The BBC brings us news of a woman in California who is building a house utilizing parts of an old 747 airplane permanently mothballed.

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 airplane 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.

So much irony potential; so little time.

Normally, I would be content to let the matter pass, especially since I love airplanes and find architectural recycling of parts inetersting, if not always aesthetically pleasing. But this rich woman, with her Mercedes Benz fortune, and her architect have a 'tude problem,

The green aspect of the project was also important, he [architect David Kurtz] 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."

As matter of fact, a very large portion of the aluminum consumed by American consumers already is re—cycled. Think aluminum cans with their five cent deposits. Airplanes, in particular, are recycled, not just for aluminum, but for spare parts.  So spare us the self—righteous invocation of PC orthodoxy and just admit that a wealthy and guilty liberal is indulging her predilection for conversation pieces.

Hat tip: Dennis Sevakis

Thomas Lifson  4 20 06