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A Malibu mega-mansion designed to last at least 1,000 years is hitting the market for $35 million.
Named Simka, the compound, crafted with 7,300 cubic yards of super-reinforced concrete, is deliberately designed to withstand California’s notorious hazards, including wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides, and coastal erosion.
With longevity now a major status symbol among the ultra-wealthy, this 30,000 square-foot fortress takes the bunker mentality to new, luxurious heights — and cashed-up buyers are already circling.
The man behind the 10-bedroom, 20-bath mega-manse is Kris Halliday, a self-taught architect on a mission to build beautiful structures that last much longer than a lifetime.
“Most homes are built with a 50-year mindset,” Halliday told The Post. “Simka was built with a 1,000-year philosophy.”
The architect grew up in the Australian outback, building homes alongside his father. He left high school early to start work, beginning with a furniture-making apprenticeship, and eventually starting his own business renovating, designing, and building properties internationally.
Halliday’s goal with each successive home, he said, was to build something that would stand the test of time. He called Simka “the culmination of my life’s work.”
Halliday set out to design and build Simka without a team of architects or designers.
“That idea has been gradually, steadily creating inside of me for a long time,” he said. The project began in 2020 and was finally completed late last year.
He doesn’t plan to ever build another home like it.
“The thing I learned from this one is I don’t want to do it again,” he quipped. “I would say everything’s 10 times more difficult in concrete versus stick frame, and 10 times more expensive.”
The challenge of constructing such a grand, long-lasting home on a one-acre lot, with unforgiving soil conditions and limited space for construction, was a monumental engineering challenge.
It required excavating 26 feet into the Malibu bluffs, and five years of what Halliday called “a technical, logistical, structural battle.”
Halliday’s wife, Jamie, handled the administrative and financial side of the project.
She said the scale of the undertaking was something her husband felt compelled to do.
“He could have done this in a more inexpensive way, but his belief system in creating something that was sustainable and protective and unique was so strong,” she declared.
Halliday said looking at the flimsy but expensive new builds around him in California called to mind the fable of “The Three Little Pigs.”
“I’ve seen these mass-marketed, very cheaply built homes in LA selling for ridiculous prices,” he said. “I always said, in the next fire, they’ll be burnt down. It doesn’t make any sense. How can you charge these prices for such cheap stick wood frame homes?”
So how do you build a home that is fire, earthquake, tsunami, mudslide and erosion-resistant? It’s all about the lot and the materials.
The acre selected by Halliday is elevated high above sea-level and protected from erosion.
Inside the 30,000-square-foot home, Brutalism meets Zen philosophy. The concrete interiors are softened by walls of glass, ash wood floors, and unobstructed ocean views.
The front door opens to a glassy view of the home’s Japanese-inspired courtyard and koi pond, with views of the Pacific Ocean beyond.
A professional-grade kitchen is equipped to serve a party of 200, and the dining room boasts two floor-to-ceiling wine fridges. Elsewhere on the ground floor is a private Japanese tea room and a 235-inch Dolby Atmos theater.
The vast majority of the home’s minimalist furnishings were personally designed and commissioned by Halliday — down to the movie theater seats.
Large suites occupy the upper floor, plus a kids’ room with built-in bunk beds. The basement level hosts a resort-like spa with a red-light therapy room, a gym with an underground view of the pool, additional guest rooms, and access to the 25-car garage.
Perhaps the most impressive addition is a 176-foot, multi-level pool with an underwater viewing window that merges with the Pacific.
The multi-level pool was a challenge to build, Halliday said. Ultimately, however, it was worth it.
“That actually serves two purposes, one, that looks really cool, but it also lets a lot of natural light down into the basement,” he explained.
The idea for the design was to have enough facilities for personal wellness and entertainment that you never have to leave the ultra-secure property.
Agents Jade Mills and Zach Quittman of Coldwell Banker Realty are listing the property. Priced at $34.9 million, the agents told the Post that the home is “priced to sell,” right away.
“We feel that this is a very, very good price for what you’re getting,” Mills said.
“There’s nothing like it on the market that’s 30,000 square feet, that’s natural disaster proof, and has the privacy and the scale,” Quittman said.
Quittman said that two serious buyers are already circling the property.
Simka’s relative rarity adds to its value.
“It’s just not worth five years of my life to do it again. I want to focus on things that can help a greater number of people, moving forward,” Halliday said.
Kris and Jamie Halliday are considering leaving Malibu behind for a new chapter in Colorado.
The pair is planning to pivot to two new ventures – a foundation to house and assist young women aging out of the foster care system, and a kit home business that empowers men to build their own mountain-style homes.
While the couple is leaving Simka in the past, if all goes according to plan, it will last long into the future.
“It was in me to create it, and something I was called to do,” Halliday said. “I’m sure it’ll have some benefit to society in the future. It’ll be around for a long time.”
English (US)