1/3/2018 PHILIPPINE

ARCHITECTURE

SHANTHY AYEZZA C. GARCIA

PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE
INFLUENCES:

GEOGRAPHY
The history and culture of the Philippines are reflected in its architectural heritage, in
the dwellings of its various peoples, in mosques and churches, and in buildings that have risen
in response to the demands of progress and the aspirations of a people. Houses and
monuments from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi do not only represent different cultures and periods in
Philippine history; they also constitute the Filipino’s creative response to the problems posed
by the geography and climate of the archipelago. The 7,100 islands of the Philippines appear to
be a mountain range that is half submerged. More than half of the land is mountainous and
hilly. With their headwaters in the mountains, rivers flow down to the plains and out to the
sea. For its relatively small area of 300,000 square kilometers, the country has an extensive
coastline of 17,500 kilometers. On this fragmented territory and rugged terrain, on mountain,
plain, riverbank, and seacoast, the people have made their home. With its southernmost islands
about four degrees from the equator, and its northern and central islands in the path of
typhoons, the Philippines is subject to the worst of tropical heat, humidity, and rain. A long dry
season can bring drought, rains can cause floods, and high winds can ruin houses. Several times
a year the land is rocked by earthquakes.

Originally a part of the great Asiatic mainland, the Philippines became an archipelago of
7,110 islands and islets after the post glacial period. Some geologists asserted that the
Philippines was of volcanic origin. The eruptions of sea volcanoes in remote times caused the
emergence of the islands above the waters, and in this way the Philippines was born.
Geographical scientists opined that the Philippines was a remnant of a vast continent in the
Pacific which in prehistoric times, sank beneath the water like the fabled Atlantis. This lost
Pacific continent was known as Mu or Lemuria, and its remnants included aside from the
Philippines, Borneo, Celebes, the Malaccas, Java, Sumatra, the Carolines, Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti
and other islands in the Pacific.

The most popularly accepted theory that the Philippines was once a part of Asia. During
the post glacial period, the world's ice melted causing the level of the sun to rise; consequently,
the lower region of the earth including the land bridges connecting Asia and the Philippines
submerged, thus it came to pass that th Philippine was separated from Asia. This theory is
supported by the following: (1) There is similarity of flora and fauna in Asia and the Philippines;
(2) Similarity in their rock structures; (3) The existence of shallow water between the
Philippines and Asia; (4) Presence of fore-deep at the eastern margin of the Philippines
indicating that the archipelago was the edge of a continental platform projecting eastwardly
from Asia.
 The Philippine archipelago extends about 1152 miles along the North-South latitude and
688 miles along the West-East longitude. It is 75 miles south of Taiwan and 34 miles from North
Borneo.

GEOLOGICAL

The Philippines is rich in latent wealth found in her vast lands of valleys, plains, hills and
mountain ranges and the waters along her extensive coastlines. There is a great variety of
timber, mineral land areas. Iron, copper, gold, tin, clay, limestones, manganese are mined in
many parts of the country. The best timber products used for building and furniture making are
narra, molave, yakal, dao, ipil, guijo, tanguile, palosapis and others found in extensive mountain
ranges and hills. Palm and rattan are also abound. These are used form minor light
construction.

CLIMATE

Climate, topography and seismic conditions dictate a highly functional type of

architecture. Torrential rains, typhoon, tidal waves, heat, humidity, earthquake are common
occurrences in the Philippines. The main seasons in the Philippines are the dry-hot season from
March to June; rainy-wet season from July to November. December to February experience
mild climate. Torrential rains cause floods, washing out coastal towns and destroying forest and
farmlands.

As the climate dictates the need for shelter, the land provides the materials for it: wood
from the forests, bamboo from groves, leaves from the fields, stone from rivers and quarries,
and clay from the earth itself.
Setting, climate, and available materials are among the factors that give shelter its form
and character.
HISTORICAL
Most prominent historic structures in the archipelago are based on a mix of indigenous
Austronesian, Chinese, Malay, American, and Spanish influences.
The late national hero for architecture, Leandro Locsin once said, that Philippine
Architecture is an elusive thing, because while it makes full use of modern technology, it is a
residue of the different overlays of foreign influences left in the Philippines over the centuries:
the early Malay culture and vestiges of earlier Hindu influences, the more than 300 years of
Spanish domination, the almost 50 years of American rule, the Arab and Chinese influences
through commerce and trade over the centuries. What resulted may have been a hybrid, a
totally new configuration which may include a remembrance of the past, but transformed or
framed in terms of its significance today. The Philippine's architectural landscape is a contrast
among small traditional huts built of wood, bamboo, nipa, grass, and other native materials;
the massive Spanish colonial churches, convents and fortifications, with their heavy
"earthquake baroque" style; the American mission style architecture as well as the buildings of
commerce with their modern 20th century styles; and today's contemporary, albeit "modern
mundane" concrete structures of the cities.

PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE AND THE LIVES AND WORKS OF FILIPINO ARCHITECTS

The architecture of the Philippines reflects the country’s complex cultural identity. First
colonized by Spain, then Japan and finally America, Filipinos joke that they spent 400 years in a
convent, five in a prison camp, and 45 in Hollywood. This complexity finds its creative
expression in the work of these six post-war architects, whose vision simultaneously captured
the country’s history while looking towards the region’s future.
Leandro Locsin
Leandro Locsin (1928-1994) was in some ways a quintessential Renaissance man. A
brilliant architect, interior designer, artist, and classically trained pianist, Locsin was also a keen
art collector, amassing a sizable collection of fine Chinese art and ceramics during his lifetime. It
is for his buildings, however, that he is remembered. From airport terminals to memorial
chapels, arts centers to stock exchange structures, Locsin left his mark on the urban landscape
of the Philippines.
Locsin was determined to reconfigure western architectural mores for a Filipino
audience. His most substantial contribution to Filipino architecture is the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, a collection of five buildings that demonstrate the architect’s drive to find a
vernacular form of modernist architecture. The National Theatre building within the complex is
a good example of Locsin’s trademark style. Known as “floating volume,” it consists of a two-
floor-high block of travertine marble cantilevered 12 feet into the air. The theatre harks back to
traditional Filipino dwelling huts, but on a monumentally modern scale.
Despite the wide range of buildings Locsin created, all of them have one thing in
common: concrete. His ability to make this most monolithic of materials appear weightless, and
to elegantly combine Western brutalism with vernacular elements, led Locsin’s peers to dub
him the “poet of space.”
Ildefonso P Santos
The father of Philippine landscape architecture, Ildefonso Paez Santos, or IP Santos as he
was known, created some of the best-loved urban spaces in the Philippines. Landscape
architecture, which deals with parks, plazas, and green spaces, was a little-considered element
of urban planning in the first half of the 20th century. However, Santos changed that, carrying
out pioneering work that, after four decades in the profession, led him to become National
Artist for Architecture in 2006.
One of his earliest successful projects was the Makati Commercial Center, an outdoor
shopping mall in which the shop fronts and walkways were interspersed with garden trails,
fountains, and public artworks. This led him to be commissioned to revitalize Manila’s Paco
Park, the work for which he is perhaps best remembered. A former Spanish cemetery and
Japanese ammunitions store, the park was transformed into a national park in 1966. Between
1967-1969 Santos revived the park’s grounds and incorporated the original park structures,
including memorial sites and fortification walls, into a space for urban recreation.

Pablo Antonio
One of the first exponents of modernist architecture in the Philippines, Pablo Antonio
(1901-1975) is revered as a pioneer and the foremost architect of his time. This success was
perhaps unexpected for a boy who was orphaned at 12 and who dropped out of his first
architecture program. It was during his studies at the University of London that Antonio began
to shine, completing a five-year program in only three years. He went on to revolutionize
popular architecture in the Philippines, eschewing the fashionable neo-classical style for his
own version of art deco. Antonio was acutely aware of the demands made on architecture by
the unforgiving Philippine climate. Buildings such as the Galaxy Theatre, the Far Eastern
University, and the Manila Polo Club display practical innovations such as natural ventilation
systems and sunscreens, all of which are rendered in Antonio’s signature style: clean lines,
strong shapes, and simplicity. As Antonio’s son Pablo Jr explains, “for our father, every line
must have a meaning, a purpose. For him, function comes first before elegance and form.”
National Artist in Architecture (1976) pioneered modern Philippine Architecture. His
architecture adapts the Art Deco techniques which is dominant motif during his time. His design
is based on simplicity and clean structural design. The lines are clean and smooth, and where
there are curves, these are made integral to the structure. He believes that function come first
before elegance. Antonio's design focus on the maximum use of natural light and cross
ventilation, He strives to make each building unique, avoiding obvious trademarks. Antonio
himself has been quoted as stating that "buildings should be planned with austerity in mind and
its stability forever as the aim of true architecture, that buildings must be progressive, simple in
design but dignified, true to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and
should eternally recreate truth".
Antonio was born in Binondo, Manila in 1901, orphaned by age of 12 and did part time
job in daytime to supplement his study at night. He studied architecture in Mapua Institute of
Technology and later transfer to University of London after securing scholarship from Ramon
Arevalo, the engineer in charge in Legislative Building (now National Museum of the Philippines
where Antonio assist in the design and construction). He graduated in 1927 for only three years
of study (normal is 5 years).
In 1933, he designed the Ideal Theater in Avenida, Rizal Avenue which is one of his
major works that made him prominent in architecture. The founder of Far Eastern University,
Nicanor Reyes, deal with him to make several buildings in the campus. The FEU campus is
considered as the largest ensemble of surviving Art Deco architecture in Manila, and in 2005, it
received an Honorable Mention citation from the UNESCO for the body's 2005 Asia-Pacific
Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.
Antonio's other major projects includes Manila Polo Club in 1950, Lyric Theater, Galaxy
Theater, Life Theater, Scala Theater, Ramon Roces Publications Building (now Guzman College
of Science and Technology), Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building, Boulevard-Alhambra apartments in
1937 (now Bel-Air) and White Cross Sanitarium in 1938.

