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MAYAN PROPHESISES of doom, global warming, chemical weapons – there are all kinds of reasons why someone might want the reassurance of several tonnes of concrete reinforcement around their home.
But could you actually live in an underground bunker?
One US couple has made an entire career out of selling former US missile silos and bunkers as residential properties; some of the overground buildings atop the labyrinthine bunkers are already modified for family life, while others are on the market in close to original condition (minus the army gear and munitions).
Silo sellers Ed and Dianne Peden live in one of the modified bunkers themselves – interior and exterior photos of their Kansas home can be seen in the slideshow below.
While modifying the property to their needs was challenging, the Pedens found clever ways of including regular homely features – like windows. Back-lit stained glass windows and hanging curtains over closets give the impression that the property is fully above ground. Part of their home does have natural light, though.
Two years ago, the BBC visited the Peden home and was given a tour of the premises:
(YouTube credit: BBCWorldwide)
The Pedens run their 20th Century Castles property business from their former-silo home (and the aptly-named website missilebases.com). They can be contacted on info@missilebases.com for videos of the properties currently on their books and are currently offering a number of discounts on former missile bases – though you’ll need deep pockets, as the prices start in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
WWII
Bremen-based architects Rainer Mielke and Claus Freudenberg are building a reputation for converting Germany’s former WWII bunkers into interesting and habitable spaces.
According to their website, the architects find converting the former bunkers “an exciting challenge” and seek to preserve the identify of the historic structures while creating interesting architecture.
Miekle himself has been living in a converted bunker since 1999. He says one of the boons of working with the bunkers is that the architect doesn’t have to worry about dealing with supporting walls when it comes to planning the project. Although, it can be difficult to make holes in the reinforced walls for lighting and access.
He showed Deutsche Welle around his home:
(YouTube credit: deutschewelleenglish)
‘Noah’s Ark’
Looking for something that will behave more like a bunker than a house? California-based company Vivos offers a selection of shelters designed to serve as long-term underground survival shelters in the case of a major catastrophe.
Super volcanoes, solar flares, anarchy and biological warfare are just some of the potential threats the company lists on its site.
Time may now be very short. We believe the Earth is about to witness a series of man-made and natural catastrophes that will change life as we know it. These events will unfold throughout 2012, and the following few years. We are clearly living in dangerous and changing times that the uninformed will never understand until the threats are evident. Unfortunately, that will be too late for the unprepared masses.
Complete with high-grade nuclear, biological and chemical air filtration systems, Vivos says its shelters are designed to accommodate both small family groups and larger communities, with plans being scaled up depending on the space required.
The company ships the shelters by land or sea, and some of the smaller family units can be installed in less than two weeks – though the owner has to supply their own septic tank. The shelters come with an escape hatch, fitted kitchen, exercise equipment, an isolated engine room with airtight door, a diesel generator engine and a battery back-up system.
Prices for a fully-furnished Vivos 8, pictured in the slideshow above, start at $200,000, though the company recommends factoring in around $100,000 extra for other costs associated with installing and setting up the shelter.
Vivos is also building a ‘World War II-proof’ community shelter between Las Vegas and Los Angeles at a site the company says is “considered to be beyond the reach of virtually any tsunami, away from major earthquake faults, and ground-zero locations of major cities, or military complexes”.
It currently has spaces available at a community shelter in Indiana, priced at $50,000 per adult and $35,000 per child. The shelter has been completed and is designed to accommodate 80 people for at least one year of “autonomous survival”.
“The Indiana facility is far from any known nuclear targets, strategically away from the New Madrid fault line, the Mississippi River, and all oceans that might cause submersion as a result of a tsunami-type event,” the company says. “The site is also surrounded by excellent farming, fishing, hunting and water resources.”
Here’s a video tour of the Indiana shelter (and a quick run-down on a number of potential life-changing catastrophes):
YouTube: TerraVivos
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I spoke to a parent who was at the concert and I believe the condition of some of the young teenagers at the concert was nothing short of disgraceful. Under age girls falling around getting sick Surely something has to be done about this. Can the gardai not have a holding area where these people can be held for their own safety until a responsible guardian collects them.
The article says the met the men in a night club after the concert as for the holding area it is a way to stop underage drinking seen it enforced at an underage disco worked perfectly
I heard it was 2 members of the jason derulo fellas entourage! Not sure how true that was though. I dont know how girls in there got so drunk. Any time i went there you were properly searched before you went in, turned away if you were pissed and could only by one drink at the bar per time so you couldn’t by loads for teenagers. It’s stupid getting that locked at a concert … ruins it for yourself and everyone around ya!
I believe they have done away with searches. Probably cutbacks so these greedy organisers can squeeze every last penny out of teenagers. Also I believe most of these kids were drunk going in so should have been stopped at the entrance if people were doing their jobs
Searches and people being stopped for being drunk all falls down to who was providing security at the event
Comments should be closed on this article.
Castrate them and put them in a cell with a lifer. Unfortunately this is Ireland so they will be out in time for the next big concert
Stan
No need for a trial?
Yes if they are guilty of course. It is true that some women falsely accuse men of sexual assault but that is most likely not the case
I will hold my powder on this
Stan, a bit early in the morning to be grabbing your lighted torch and pitchfork isn’t it? I thought mob rule only came out after dark.
I doubt very much that we have any lifers in Irish prisons.
Ok I relent. I’ll put the pitchfork down.
So Stan you were the car and saw everything ?
Do you not understand what the word “allegation” means? There’s also a principal in the justice system that people are innocent until they’re proven guilty.
Stan … I think you mean castrate them if they’re guilty
Why so many red thumbs for Stan? 29 people think it’s ok to sexual assault young girls? Castration would be too good for these two perverts. Obviously they are guilty or it wouldn’t have made the news, journalist have good sources in the police, this isn’t just hear say. I wish the girls all the strength in the world to get over this horrible act of perversion.
Ah well if it’s in the news it must be true. Cancel the court case so.
Malcom, if someone made an allegation against you and you were arrested by the police do you think that you should be castrated on the spot? Only this week a woman was jailed for making false allegations against a man who was totally innocent. no doubt you would have had him castrated as well.
Look up “due process” and perhaps that will explain the 29 red thumbs for you.
Malcolm, you’ve forgotten that the employees at “thejournal.ie” aren’t actually journalists.
they engage in journalism’s equivalent of the ‘retweet’.
Yes Stan it is most likely not the case … Still can’t castrate someone based in most likely
Personally I think anyone who is guilty of sexual assault should be put in life behind bars for life, if only it was like America here, and that they would be locked up for 23 hours of the day in their own cell. This way they are left to think of what they done for the rest of their lives and eventually they will go mad. Unfortunately we don’t have laws that hold criminals to 60+ years. I really think we should revise our law system and instead of locking people up for minor things we should lock up the seriously dangerous people up for the rest of their lives. You ruin someone’s life then your life deserves to be ruined.
have your say