Superstructure

This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships.

The height and the weight of superstructure on board a ship or a boat also affects the amount of freeboard that such a vessel requires along its sides, down to her waterline.

In broad terms, the more and heavier superstructure that a ship possesses (as a fraction of her length), the less the freeboard that is needed.

The span of a bridge, the portion that directly receives the live load, is referred to as the superstructure.

[2] In order to improve the response during earthquakes of buildings and bridges, the superstructure may be separated from its foundation by various civil engineering mechanisms or machinery.

The superstructure of this cargo ship is in the back and includes a lifeboat.
The cruiseferry Mega Smeralda . The blue and white part of the ship is the superstructure and the yellow part of the ship is the hull .