Cantilever construction is a structural technique in which a rigid horizontal element, a beam, slab, or truss, projects outward while being supported and anchored at only one end, counterbalanced within the structure behind it rather than propped from below at its outer end. Used since antiquity in corbelled roofs and projecting balconies, cantilevering became a defining device of modern architecture once reinforced concrete and structural steel made dramatic unsupported overhangs practical, most famously in Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (1935), whose concrete terraces cantilever directly over a waterfall. The technique lets a design achieve a visually striking sense of weightlessness that post-and-beam or load-bearing wall construction cannot.
Connections
Associated With
Architecture, Art Forms cantilever construction is a technique of the architecture art form.
Modern cantilever construction descends from the same structural problem the flying buttress solved in masonry.
Frank Lloyd Wright used dramatic cantilever construction, most famously at Fallingwater.
Sources
Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationCantilever Construction, Wikipedia summary leadQuote, Cantilever Construction, Wikipedia summary lead
A cantilever is a structural element that is firmly attached to a fixed structure at one end and is unsupported at the other end. Sometimes it projects from a vertical surface such as a wall. A cantilever can be in the form of a beam, plate, truss, or slab.
Frequently Asked Questions
What made dramatic cantilevered overhangs practical in modern buildings?
Cantilever construction is a structural technique in which a horizontal beam, slab, or truss projects outward while being supported and anchored at only one end. It had been used since antiquity in corbelled roofs and projecting balconies, but cantilevering became a defining device of modern architecture once reinforced concrete and structural steel made dramatic unsupported overhangs practical, most famously in Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (1935), whose concrete terraces cantilever directly over a waterfall.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.