31 Columns

A tall room, two slabs, and 31 wooden columns. A project that reduces architectural means to a single repeated move.

The columns are non-structural. They do not carry the building; they carry the room. Freed from load-bearing duty, they become spatial devices: structuring space, organizing movement, and modulating light without the use of walls or partitions. Thick and triangular in section, they define the character of the space by shaping its material atmosphere.

Repetition replaces enclosure. Most architectural elements are omitted, and finishes are kept to a minimum. The design relies on the placement of columns to do its work. As one moves through the room, the field produces variation without formal change – moments of compression and release, proximity and distance. Seating and circulation settle in the spaces in between.

As a café, the project resists the conventional logic of retail interiors. Rather than minimizing columns, it treats them as its primary spatial instrument, using a single, familiar element to produce a room that is active, legible, and present

Location Medellin, Colombia Use Cafe Size 285m2 Client Masa Status Built