Juan Nakpil
The son of veterans of the Philippine Revolution, Juan Nakpil (1899–1986) was
committed to the belief that architecture built in the Philippines should reflect its culture and
people. In his early career, Nakpil spent time studying in the United States and France,
absorbing the lessons of international architecture. When he returned to Manila in the mid-
1920s, Nakpil applied his new-found knowledge to Filipino structures. He worked on the
restoration of the home of national hero Jose Rizal and, like Locsin, took inspiration from
traditional stilt houses, remaking them in cantilevered concrete on a mammoth scale. His own
holiday home was designed along these lines, combining traditional nipa roofing (made out of
natural materials) with a poured concrete base. Nakpil worked on dozens of buildings across
the nation, from the Manila Jockey Club and the Quiapo Church, to the Mabini Shrine and
government departments. Despite his determination to make buildings specifically for Filipino
citizens, some of his designs were considered too radical by the public. Nakpil’s stainless steel
pylon, superimposed over a granite obelisk memorialising Jose Rizal was unpopular and was
soon removed. But Nakpil’s failures were few, and he remained one of the Philippines’ most
popular and revered architects until his death. He was named a National Artist for Architecture
in 1973.

Francisco Mañosa
Francisco ‘Bobby’ Mañosa has been challenging architectural convention in his native
country for five decades. He displayed an artistic temperament from an early age and remained
a keen painter throughout his life. Along with his three brothers, Mañosa eventually chose to
pursue architecture, and before long became the “outspoken champion of indigenous
architecture,” thus popularizing the idea of Philippine architecture for Filipinos.
Mañosa’s distinctive style, known as Contemporary Tropical Filipino Architecture, is a
heady mixture of seemingly incongruous elements. Coconut lumber, rattan, shell, thatch, and
even indigenous textiles are juxtaposed with hypermodern materials: metal, glass, concrete.
The Coconut Palace at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex typifies Manosa’s style. Its
coconut gourd roof, coconut shell chandelier, and pineapple fiber bedcovers are infused with
technological innovation for the modern era. In 2009 Mañosa was designated a National Artist
in Architecture.
Carlos A. Santos-Viola
An urbane young man who enjoyed lawn tennis and playing the saxophone, Carlos
Santos-Viola was also a gifted architect. He was a devout Catholic throughout his life, and many
of his best known designs were executed for the Iglesia Ni Cristo, a Filipino religious group.
Santos-Viola created churches for the group all over the archipelago, designed in a style quite
distinct from that of his contemporaries. Instead of the monumentalism of Leandro Locsin or
the art deco simplicity of Pablo Antonio, Santos-Viola chose to incorporate Gothic and Baroque
elements into his modern churches.
The Central Temple he built for the Iglesia Ni Cristo shows these revivalist flourishes
working in harmony with Santos-Viola’s passion for geometric shapes and, perhaps more than
anything else, functionality. The desire for functionality informed almost all of Santos-Viola’s
work, and he was fond of asserting that “the structure must not only look good but must also
be made well.

