INTERVIEW: Architect David Hertz on how to build with old planes

The incredible <a href="http://inhabitat.com/photo-update-completed-747-house-made-of-an-old-plane-soars-to-new-heights/">747 House</a>, a Malibu home built from the recycled parts of a Boeing 747, captivated us with its ingenuity. We were so enamored with it that we had to learn more, so we contacted the home's builder, <a href="http://www.studioea.com/profile/index.php" target="_blank">David Hertz, principal at David Hertz Architects and Studio of Environmental Architecture</a>. We wanted to know where the inspiration to tear into a 747 and integrate the pieces and parts into a home came from. Little did we know that there was a ton of red tape, hoops and hurdles that the team had to overcome to make the dream a reality. The 747 House is just the beginning in a series of buildings to be constructed from the decomissioned plane, but until all of those are built, read on to see what Mr. Hertz had to say about this outstanding <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/upcycling">upcycled project</a>.

The incredible <a href="http://inhabitat.com/photo-update-completed-747-house-made-of-an-old-plane-soars-to-new-heights/">747 House</a>, a Malibu home built from the recycled parts of a Boeing 747, captivated us with its ingenuity. We were so enamored with it that we had to learn more, so we contacted the home's builder, <a href="http://www.studioea.com/profile/index.php" target="_blank">David Hertz, principal at David Hertz Architects and Studio of Environmental Architecture</a>. We wanted to know where the inspiration to tear into a 747 and integrate the pieces and parts into a home came from. Little did we know that there was a ton of red tape, hoops and hurdles that the team had to overcome to make the dream a reality. The 747 House is just the beginning in a series of buildings to be constructed from the decomissioned plane, but until all of those are built, read on to see what Mr. Hertz had to say about this outstanding <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/upcycling">upcycled project</a>.

The original Boeing 747.

The top is sliced off.

Deconstruction of the plane to create the necessary parts.

Deconstruction of the plane.

The plane's wings in transport.

The plane's wings in transport.

Helicopter lift of a wing section to the home's site.

Setting the wing section down onto a pile of tires.

Gently lowering the wing section.

Foundation and walls are poured.

Installation of the wing sections as the roof.

Construction of the house continues.

Construction of the house continues.

The completed home.

Sunset at the 747 House.

The 747 House with the Malibu mountains in the background.

The completed home.

Patio deck on the upper level.

Looking out over the wing towards the sunset.

Joined sections of the wing form part of the roof.

Inside the home's upstairs living room.

Looking back at the front entrance.

Stove and staircases down to the lower level.

Downstairs living area.

One of the bathrooms.

A view into the kitchen.

Part of the engine is used as a fire pit out in the yard.