New Jalisco Library, Gudalajara, Mexico (competition)

[theweaselking]

Over 200 Boeing 727 and 737 fuselages are stacked in a north-south slant in relation to sun exposure for energy efficiency. Two shifts in the direction of the main axis of the fuselages generate two large open spaces within the stack.



The building utilizes the space inside the fuselages to contain and organize functions that require enclosed spaces - such as book collections, meeting rooms and administration offices, - while the 2 large open spaces house a large atrium with all the reading areas on one side and two auditoriums on the other.



The fuselage is the only part of a decommissioned airplane that cannot be effectively recycled. The cost of its demolition exceeds the profit of aluminum resale. A huge amount of fuselages lays in the deserts of the western states. Boeing 727 and 737 are historically the most sold commercial planes and therefore the most common in these graveyards. They are sold at very low prices completely stripped and in great structural conditions.



The fuselage becomes the basic module of this building. It is insulated and furnished according to the program. The internal subdivision generated by the existing floor joists is used to respond to functional needs: the upper section is used for inhabitation while the lower one houses independent and interconnected mechanical systems: HVAC, electrical, cabling, and a conveyor belts network for the mechanical distribution of the books.

Comments

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

Hi, I'm Silmaril, and my jaw dropped from the moment I saw the first picture.

Whether it works or not---whether it's realistic or not for that matter; a little part of my brain is busily spinning up throwing out problems of transportation and restoration and structural integrity---this is an insanely cool idea.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

While airplane bodyshells may be strong, I doubt they're strong enough to bear 10 times their own weight simply by stacking. However, both the arrangement and some of the pictures seem to indicate that there is a supporting structure to keep everything aloft, and the fuselages simply provide the walls -- and they are very light for their size, by nature, so the supporting structure still has to do relatively little work for a building of the size.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Except that it's a library, and you're filling those nice, light shells with books.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

Not really. Since when are libraries still about storing books? It's all about DVDs, videos, CDs, internet access, coffee shops..

They can fit the actual paper in the bottom couple of layers without unduly upsetting the necessary amount of bracing.

[rgovrebo.livejournal.com]

The fuselage is the only part of a decommissioned airplane that cannot be effectively recycled. The cost of its demolition exceeds the profit of aluminum resale.

Ok, this is quite fascinating. (I didn't know, though I suppose I really should have. It's primary metal production I'm involved in, though.)

Once you've got the metal in bits, remelting it is easy. I suppose it's the ratio of work to demolish it (lots) to amount of metal gained (little) that causes it to be not viable.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

You'd think that if you had a crucible the size of Kansas you could just drop the whole lot in and refine out the remaining impurities again -- but then again, there's probably a lot of stuff in those fuselage walls that you don't particularly want simply flaming off.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

#1: A crucible the size of Kansas = expensive.

#2: Heating a crucible the size of Kansas = expensive.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

Well, yes. That's why you start with the rotating knives.

Seriously, putting even something the size of a 747 fuselage through a crude grinder so that it becomes chunks small enough to fit in a crucible isn't *that* expensive. OTOH, scrap metal prices are ridiculously low, so cost/benefit may still not be there.

[pixelhawk.livejournal.com]

what a cool idea!!

It would be fun to get a large chunk of land in the middle of nowhere and build a house with a few fuselage.

[corruptedjasper.livejournal.com]

As long as you don't go for extreme stacks, old shipping containers are probably more solid and still cheaper. Shipping container based houses can be very cheap and large. You could go for two floors worth of containers and place one or two fuselages on top as an observaiton platform, of course. Shipping containers are designed to be stacked something like 10 high when in use, so they will take absolutely massive amounts of weight.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Kinda creepy, kinda cool. It'd definitely give heading to the library a bit more "oomph" visually.

-- Steve's impressed that this could be done with mostly reused parts, too. Not just distinct, but affordable. Hmm...