Brazilian Houses: 15 Residences with Structural Cantilevers

Architecture, as construction, has many ways to express itself. Ideas can be conveyed through programmatic organization and the materials used; we can communicate through the rhythm of facades and openings; and we can deliver a message through the transparency or opacity of the volumes and surfaces we design. We can also express ourselves through structure and its arrangement—and this is perhaps the facet of architecture we most eagerly seek to explore. 

• Brazilian Houses: 14 Residences with Courtyards
• Brazilian Houses: 7 Semi-Detached Residences

Structural design allows us to establish dialogues and create internal and external tensions within a project. With a rigidly ordered structure, Le Corbusier sought countless viewpoints at Villa Savoye; conversely, structural shifts that generate cantilevers can be a powerful tool to create dramatic moments in a building, captivating the viewer-observer.