Why Are So Many Billionaires Building Bunkers?

When billionaires aren’t buying up slices of the London skyline, booking into world-class hotels or investing in tech to help them live forever, what are they doing? Well, perhaps they’re designing a state-of-the-art fortress to which they can flee in an apocalypse. Yes, really – here’s why billionaires are building their very own bunkers.

The Latest Property Must-Have For Billionaires? Luxury Bunkers

Anyone with a few million to spare likely boasts a rather dizzying property portfolio – a few mansions, a handsome country pile and perhaps a villa on a sun-drenched private island. Of course, all of these incredible residences will also be complete with jaw-dropping features, from swimming pools and bowling alleys to state-of-the-art security systems. The latest property trend among the super-rich, however, is far less glamorous: the top one percent aren’t just investing in extravagant holiday homes, they’re building homes fit for the end of the world.

While it certainly sounds disturbing, doomsday bunkers aren’t exactly a brand new feature in many ultra-pricey properties. Vaults, panic rooms and underground networks of sealed-off rooms might even be considered commonplace in the most lavish estates – although they might initially have been designed to protect valuables rather than house residents in the event of a global disaster.

Yet in the current climate – both figuratively (considering the threats of nuclear war, pandemics, and even AI) and literally (reflecting on the alarming state of the actual climate) – the idea of constructing your very own bunker may not seem too outlandish. That is, if you’ve got the cash to spare, of course: the trend has snowballed into something that is, despite its terrifying nature, rather extravagant. 

Ella Purnell in Prime Video’s post-apocalyptic drama, Fallout

Take Mark Zuckerberg, who made headlines last year after plans emerged detailing his $270 million, 1,400-acre compound in Hawaii, on which he plans to build a 5,000 square-foot underground bunker. This particular doomsday shelter will allegedly feature a flammable moat and a set of water cannons (for both security purposes and recreation – so if the world doesn’t end any time soon, an epic water fight is on the cards).

Of course, despite the very real issues our planet is facing, total annihilation isn’t yet on the cards, meaning that many properties like Zuckerberg’s are used simply as high-tech holiday homes for now. In his book Survival of the Richest, American writer Douglass Rushkoff explains that in fact many aren’t only built for the apocalypse; kitted out as they are with gyms, saunas and staff quarters, these homes are utterly luxurious – they just happen to be indestructible, too.

For billionaires, then, it seems that bunkers are becoming just another sign of wealth to be flaunted. After all, as post-apocalyptic shows like Fallout make clear, well-equipped private shelters are the ultimate luxury in a disaster. Forget bowling alleys and swimming pools; the future of real estate might look a little different.