Apart from their functional importance, cantilevers can also be used for cosmetic appearances and play an important role in enhancing the beauty of any architecture from bridges to houses. Cantilever bridges and balconies are especially more popular. Here we list five structures that use cantilevers as the most prominent design feature, and do it extremely well.
Hemeroscopium House
The impressive Hemeroscopium House has been designed by Ensamble Studio and Anton Garcia-Abril. The most striking feature of this wonderfully designed house is the attractive swimming pool that protrudes above the lavish green grass. The pool is constructed out of three heavy I-beams, two irrigation canal segments and two steel girders. The entire assembly required a time of two weeks.
Top of Tyrol viewing platform
The Top of Tyrol designed by Aste Architecture is a platform that extends 27 feet above Austria’s Mount Isidor ridge. The entire structure was created with an aim to make people completely lost in the mesmerizing views the region has to offer. It has been carved out of oxidized metal and is extremely sturdy and functional.
Two Hull House by MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple
This is an attractive house on the beach of Nova Scotia, and boasts two telescopic structures bulging out. The house includes steel framed feather like structures that are embedded inside a wooden covering resembling a pair of binoculars that are cantilevered at a height of 32 feet from the concrete base. The structure allows seawater to freely flow from beneath without causing danger to the house above.
II Biloculo
The II Bonoculo in Trauttsmandorff Castle in Italy will make you feel as if you are on a walk in the sky above the dense canopy of trees. This is actually a platform made from steel that looks like an opera glass and has a transparent floor.
WoZoCo from MVRDV
Although this structure seems to be an artwork from the fiction world, it is actually real and stands as an apartment complex in Netherlands. This construction is a perfect example of a concept brought about in reality and is a good solution to the problem of limited space in the modern world. These are 100 cantilevered units, 87 out of which are on the site and remaining connected to the gallery of the main construction.
Summary
Cantilevers are more than just functional tools in the world of architecture. As these designs and constructions show, their cosmetic and aesthetic appeal can be great when used right with modern design.