In this rendering of the Boeing 747 wing house being built in Malibu, the wings function as roofs. The roof of an art studio will contain a 50-foot section of fuselage, while a meditation space will use cockpit windows as skylights.
With more than 17,000 cubic feet of space costing only $40,000, architects found the 747 to be an ideal, affordable, and eco-friendly source of construction material.
"The airplane may cost little more than scrap metal, but if you're not prepared to spend half a million dollars to transport it you're wasting your time," said Mark Thomson, president of Aviation Warehouse in El Mirage, Calif.
Since 1969, his salvage operation has rented and sold old aircraft to Hollywood studios. Parts of his planes have been used to build restaurants in Korea and children's play areas in Mexico.
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