Survivalism

The nuclear bunkers designed for luxury living

Despite the fact that the apartments cost millions of dollars each to buy, starting at $1.5m (£1.2m), Mr Hall says he is seeing strong demand from wealthy customers.

It seems extraordinary, not least because nearby above-ground homes (admittedly without protection against nuclear bombs) can be had for a tiny fraction of the cost of one of these bunker units. So how has he managed to build an apparently successful business selling "survival chic"?

It all began after the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001. At the time Mr Hall was an entrepreneur with an internet business; he also had experience of designing and constructing computer data centres.

Demand for computer back-up facilities grew after the terrible events of 9/11, says Mr Hall. This gave him an idea: make a data centre that could withstand a nuclear bomb attack.