From remote viewing platforms to high-profile museums, architects are increasingly using cantilevers to add height or unusual proportions to their buildings, and to push the boundaries of what can be built on difficult terrains.

A cantilever is a protruding volume or beam that is attached to a structure at only one end. They have been widely used in bridge construction for hundreds of years, but contemporary buildings incorporate them in various ways. Cantilevers can extend buildings on uneven slopes, shelter car garages or angle a room towards a viewpoint.

Recently cantilevers have been used to support the trend for buildings made from irregularly stacked boxes, with prominent examples including Herzog & de Meuron's Vitra House, Ole Schreeran's The Interlace and Mosha House by Iran-based New Wave Architecture.

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