Juan M. Arellano
Juan M. Arellano was born on April 25, 1888 in Tondo Manila, Philippines to Luis C.
Arellano and Bartola de Guzmán. Arellano married Naty Ocampo on May 15, 1915. He had eight
children, Oscar, Juanita, Cesar, Salvador, Juan Marcos, Luis, Gloria and Carlos.
He attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and graduated in 1908. His first passion
was painting and he trained under Lorenzo Guerrero, Toribio Antillon, and Fabian de la
Rosa. However, he pursued architecture and was sent to the United States as one of the
first pensionados in architecture, after Carlos Barreto, who was sent to the Drexel Institute in
1908; Antonio Toledo, who went to Ohio State; and Tomás Mapúa, who went to Cornell.
Arellano went to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1911 and subsequently
transferred to Drexel to finish his bachelor's degree in Architecture. He was trained in
the Beaux Arts and subsequently went to work for George B. Post & Sons in New York City,
where he worked for Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
 He then returned to the Philippines to begin a practice with his brother, Arcadio. He
later joined the Bureau of Public Works just as the last American architects, George Fenhagen
and Ralph H. Doane, were leaving. He and Tomás Mapúa were then named as supervising
architects. In 1927, he took a study leave and went to the United States where he was greatly
influenced by Art Deco architecture.
In 1930, he returned to Manila and designed the Bulacan Provincial Capitol,Manila
Metropolitan Theater, which was then considered controversially moderne.[3] He continued to
act as a consulting architect for the Bureau of Public Works where he oversaw the production
of the Manila's first zoning plan. In 1940, he and Harry Frost created a design for Quezon City,
which was to become the new capital of the Philippines.

Bulacan Provincial Capitol in Malolos City built in 1930 designed by Juan Arellano
It was during that time that he designed the building that would house the United States
High Commission to the Philippines, later the Embassy of the United States in Manila. He
designed a demesne along the edge of Manila Bay, which featured a mission revival
style mansion that took advantage of the seaside vista.[4] The Americans instead opted for
a federal-style building that ended up overpriced and uncomfortable.
During World War II, the Legislative Building and Jones Bridge, were totally destroyed and the
Post Office Building was severely damaged. While these structures were all reconstructed, his
original designs were not followed and were considered poor replications.
Arellano retired in 1956 and went back to painting. In 1960, he exhibited his work at the
Manila YMCA.
He died at the age of 72 on December 5, 1960.
Fernando Hizon Ocampo
He was born on August 7, 1897, in San Fernando, Pampanga, he was the son of Dr.
Basilio Ocampo and Leoncia Hizon. One of Manila's renowned architects, Ocampo was
educated at the Ateneo de Manila A.B., in 1914; University of Santo Tomas, B.S. in Civil
Engineering, 1919; and University of Pennsylvania, B.S. in Architecture, 1921. Following his
graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked in the office of Mr. Emile Perrot, an
architect in Philadelphia, and then spent two years traveling in Europe, giving particular
attention to architectural designs. Returning to Manila he was for four years an assistant
architect in the Bureau of Public Works. In 1927 he became associated with architect Tomas
Arguelles and established Arguelles and Ocampo, architects.
Many of Manila's finest business buildings and residences attest to Ocampo's ability as
an architect and engineer. Among these are the Manila Cathedral; UST Central Seminary; the
Arguelles, Paterno (later became Far Eastern Air Transport Inc. or FEATI University) at McArthur
Bridge, sta. Cruz, manila, Ayala, Guillermo A. Cu-Unjieng Building(demolished 1945)
at Escolta cor. T. Pinpin Streets, binondo, manila in 1929; Regina Building at Escolta cor. T.
Pinpin Streets, binondo, manila in 1915 with design and structural collaboration with Andrés
Luna de San Pedro; and Fernandez buildings; the Assumption Academy of Pampanga, the North
Syquia and Admiral Apartments(demolished 2014) in Malate, and the residence of Mr. Joaquin
Baltazar, the latter having taken the first prize in the 1930 beautiful home contest. He also
designed the Calvo Building at Escolta cor. Soda Streets., Manila in 1938 and the Eugenio Lopez,
Sr. "Boat House" at Iloilo City in 1936.
In 1929 and 1930 Ocampo was a member of the Board of Examiners for Architects in
Manila and in addition to his private practice he became a member of the faculty of the School
of Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila.
One of Ocampo's children was renowned basketball player and coach Ed Ocampo (1938-
1992).
Tomás Bautista Mapúa
Mapua was born to Juan Mapua and Justina Bautista-Mapua on December 21, 1888 in
Manila. His education started at the Ateneo de Manila University and at the Liceo de Manila. In
1903, he was sent to the United States to complete his high school education and college
education as one of the pensionado students of the United States. The 1903 Pensionado Law
awarded university scholarships to the US for Filipino exemplary Filipino students. In exchange,
they agreed to work on local government construction projects.[4] He completed his secondary
education at the Boone’s Preparatory School in Berkeley, California and obtained a degree in
architecture at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
Upon his return to the Philippines, he joined the Bureau of Public Works where he
initially worked as a draftsman in the agency from 1912 to 1917. He was later appointed as the
supervising architect for the Bureau from 1917 to 1928. He spearheaded many government
projects including the Philippine General Hospital Nurses Home,[1] Psychopathic Building
(National Mental Hospital) and the School for the Deaf and Blind. He also designed the Manila
Central Post Office Building in Ermita, Manila. Tomas became known for his great contributions
in the field of architecture.
Around 1916, Mapua joined the competition for the design of the new school building
initiated by the La Sallian Brothers. He won the competition against nine other entries and was
awarded with a prize of P5,000.00. (The building, St La Salle Hall, was the only structure from
the Philippines to be included in the coffee table book, "1001 Buildings You Must See Before
You Die: The World's Architectural Masterpieces," authored by Mark Irving and published by
Quintessence Books in 2007.)
He was also one of the first councilors of the City of Manila. He co-founded and became
one of the presidents of the Philippine Institute of Architects. After retiring from public life, he
eventually went back to the private sector. Aside from MIT, he led his own construction firm
called MYT Construction Works, Inc. His designs for private homes had also been adjudged as
among Manila’s beautiful houses before World War II.
Carlos D. Arguelles
Born in Manila, he was the fifth son of Tomas Arguelles, a known pre-war Filipino
architect, and Carmen Corcuera. Carlos followed in his father's footsteps and graduated in 1940
from the architecture program in the University of Santo Tomas. He continued his studies at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his bachelor's degree in
architecture in 1941.
The outbreak of World War II interrupted his masteral studies as he enlisted in the
army, eventually assigned to be alongside Manuel Quezon and the
Philippine Commonwealth government-in-exile in Washington, D.C. and as an intelligence
officer under General Chuck Parsons in Australia. He returned to MIT after the war to complete
his master's degree in architecture, which he obtained in 1946.

