Problem
The strength of a structure depends on the strength of its connections; and these connections are most critical of all at corners, especially at the corners where the columns meet the beams.
Solution
Build connections where the columns meet the beams. Any distribution of material which fills the corner up will do: fillets, gussets, column capitals, mushroom columns, and most general of all, the arch, which connects column and beam in a continuous curve.
Related Patterns
… the columns are in position, and have been tied together by a perimeter beam - Box Columns (216), Perimeter Beams (217). According to the principles of continuity which govern the basic structure - Efficient Structure (206), the connections need stiffening to lead the forces smoothly from the beams into the columns, especially when the columns are free standing as they are in an arcade or balcony - Arcades (119), Gallery Surround (166), Six-Foot Balcony (167), Column Place (226). You may also do the same in the upper corners of your door and window frames - Frames as Thickened Edges (225) - making arched openings.
The connection is one of the most natural places for Ornament (249): there is a wide variety of possible connections, carvings, fretwork, painting, for this critical position. In certain cases, the connection may act as an umbrella for a Column Place (226) …
Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977, p. 1068.