Bamboo doors let sunlight and fresh air into this clothing factory in rural Colombia, designed by architecture studio Ruta 4.
Ruta 4 completed the factory called Amairis in the mountain village of San Isidro, which is about a two-hour drive north of Colombia's second-largest city Medellín.

The studio worked in collaboration with women in the community and an organisation in Colombian city Pereira that promotes educational and cultural strategies.
"This trusting relationship and the findings observed in the landscape were fundamental premises for designing and building a workspace for them," said Ruta 4.

The studio, which is based in Pereira, aimed to make use of local building techniques and materials ? particularly the bamboo that grows abundantly in the country. "Abundant quantities of bamboo and a neighbouring village with traditional craftsmanship of ceramic tiles and bricks, cast as relevant symbolic and constructive elements," it said.

A series of doors made from bamboo run along a wall and allow for the interiors to open up completely to the outside.
The sturdy material is also used for structural pillars and on the roof, which slants towards the back of the site.

Amairis is mostly open plan and contains a series of desks with sewing machines, chairs and supplies for making clothes. It also includes private office space, storage closets, two restrooms and a small kitchen nook.

The layout is intended to respond to its location and the position...