Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is said to be building a complex costing at least $270 million with houses as large as football fields and large basements.
This complex is located on Kauai, the oldest island in Hawaii, with a population of about 73 thousand people. Mark Zuckerberg started collecting land here in 2014 and owns it through a number of shell companies. To date, this billionaire is said to own a land area of about 1,400 acres, equivalent to more than 566 hectares. The house is kept in the utmost secrecy.
Some information about this project has just been revealed through a Wired article, after a long time of collecting and interviewing witnesses. According to planning documents obtained by the site, the complex, called Koolau Ranch, includes an underground shelter that has its own energy and food supplies. The construction permit shows that the main project price is about 100 million USD, along with the land purchase price of 170 million USD. However, the actual number may be larger, due to recent increases in construction costs on this island. Construction experts compare this cost to be among the “largest in history” for an individual project and comparable to large military projects.
Location of Mark Zuckerberg’s Kauai island complex. Photo: Google Maps
Since 2016, two years after coming into the hands of CEO Meta, the land has been protected with a solid 1.8 meter high stone fence surrounding it. To maintain confidentiality, workers involved in construction must sign an NDA confidentiality agreement. David, a former contract employee (name has been changed), said this NDA was implemented so strictly that workers did not dare use cameras to take photos. Many cases have been fired for allegedly posting pictures on social networks.
Planning documents also show the building will have an underground shelter, with a cellar door made of metal and filled with concrete – a common door style in shelters and bomb shelters. Many areas are equipped with soundproofing systems and “blind doors”, which are designed to resemble walls. Locals say the project could become a “post-apocalyptic bunker” like in the movies.
To date, the complex is partially completed, including more than a dozen buildings with a total of at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms. There are two main residences with a total floor area of 57,000 square feet (about 5.3 thousand square meters) equivalent to a professional football field. Inside the mansion there are multiple elevators, offices, conference rooms and an industrial-sized kitchen. The drawing shows two central mansions connected by a tunnel, leading into an underground shelter of more than 400 square meters, complete with amenities and machinery.
Additionally, surrounding the main residence is a network of 11 treehouses, connected to each other by rope bridges. The development also includes a full-sized gym, swimming pool, sauna, hot tub, cold plunge pool and tennis court. More than just a personal vacation home, owner Meta is said to have held two company events here. The source also said that the complex will be able to supply its own water thanks to the small tank system. People living inside have a source of food through growing crops and raising livestock on farms inside.
Meta does not comment on the above information.
Mark Zuckerberg’s estate is protected by a wall made from volcanic rock. Photo: Gizmodo
In 2019, technology site Gizmodo also described the Facebook boss’s land as a paradise because of its beautiful landscape: many small streams flowing into the sea, valleys covered with trees, fields with herds of cattle grazing freely. … Making it “own” is not easy, because this area does not completely belong to Zuckerberg. Inside, there are still small plots called Kuleana, owned by the families living here for generations and passed down from generation to generation.
In addition, during the construction process, Koolau Ranch caused the surrounding area to be affected by the appearance of many trucks and loud noise, while also causing concerns about the natural ecosystem here. The call to “stop Mark Zuckerberg from invading Kauai” received more than a million signatures in 2020. Some locals believe that Zuckerberg wants to claim the coast as his own. His land has more than 3 km of coastline. By law in Hawaii, everyone has the right to access beaches. However, they couldn’t do that at Zuckerberg’s estate.
“Before 2014, I could walk down to the beach, but after that I couldn’t, because they were fenced off,” said a local.
In 2017, in response to protests about owning the land, Zuckerberg posted an article affirming that his real estate purchase was “fair”. He also said he wants to create a home on the island and help preserve wildlife and natural beauty in this area.
The Zuckerberg couple is also said to have used their influence and financial potential to solve problems. In 2021, he sponsored $4 million for a cultural activity of native Hawaiians. The Chan Zuckerberg Foundation on Kauai has awarded more than $20 million to local nonprofits since 2018.
