detonation within less than 1km.
But as part of the redevelopment, Mr Hall installed flexible 2.7m thick concrete walls that can bend without breaking under the strain of a 3210km/h shockwave.
“Even though the facility is designed to withstand a nuclear blast… the main concerns that clients share is actually the end result of any one of many potential manmade or natural disasters, and that is the break-down of society and total civil unrest,” Mr Hall said.
“In the event of a major disaster, economic collapse or whatever the future may hold, there is one common concern… and that is the ability to protect themselves and their families when the government is no longer able to do so.”
One of the bunker apartments with its virtual windows with simulated views of the outside world. Picture: AAP
Each unit comes with a full kitchen and bathroom, as well as ‘virtual windows’ that project a simulated view of the outside world. Customers with the budget can customise their bunkers with special features to suit their needs and wants.
Mr Hall said a Saudi customer installed a mosque and a concealed subterranean helicopter hanger that’s linked by a tunnel to their apartment.
The development itself, which is a total of 14,000sqm in size, features a range of luxury communal facilities, including a swimming pool, spa, sauna, gym, rock climbing wall, golf driving range, movie theatre, and gun range.
The units come with full-size gourmet kitchens and bathrooms. Picture: AAP
The silo will also have a classroom for children, a supermarket, an aquaponics space for residents to grow fruit and vegetables, and a medical centre.
Mr Hall said he has also installed a water production system and air filtration capabilities.
And while he wouldn’t elaborate with specifics, he said the facility has “full military grade security that encompasses both lethal and non-lethal measures to ensure the safety of residents… no matter what the threat”.
An artist's impression of the design of the Survival Condo complex. Picture: AAP
A half-floor unit is priced at US$1.5 million (AU$2.1 million), a full-floor unit is priced from US$3 million (AU$4.21 million), and penthouse suites are from US$4.5 million (AU$6.31 million).
Mr Hall bought his first decommissioned silo, which was built by the US Defence Force during the Cold War, in 2008 for US$300,000 (AU$419,000).
The entry to the bunker, which is in the US state of Kansas. Picture: AAP
The now-64-year-old spent US$20 million (AU$27 million) converting the structure into a state-of-the-art and high-end underground metropolis for those fearing the worst – either the downfall of society or a disaster of the natural or manmade kind.
It is totally self-sufficient and can comfortably house 75 people for at least five years, Mr Hall said.
Apartments ranged in size from hotel-style rooms priced at US$500,000 (AU$700,000) to 335sqm penthouses for US$4.5 million (AU$6.3 million).
The facility features a range of high-end communal facilities for residents. Picture: AAP
The second silo was bought in 2013 and work will be completed in coming months, with possession of apartments beginning at the end of 2022.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Hall said interest in doomsday bunkers had soared, although concedes critics initially labelled him a “crackpot”.
The compound even features a resort-style swimming pool. Picture: AAP
In an interview with The Sun newspaper in the United Kingdom late last year, he said “the tune has changed” since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Every time there's a big major disaster, whether it be the f*ckushima earthquake that wrecked Japan's nuclear reactors, or Russia rattling over Ukraine – we see a surge (in demand),” Mr Hall told The Sun.
“The whole COVID-19 pandemic was a real cornerstone too. That was a real eye-opener for people. Now millions have died from the virus, and we've all seen how quickly the world can change.”
The Survival Condo includes a range of security and defence features, Mr Hall said. Picture: AAP
A number of other doomsday bunker complexes advertised in recent years, located throughout the world, have wound up being the work of con artists, with the developments never actually existing.
But Mr Hall’s project is the real deal, with countless news articles about the first – the most expensive facility in the world, according to The Guardian.
