Trigger Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Woman to build house out of 747 A California woman is going ahead with the construction of a house made of elements from a 747 Jumbo jet. Francie Rehwald wanted her house to look "feminine", have curves and be eco-friendly. Her architect's answer was: "Let's use a 747!" The wing of the Boeing jet will be used for the roof, its nose as a meditation temple while its trademark "bulge" will serve as a loft. The plane's parts were obtained from an aeroplane scrap yard in California. They cost around $100,000 (£56,000) to purchase, while the construction of the project, which is expected to start in June, is thought likely to cost several million dollars by the time it is completed. Ms Rehwald's family owns one of California's largest Mercedes-Benz dealerships. The property will be set on a 55-acre (22-ha) piece of land on the remote Malibu hills, looking out onto a nearby mountain range, a valley and the Pacific Ocean. Sustainable The project's architect, David Hertz, says he came up with the idea of using an aeroplane to build a home to Ms Rehwald's specifications. "It seemed to make more sense to acquire an entire aeroplane and to use as many of the components as possible, like the Native American Indians used every part of the buffalo." "It soon became apparent, that in fact, an aeroplane wing itself could work," he says on his website. "In researching aeroplane wings and superimposing different aeroplane wing types on the site to scale, the wing of a 747, at over 2,500 sq ft, became an ideal configuration to maximise the views and provide a self-supporting roof with minimal additional structural support needed. "As we analysed the cost, it seemed to make more sense to acquire an entire aeroplane and to use as many of the components as possible, like the Native American Indians used every part of the buffalo." The green aspect of the project was also important, he says. "The recycling of the 4.5 million parts of this 'big aluminium can' is seen as an extreme example of sustainable reuse and appropriation. American consumers and industry throw away enough aluminium in a year to rebuild our entire aeroplane commercial fleet every three months." Ms Rehwald has to obtain various permits to go ahead with construction. In particular, she has been asked by the civil aviation authorities to mark the elements of the plane visible from the sky to show that they are not part of a crashed aircraft. Link to post Share on other sites
hawkhornet Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 cant wait till theres some strong winds take the roof CLEAN off Lol Link to post Share on other sites
Wild Bill Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 cant wait till theres some strong windstake the roof CLEAN off Lol She'll just deploy the speedbrakes... WB Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Does this mean she needs a de-icing truck for the winter???? If she is blonde she will. Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 If she is blonde she will. Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Well, uh.....allllrighty then. I have no questions. Yep...that bit may be the biggest heresy. Link to post Share on other sites
dreammh Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 So...er....her room will be business class? Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 There's a joke to be made out of cockpit for bedroom but seeing as this is a family site... Link to post Share on other sites
Shark Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 apparently she'll be sitting in that cockpit for some R&R! Shark so sorry, could not hold back..... Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 How cool is this??? 737 Home As an owner, you will have control of a joystick that runs a motor which turns the gear on the inner ring enabling you to rotate the airplane as you wish. You can rotate the airplane to get your favorite view. Link to post Share on other sites
NZ_Grant Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 OK just to go one up... how about a whole building made of 727, 737 fuselages... http://inhabitat.com/blog/?p=780#more-780 Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted April 22, 2006 Share Posted April 22, 2006 OK just to go one up... how about a whole building made of 727, 737 fuselages...http://inhabitat.com/blog/?p=780#more-780 I love it!!!! Link to post Share on other sites
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