The image depicts the controversial remodeling process. Credit: AI-generated image based on photos by Deconama Studio, via Instagram.
A Bogota architecture and interior design firm is facing a potentially multimillion-peso sanction after demolishing an original staircase inside an apartment designed by celebrated Colombian architect Rogelio Salmona — apparently without first checking that the property was protected as a Bien de Interes Cultural (BIC).
The case has sparked a new debate over the limits of renovating privately owned homes in Bogota’s architectural heritage buildings, after images of the transformation circulated on social media.
The apartment is part of Altos de Santana, a residential complex in northern Bogota designed by Salmona and completed between 1986 and 1990. The complex was declared a BIC at the district level through Resolution 2043 of 2010 and is protected under Level 2, or typological conservation.
The company involved, Deconama Studio, published a video showing the renovation. According to reports, the original staircase was removed and replaced with a lighter contemporary design incorporating glass and concrete. The firm said the client wanted the staircase changed to enlarge the main bedroom and improve the apartment’s interior lighting. But there was a major problem: The staircase itself was protected.
Why couldn’t the staircase by Salmona simply be removed?
Bogota’s heritage regulations do not mean that owners of protected properties can never renovate them. Instead, they impose a special authorization process designed to determine whether a proposed intervention affects the property’s cultural values.
Under Colombia’s cultural heritage legislation, an “intervention” is broadly defined as an action that changes a protected property or affects its condition. The definition expressly includes removal and demolition. For a territorial-level BIC such as this one, the intervention requires authorization from the authority that declared the property protected.
In Bogota, that authority is the Instituto Distrital de Patrimonio Cultural (IDPC). The city’s government says that interventions in BIC properties require prior authorization from the IDPC and, where applicable, a construction license.
The rules also distinguish ordinary maintenance from interventions that affect a building’s architectural characteristics. Even works that might appear to be interior remodeling must comply with the special requirements applicable to historic or culturally significant properties.
In this case, IDPC Director Diego Parra said the owners and professionals involved did not submit any request or obtain authorization before carrying out the work. He also said that, given the property’s heritage characteristics, the staircase could not have been modified as it was.
Importantly, the protection extends beyond the building’s exterior. According to the IDPC, in Altos de Santana it covers the property as a whole, including architectural organization, circulation spaces and the interiors of the individual apartments.
How much could the owner and firm pay?
The financial consequences could be substantial. According to the IDPC director, the apartment owner could face a fine of between 200 and 500 monthly minimum wages, while the professionals responsible for the intervention could face 400 to 1,000 monthly minimum wages.
With Colombia’s 2026 monthly minimum wage set at COP 1,750,905, that translates roughly to:
Property owner: COP 350.2 million to 875.5 million.
Professionals involved: COP 700.4 million to 1.75 billion.
These are potential sanctions, not final fines. IDPC has opened an administrative sanctioning process and must complete the corresponding proceedings before definitive penalties are imposed. But the financial penalty is not the only consequence.
The staircase could have to be rebuilt
The authorities have indicated that the altered elements must be restored. IDPC has historical documentation from Salmona’s original project, including plans and other records, which can be used to determine how the staircase and affected spaces should be reconstructed.
That means the renovation could ultimately have to be undone at the owners’ expense, in addition to any fine.
The case illustrates why buying a home in a heritage building in Bogota comes with responsibilities that go beyond ordinary property ownership. The protected status of a BIC is recorded in property documentation, and owners, architects, and designers are expected to establish what can legally be changed before construction begins.
For Bogota, the controversy is also a reminder that architectural heritage is not limited to monuments and historic facades. In the case of Salmona’s work, elements such as stairs, spatial organization, materials, and circulation can themselves form part of the cultural value authorities are required to protect.
In other words, the staircase was not simply part of someone’s apartment. Under Bogota’s heritage rules, it was part of the city’s architectural memory.
Habitar un Bien de Interés Cultural – BIC también significa conocer cómo cuidarlo.
Cualquier intervención debe considerar y respetar los valores arquitectónicos, históricos y culturales que motivaron su declaratoria.
⚠️ Informarse también es proteger el patrimonio de la ciudad. pic.twitter.com/QDUDd2bkFW— Patrimonio Cultural (@Patrimoniobta) September 1, 2026
Colombia’s heritage rules echo a principle once championed by Prince Charles
Colombia’s approach reflects a broader principle of architectural conservation: Private ownership does not necessarily mean unlimited freedom to alter a culturally significant building. That idea has a striking parallel in the architectural interventions once championed by then-Prince Charles in London. In his famous 1987 speech to planners and architects, Charles strongly criticized modern development that, in his view, damaged London’s historic character, arguing that new architecture should respect the city’s existing architectural context.
The comparison is particularly relevant to Bogota because Colombian heritage law takes the position that buildings can retain cultural value even when they are privately owned.
Under the country’s cultural heritage framework, properties declared Bienes de Interes Cultural are subject to a special conservation regime, meaning that significant alterations cannot simply be made according to an owner’s preferences. The system is intended to preserve not only famous monuments but also architectural, urban and aesthetic elements considered important to a city’s identity.
Charles went further than simply advocating preservation: His architectural philosophy eventually found a physical expression in projects such as Poundbury, the experimental town developed according to traditionalist planning principles and designed under the guidance of architect Léon Krier. The project reflected Charles’s belief that architecture should be compatible with its surroundings and human-scale urban environments.
In Bogota, however, the principle operates through law rather than royal intervention. The Salmona apartment case demonstrates the practical consequence: Once a building or architectural complex receives heritage protection, an owner who wants to make substantial changes must first determine what elements are protected and obtain the required authorization.
In other words, the staircase may have been inside a privately owned apartment, but its architectural significance placed it under rules designed to protect Bogota’s collective heritage.