With its blast-proof doors, huge underground bunker and fortress-like security, it sounds more like a Bond villain's lair than a family home.
And in fact, the £212 million complex that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is building on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is just ten miles from the home of former 007 Pierce Brosnan.
But while the star of “GoldenEye” and “Tomorrow Never Dies” can sometimes be seen casually cycling through the laid-back surf town of Hanalei Bay, Silicon Valley billionaire Zuckerberg's efforts to transform 1,400 acres of pristine coastline into a home are he, his own home is not subtle Mrs. Priscilla and her family can sit out the apocalypse.
Critics say he has trampled on ancient indigenous property rights and given in to a paranoid passion for privacy that seems deeply hypocritical for the man who made his fortune monetizing other people's private information.
Zuckerberg's project is one of the most ambitious private construction projects in North American history and envisages the construction of not just two villas, but an entire village with outbuildings.
Mark Zuckerberg, 39, and his wife Priscilla Chan, 38 – whom he married in 2012 and with whom he has three children – got a taste for Hawaii when they bought several multimillion-dollar homes on the neighboring island of Oahu in 2013
By choosing the spectacularly beautiful North Shore of Kauai – the oldest, least developed and westernmost of Hawaii's main islands – he has chosen what many consider a paradise within a paradise.
Kauai is also called the “Garden Island” because of its tropical rainforest. The highlight of the island is the stunning Na Pali Coast to the north, where towering cliffs plunge into the azure sea.
It's no surprise that the shoreline has been used in dozens of films, including “South Pacific,” “Jurassic Park” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” In fact, the island played a central role in George Clooney's Oscar-winning 2011 drama “The Descendants,” about a Hawaiian family arguing over whether to sell a piece of pristine Kauai land for a luxury development supposed to have eerie echoes of the Zuckerbergs' deeply unpopular arrival.
Ordinary islanders who complain that they can no longer afford even a modest home on Kauai are unhappy with Zuckerberg's plans – revealed according to public records requests by technology magazine Wired.
The sprawling compound already under construction, which the Zuckerbergs call “Koolau Ranch,” includes more than a dozen buildings—including several guesthouses—that total more than 30 bedrooms and bathrooms.
In the middle are two villas with a total area of 55,000 square feet, similar to that of an American football field. The two buildings have elevators, offices, conference rooms and “industrial kitchens”.
Another building will have a large gym, pools, sauna, hot tub, “cold plunge” and tennis court.
Kauai is also called the “Garden Island” because of its tropical rainforest. The highlight of the island is the stunning Na Pali Coast to the north, where towering cliffs plunge into the azure sea
A nearby wooded area will house a network of 11 disc-shaped treehouses connected by intricate “rope bridges.”
But above ground is just the beginning. According to plans filed with Hawaii planning officials, an underground tunnel would run between the two villas and branch off into a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker.
This includes a living room and bedroom, a technical room and an “emergency hatch” that can be reached via a ladder.
The bunker's main door will be constructed of metal and filled with concrete – a common blast-proof structure used in military bunkers and bomb shelters.
The level of security around the site will be unparalleled, including an extensive network of centrally controlled surveillance cameras and many internal doors operated by keypads.
Some, such as those in the proposed library, are “blind doors” built to look like the surrounding walls. Zuckerberg is fascinated by such optical tricks and had previously installed an entrance to his house in California's Silicon Valley disguised as a hedge.
Zuckerberg's goal is to transform 1,400 acres of pristine coastline into a home where he, his wife Priscilla and their family can ride out the apocalypse
And although the Zuckerbergs insist that their Hawaii estate is their family home, it's actually just one of a reported ten homes they own
But there's no point in isolating yourself from the world if you can't take care of yourself. So, according to Wired, Koolau Ranch will be completely self-sufficient, with its own 18-foot-tall, 55-foot-wide water tank and an enormously powerful “pump system.” The ranch already produces much of its own food through farming and ranching.
Zuckerberg's spokesman declined to comment on the size of the project – or its similarities to a disaster shelter.
However, she pointed out that things could be much worse for locals who have complained about the intrusion and disruption, as the previous owners wanted to build 80 luxury homes on the property.
Aside from its sheer opulence, another aspect of the project that has dismayed islanders is the strict secrecy under which it is being undertaken. One of Zuckerberg's first acts was to build a mile-long, 6-foot-tall wall of volcanic rock around much of the property.
Locals say it has ruined their idyllic coastal views, while down on the beach – which Zuckerberg couldn't buy – visitors can expect to be watched by “guard shacks” dotted around the edge of the tycoon's land.
The £212 million complex that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is building on the Hawaiian island of Kauai is just ten miles from the home of former 007 Pierce Brosnan
Some say the stunning beach now feels like a prison camp, with bathers afraid to put on their swimwear for fear of who might be watching from above.
