How do I put this gently?
For the very first time, a modern day Noah’s Ark has opened its doors for an exclusive inside look offering up plans for the ultimate Billionaire bunker and doomsday escape.
[snip]
The expansive shelter is located in Germany and is one of the most fortified and massive underground survival shelters on Earth. Originally built by the Soviets during the Cold War, this shelter was a fortress for military equipment and munitions. After the DDR was merged with Germany, the German government inherited this relic and intended to use it for the same purpose of weapons storage. However, due to a law prohibiting the storage of ammunition near a major highway, the German Government soon realized they could not continue with their plans and decided to auction this 76 acre complex. A wealthy investor purchased the entire property, along with all of its improvements, both above and below ground.
If, God forbid, the balloon ever goes up – and assuming that this thing even gets built – the people who will be originally taking advantage of this complex will probably enjoy their surroundings for, oh, two, three days. A week, tops. Read the article and you’ll very soon figure out why. And no, I have no intention of spoiling the surprise.
Via Hot Air Headlines.
Vault-Tec, baby. Just needs some eye-bots and a pip-boy or two…
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Mew
Perhaps it’s because it is now 12AM where I’m at. Perhaps it’s the fever I’m running but I didn’t see flaws of the exterior shot. Did they not have their own water treatment plant? (Reading or rather listening to The Martian recently, so my mind skewed that way.)
Sorry, Moe but it went over my head. The only flaw I could see are those exposed windows and the cost of maintaining a place like that over a long period of time.
Think about it, Cam. Think about it in terms of being an employee there. 🙂
I was thinking about the no ammo clause that you have in the snippet.
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Somebody should make a video game about leaving one of these shelters years after the fallout…😄
That clause is .. problematic. There’s another that’s .. not necessarily what Moe sees, but is also disturbing.
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Mew
The employees turn on the guests?
Employees could turn on guests, sure. Especially since their vision of the silly thing includes multiple restaurants operating.
But, how about some others?
1) It’s supposedly airtight sealed, and if they’re protecting against chemical attack I think it would need to be. But I don’t see anything in the article about how they would replenish oxygen, and they certainly don’t have enough plants growing to do the job. This is worsened by…
2) It gets all it’s electricity from diesel generators? Possible, but it takes a fair amount of diesel, and at least some maintenance. Which requires more essential people [as opposed to the rich but useless-once-the-door-closes ones]. Running for a few days? No problem. Months or years? Problem. Especially since…
2a) A diesel generator requires oxygen. So, are you going to have in inside your living area? Outside your living area but protected? [Most likely underground but getting air from outside, so anyone who has to do maintenance is exposed to whatever is happening] Outside, but inside your walls, where it will be vulnerable to attacks by the hoards of civilians who were left to die? Who could be a problem, because…
3) Even if you didn’t give a street address, you let people know this exists or will exist. Assuming everyone doesn’t die instantly [in which case you spent a lot of money on a useless project, since the rich folk won’t be living there until the disaster or right before], it should be possible to find for the thousands or millions of people who are outside and think inside is safe. Even sealed tight people can break in, unless they use lethal means to keep people out. And those defenses will be unmanned. So, land mines? Automatic guns? I guess you could aim guns from within the bunker, but it seems unlikely to be perfectly effective.
The individual quarters can be locked …
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Mew
I watched the gallery. They’ve got generators underground and above ground.
Yeah, the quarters can be locked, but the company responsible for the whole thing is also responsible for power, etc etc to each individual living quarters. Pump a living area full of tear gas, let the inhabitants know the next one will be lethal. Or you just close off the air, let them come out or suffocate.
We are in agreement .. this has the potential to turn from refuge to hostage situation *really* fast…
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Mew
The problem is always other people.
Eh. I see a number of problems with it actually working, but how they choose to throw away their money is no skin off my nose.
It is like a fort on the Maginot Line. What do you do when you are cut off from re-supply? The power plants will need fuel, and even if you cut electricity use down to the bare minimum (good-bye communal and private swimming pools) the fuel tanks will be drained, the ventilation system will stop working, and the inhabitants will have to surface and start working to find food – hunting or growing.
I hope the community activities are built around boy scout and FFA lessons because those will be needed. Oh – speaking of FFA – I hope they have provided for livestock and draft animals in their plans.
Ummm.. that’s all true .. but it also won’t be within the first 72 hours.
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Now, I can see some problems when community member X is desperate enough to try to find out about grown child Y who did not show up on time that X’ll consider opening the door…
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The staff would have to handle that *very* carefully to avoid a mass panic once the rest realize they are just cattle.
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Mew
I stopped at above ground diesel generators…. at least 2 obvious problems right off the bat there.
That’s the physical complex itself.
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The biggest problem with the entire concept is the immediate eminent domain that those in power with the armed forces at their disposal will conclude is better for everyone* if they just take it over and survive to rebuild society.