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Cantilevers have long lived rent-free in the architectural imagination. Part structural challenge, part spatial gesture, they allow houses to push outward, hover above steep terrain or stretch toward a view in ways that still feel surprising today. In many cases, the cantilever becomes the defining move of the entire project, shaping how a house meets the ground, frames the landscape or creates protected outdoor space beneath.
In this collection, cantilevers appear in very different forms and settings. Some extend dramatically over cliffs and mountainsides, while others introduce quieter moments of suspension within forests or dense urban neighborhoods. But together, these seven homes show how a single structural gesture can completely transform the experience and identity of a house.
Camiral House
By Fran Silvestre Arquitectos, Girona, Spain
Positioned beside the Camiral golf club in Girona, this house is shaped by the long proportions of its site and the desire to focus daily life toward the surrounding landscape. The ground floor organizes the social spaces around open views, while the upper level holds quieter areas for rest and work. Throughout the project, circulation is treated carefully, with a central stair and vertical void bringing light deep into the interior and connecting all three floors through a continuous spatial sequence.
The project’s defining move is the cantilevered upper volume, which shifts outward from the base to create a large covered terrace below. This projection shades the living spaces and frames the landscape without visible structural interruptions, giving the house a sense of suspension and lightness. From certain angles, the volume appears almost frozen in motion, adding tension and rhythm to an otherwise restrained composition.
Casa Encinos
By arxprnr, Santiago, Mexico
Casa Encinos approaches domestic life with a strong sense of openness and contact with nature. The house occupies only part of the site, leaving much of the ground permeable and giving the surrounding landscape an active role in daily living. Two existing oak trees pass directly through the composition, shaping the atmosphere of the interiors and softening the sharp geometry of the structure. The contrast between the heavy concrete base and the lighter upper level gives the project much of its identity.
The cantilevered volume becomes the house’s defining architectural gesture. Suspended above the base and projecting outward in two directions, it introduces a clear sense of weightlessness while extending views and shaded outdoor areas. Its slim steel structure pushes the upper floor beyond the footprint below, making the house appear almost detached from the ground.
Eagle Cliff
By STARK, Bowen Island, Canada
Designed as a retreat facing the Pacific Ocean, Eagle Cliff pulls attention outward through carefully framed views and a restrained material palette that echoes the surrounding terrain. Slate cladding gives the structure a rough, weathered character suited to the coastal conditions, while the interiors remain pared back and quiet, allowing the cliffside setting to take focus.
Suspended high above the road below and supported by a tall steel frame, the structure stretches outward with surprising lightness despite its scale. The projection creates the feeling of hovering over sea and sky, turning the edge of the house into both a structural statement and an intensely immersive living space.
Passive House Forest Retreat
By STARK, Pemberton, Canada
Another project by STARK, this retreat in Pemberton approaches sustainability through restraint rather than spectacle. Designed to meet Passive House Premium standards, the home follows the clients’ idea of “lagom” — understated, carefully detailed and measured in its gestures. The palette reflects the rugged setting, with galvanized steel columns angled to echo the surrounding forest and fire-resistant materials selected for long-term durability in a changing climate.
The cantilever becomes the project’s central architectural move, extending the house outward across the sloped terrain and giving the upper volume a sense of suspension among the trees. Beneath it, shaded outdoor spaces hold a lap pool and sunken kitchen, turning the projection into an occupied landscape rather than a purely structural expression.
Cabane Tortin
By Snorre Stinessen Architecture, Nendaz, Switzerland
Above this solid foundation, the upper volume shifts outward in a sharp cantilever that responds directly to the landscape. One side creates a sheltered overhang, while the other opens into a sunlit terrace facing the mountains. The angled glazed façade pushes the gesture even further, giving the house the uncanny feeling of hovering above the alpine slope.
Spruce Ridge Cabin
By Altura Architects, Sylva, North Carolina
Popular Choice Winner, 11th Annual A+Awards, Residential – Private House (S 1000 – 2000 sq ft)
Set deep within a high-elevation red spruce forest, this cabin was designed with unusual restraint, shaped as much by ecological concerns as by architecture itself. The house sits carefully within the landscape, screened from view by preserved trees and approached by a pedestrian bridge that creates a gradual transition from the outside world into the forest. Dark exterior finishes echo the tones of bark and stone, allowing the structure to recede into its surroundings rather than dominate them.
The project’s most striking feature is the pair of cantilevered volumes extending outward between the trees. Their suspended forms reduce the building’s footprint on the fragile terrain while giving the cabin a light, almost hovering presence above the slope. Vertical cedar cladding reinforces the rhythm of the surrounding trunks, making the projections feel closely tied to the character of the forest itself.
The Long House
By CREST ARCHITECTS, Bengaluru, India
The Long House was designed around a clear idea of restraint and purposeful living. The client’s request for a direct, efficient home shaped the project into a composition of simple geometric volumes organized around a landscaped courtyard. Open space plays a major role in the experience of the house, with gardens, water and double-height interiors creating moments of pause within the otherwise rigorous plan. Materials remain honest and understated, with exposed concrete, teak, steel and stone left largely untreated.
Its dramatic 24-foot cantilever stretches across the entrance, suspended above the ground floor and supported by a concealed steel truss. Beyond its structural bravado, the projection also shapes shade, circulation and spatial hierarchy, giving the house much of its strong horizontal presence.
Architizer's 14th A+Awards judging is live! Subscribe to our Awards Newsletter for updates on Public Voting and the big winner reveal later this spring.