Now, almost everyone who enters the site – including construction workers, carpenters and painters – must sign a strictly worded non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that prohibits them from sharing what goes on on the site.
Workers assigned to different projects are reportedly not even allowed to discuss what they are doing with their colleagues.
The intense security measures have tragically already claimed one life – last year, a security guard assigned to patrol a nearby beach whenever Zuckerberg visited the property died of a heart attack while climbing a steep path at the end of his 12-hour shift.
The dead man's family claimed the secrecy was so overwhelming that it took them some time to find out how he actually died.
The family is suing Zuckerberg for handing them a check for just £5,900 for their loved one's alleged untimely death.
Zuckerberg was accused of “colonizing” an island where the concept of private property did not exist until 1848 and which had only one traffic light until 1973
The billionaire is also being sued by the developer who built the treehouses, claiming he is owed £113,000 in unpaid funds. The Zuckerbergs insist they paid in full.
Although some locals are excited about the job opportunities the ranch is opening up on an island rife with unemployment, it appears a larger number of people are angered by the brutal intrusion of big tech capital.
After all, other wealthy celebrities – including not only Brosnan, but also actors Julia Roberts, Ben Stiller and Chuck Norris – also have homes there and manage to be far more discreet with their presence.
And although the Zuckerbergs insist that their Hawaii estate is their family home, it is actually just one of a reported ten homes they own, including a number of properties in California.
Zuckerberg was accused of “colonizing” an island where the concept of private property did not exist until 1848 and which had only one traffic light until 1973.
The Zuckerbergs gushed that they “fell in love with the community and the cloudy green mountains.”
Zuckerberg, 39, and his wife Priscilla Chan, 38 – whom he married in 2012 and with whom he has three children – got a taste for Hawaii when they bought several multimillion-dollar homes on the neighboring island of Oahu in 2013.
The following year they turned their attention to Kauai, paying £78 million for what was then a 700-acre property on a headland overlooking a popular beach. What is controversial is that the large estate consisted of more than a dozen small parcels of land that were divided in the 1850s and passed down through generations of islanders, sometimes divided among descendants so often that some may not even know they were a Claim ownership of land.
Experts say the islanders may not live on this ancestral “kuleana” land, but it is important for them to know they can visit it.
In 2017, the Zuckerbergs posted pictures of themselves at the property and gushed about how they had “fallen in love with the community and the cloudy green mountains” and decided to “put down roots themselves and join the community.”
But just two days later, they sued hundreds of Hawaiians who may have owned interests in properties within the estate's boundaries.
The Zuckerbergs bought another 600 acres for £41 million, prompting the community to respond with an online petition demanding that the “colonization” of Hawaii be stopped
Zuckerberg – who said he needed to “improve” his privacy – insisted he had acted in good faith to “find all of these shareholders so we can pay them their fair share.”
But as one local politician noted, Hawaiians traditionally solve their problems by talking, and “you don't start a conversation by filing a lawsuit.”
Zuckerberg eventually dropped the lawsuits, but in 2019 he was accused of secretly enforcing a resident who sued on his behalf.
In 2021, the Zuckerbergs bought another 600 acres for £41 million. By this point, the community they claimed to “love” had already responded with an online petition demanding that they stop “colonizing” Hawaii. (Undaunted by the criticism, the Zuckerbergs bought the final 110 acres for £13 million later that year.)
Facebook was exposed in 2018 for providing private data from millions of Facebook users to Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct British political data company.
The billionaire is also being sued by the developer who built the treehouses, claiming he is owed £113,000 in unpaid funds
The social media giant makes billions from advertising that exploits what its users reveal about themselves on the site.
The irony that his boss is so adamant about maintaining his privacy is not lost on Hawaiians, some of whom send drones over his property and then post the footage online – just as legal, they note, as his local land grab.
In recent years, the notoriously uncharismatic Zuckerberg and his wife have launched a charm offensive on Kauai, donating millions of dollars to local charities as well as a jobs program and a Covid-19 relief program.
However, the hiring of a key local politician as an “agricultural advisor” for a six-figure salary, as well as the donation of more than £3 million to a charity linked to the island's government to buy a traditional Hawaiian fish pond, have given rise to allegations that Zuckerberg is trying to be political to buy good will.
Although Hawaii is part of the United States, it is very isolated as a chain of small islands surrounded by thousands of miles of Pacific Ocean – perfect for tech billionaires seeking refuge in the event of a mega-crisis that collapses the world.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns property on the island of Maui, artificial intelligence guru Sam Altman owns a £34 million home on the Big Island and Oracle software company co-founder Larry Ellison owns 98 per cent of the tiny island of Lanai after spending £ spent 235 million in 2012.
“This is the most magical place,” said Pierce Brosnan of Kauai.
“Life here is very nice and very simple.”
Unfortunately, nothing seems to stay the same for long when the obscenely rich kings of Silicon Valley come looking for a place to settle in the apocalypse.