ARCHITECTURE has been taken to new heights with the astounding transformation of a 747 jet into a luxurious home.

The unique structure called the Wing House, has been built on the top of a mountain in Malibu, US, using a commercial Boeing 747-200 jet.

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Francie Rehweld, who co-owns a Mercedes car dealership, bought the stripped-down plane for under $US50,000 ($47,000) and aimed to use as many of its 4.5 million parts as possible.

The five-year project was completed last week and involved recycling on a super-jumbo scale; highways had to be closed to transport parts of the plane, while others were lifted by helicopter to the site.

Almost all of the 179 tonne plane was used in various structures. The main residence of the Wing House uses both of the 747 wings - which are 34m long and 14m wide - and stabilisers from the jet’s tail section as a roof for the bedroom.

The first class cabin deck has been transformed into a guest house, while the art studio uses a 15m section of the upper fuselage as a roof.

In a bizarre twist, the lower half of the plane’s fuselage, which forms the cargo hold, has been made into a barn to house endangered species.

A meditation pavilion has been made from the front section of the jet including the cockpit at 8m in diameter and 13m high, with the cockpit windows forming a skylight.

Various other parts of the jet have been used including the engine, which has been turned into a fountain, and the landing lights.

Architect David Hertz said the “enormous” 747 jet structure transformed the view into something truly spectacular.

“In researching aeroplane wings and superimposing different aeroplane wing types on the site to scale, the wing of a 747, at over 2500 square feet (232sq m), became an ideal configuration to maximise the views and provide a self supporting roof with minimal additional structural support needed,” Mr Hertz said.

He said they even had to register the roof of the house with the US Federal Aviation Administration so that pilots flying overhead would not mistake it for a downed aircraft.

There are hundreds of planes retired to sit in the Californian deserts that are sold at the price of their main raw material – aluminium.



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