"We are obviously going to talk to our architect, but he's on vacation at the moment".......typical.....

Ok, I assume you mean the column, not the half wall. All the half wall is holding up is air.

Give the span, it look like you're going to need a column somewhere. Of course this should have all been handled in the design stage. Maybe it could have been incorporated into the kitchen design like here:

Yes, as ARG says, the half-wall does nothing and can easily be removed. The new column, on the other hand is supporting two steel beams and is needed...unless...you have a structural engineer calculate the size of a single steel beam which can span the entire width (about 36 feet or so) of the kitchen and dining room. Get out your wallet for the beam and the crane needed to lift and install it...

Assuming you mean the "half wall", I would leave it because it gives legitimacy to the column. Otherwise the column looks odd standing there all alone in the space.

You could make the island longer to incorporate the column, but that would make the kitchen work triangle ridiculously large, larger than it is already.

You could remove the column and put in a larger steel beam, but you would probably hit your chin on it.

And the beam Virgil talked about is going to be so massive (if I remember correctly it's supporting a floor and a roof) it's very unlikely it will be "flush".

There may have been a better solution to meet the reasons for adding onto your home.

Yes, sorry--I meant the column. If it has to stay, I'm wondering if I could incorporate a bar area bridging the kitchen/dining room...will have to brainstorm!

Consider this concept. Elevation of looking from Dining Room towards Kitchen. Drawing not to scale. Maintain 30"+ circulation space between island and half partition wall.

Thanks Mark, I will look into that. And I don't like the fridge location either--I was hoping to move it somewhere along the sink wall, but still TBD.