Cantilever

G House Seiji Kamayachi + Masafumi Harigai / Masato Araya (Structure design) Yokohama, Japan, 2007
The G house, situated in a 1970s suburban new town, is very different from any of the houses surrounding it. The open space pictured above creates an illusion that it is raised above the ground, with the actual living space below this area. The living space is excavated from a space artificially raised above street level. The spiral stairs in the open space are more than what they seem to be. At first glance, it appears to be both cantilevered from the central pillar and held in tension by the hand rail but upon further inspection, however, it can be seen that the handrail doesnt actually connect with the wall, meaning that it is not structural at all. The stairs are completely cantilevered from the center and are designed specifically to counter the bending moment by being thicker closer to the pillar, as can be seen by the bottom beam that supports the staircase.
Jodidio, Philip, G HOUSE, Architecture Now! Houses, Volume 2/Issue 1 (2009): page 253. P credits: Masao Nishikawa