It’s clear from this month’s issue that a lot of thought, investment and lobbying is going into how to make full use of modular construction after disasters. These are important efforts, but there’s another disaster-related modular niche that has been quietly growing beneath the surface.
Survival bunkers, once the realm of conspiracy theorists and doomsday preppers, have gone upscale and mainstream. And business is booming.
We’re not talking about a hole in the backyard with a ladder, stocked with canned goods and toilet paper. Today’s bunkers are hidden, hardened and high-tech. These are sleek, steel modular units — shipped in sections and welded together underground.
Wealthy homeowners, celebrities, ranchers and suburbanites alike are wanting bunkers beneath their homes or driveways. Some builders are even offering them as optional upgrades.
Manufacturers report surging demand. For instance, Atlas Survival Shelters in Texas and Nomad Bunkers in Utah both have backlogs of six months or more. Both have also added new facilities, expanded production lines and are recruiting welders and engineers as fast as they can find them.
According to a recent New York Times Magazine article (“The Panic Industry Boom”, April 13, 2025), bunker buyers range from political figures to Silicon Valley technologists to everyday families. Some want full fallout protection, while others are more concerned with natural disasters or civil unrest. Some just want a quiet, secure space when things get weird.
Rather than the flashlight-lit holes of the Cold War, today’s bunkers are engineered for comfort. Imagine an underground smart home with touchscreen security systems, satellite comms and biometric locks.
Amenities can include climate control, filtered air systems, EMP shielding, private bedrooms, composting toilets, stocked pantries, wine cellars and even home theaters. Want a mini gym, an office, or a secret escape tunnel? Just ask.
These are all modular builds — constructed offsite, transported in pieces and assembled quickly in a pre-dug foundation. This offsite approach allows builders to control quality, ensure faster delivery and install bunkers with minimal neighborhood disruption.
It’s easy to chalk this demand up to the news cycle. Between global conflicts, political polarization, pandemics and climate-related disasters, people are more anxious than ever. But it’s not just fear that’s driving the boom. It’s practicality and planning. A well-built underground shelter can serve multiple purposes: safe room, storm shelter, wine storage, family retreat, or the ultimate man cave.
There’s also a surprising degree of peer pressure in some circles. Once a few people in a high-end neighborhood get bunkers installed, others follow suit. It’s like keeping up with the Joneses — only the Joneses are putting fortified steel safe rooms beneath their garages.
Underground shelters must meet rigorous standards for structural integrity, waterproofing, air filtration and long-term livability. The modular industry’s obsession with repeatability, durability and code compliance has made it the perfect fit for scaling up bunker production.
Some modular manufacturers are collaborating with bunker companies to produce components in existing factories. With long order queues and limited specialized production space, partnerships with modular manufacturers may be the only way bunker builders keep up with demand.
Where is this all heading? Probably deeper underground.
Some futurists believe survival shelters could evolve into full-blown subterranean neighborhoods — connected by tunnels and equipped with their own power systems. Sound like science fiction? Maybe. But suburbanites spending six figures to bury luxury bunkers on their properties may have sounded unlikely before you read this column.
As for Atlas, Nomad and their competitors, the motto is simple: keep building. Whether it’s for storms, stress, or the end of civilization as we know it, the demand is real — and growing. So next time you’re driving past a new construction site, don’t just look up at the house being built. A more interesting story might be happening below it.
