Suspended from Above

Source: ckyscapercity.com

Hongkong and Shanghai Bank Headquarters, Hong Kong, China, 1986 designed by Foster + Partners

The requirement to build in excess of one million square feet in a short timescale suggested a high degree of prefabrication, including factory-finished modules, while the need to build downwards and upwards simultaneously led to the adoption of a suspension structure, with pairs of steel masts arranged in three bays. As a result, the building form is articulated in a stepped profile of three individual towers, respectively twenty-nine, thirty-six and forty-four storeys high, which create floors of varying width and depth and allow for garden terraces. -- architect's web site

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Source: architectsusa.com

MIT Rotch Library Addition, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 1991 designed by Schwart/Sliver Architects

A solution was proposed by Schwartz/Silver Architects – to suspend the floor from roof girders. These support the weight of the books from above, allowing the elimination of floor beams to maximize the narrow site. Six floors fit into the same space as the four of the original building, while still allowing for a 17-foot clearance for a truck turnaround below.-- official web site

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Source: civil.jhu.edu

100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 1991 designed by SOM

The 1991 addition is suspended entirely from the hat truss so that load travels up into the truss and then down through the original building; no load is placed on the building below.  -- Engineer's Guide to Baltimore

The building’s slim massing, which preserves the views of neighboring buildings, is supported by steel trusses that mitigate wind while evoking the maritime imagery of the waterfront.  -- architect's web site

Source: Nelson Kon archdaily.com

House in Ubatuba, Ubatuba, Brazil, 2009 designed by SPBR Arquitetos

This 55m x 16m ground plot, located at the far right end of Tenório’s Beach, borders on the seashore at one side and goes up a 50% slope hill, only reaching street level at 28 meters.  The hard steep hill and its trees are both protected by environmental laws.  Three columns, made in reinforced concrete, support the house. Four steel beams lay on the top of them in order to hang the slabs from above and also to avoid the use of support frames during the construction process, making it faster and more rational. -- ArchDaily