José María V. Zaragoza

Zaragoza took up BS Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas where he graduated
in 1936. He placed 7th in the licensure exams in the 1938.
He also had a diploma in liturgical art and architecture from the Rome-based
International Institute of Liturgical Art. At the Hilversun Technical Research Center in the
Netherlands, he obtained a diploma in comprehensive planning.
During the earlier years of his career, Zaragoza had meetings with American
architect Frank Lloyd Wright culminating with a visit to Wright' atelier in Arizona in the United
States in 1956. However, unlike his contemporaries, Zaragoza looked into European
architecture for inspiration instead of drawing from American architecture.
 Zaragoza was involved in designing several religious buildings such as The Our Lady of
the Holy Rosary in Tala, Caloocan completed in 1950; the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon
City and the Villa San Miguel in Mandaluyong both which was finished in 1954; the Pius XII
Center in Manila completed in 1958, and the expansion of the Quiapo Church completed in
1984, a project met with some controversy.
He was invited by Brazilian architects Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa to be one of the
guest architects in designing Brasília, which was planned to be the new capital city of Brazil.
Zaragoza derived traditional forms from Spanish colonial architecture and combined it
with simple, unornamented designs of the International style. This design was evident in the
arcades of the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City.
His style had an impact of designs of houses. The visual framework of the "Spanish style"
architecture which was favored in residences from the 1950s to the 1960s was derived from his
designs. The "Spanish style" is not widely used in Spain but the name was an adopted term in
Philippine residential architecture. Among Zaragoza's works this style is most evident in his
design of the 1951 building of the Casino Español de Manila.
After his involvements in Brazil, his later works had influences from Brazilian
architecture as evident in the Meralco Center in Ortigas and Philbank Building in the Port Area,
Manila both finished in 1965. The Commercial and Bank Trust Company Building, completed in
1969, in Escolta, Manila, incorporates subtle flowing Latino line design.
Zaragoza became an ambassador of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the
Philippines. He was also conferred the Gentiluomo di Sua Santita (Lay Member of the Papal
Household) by Pope John Paul II for his contributions to the Catholic Church, allowing him to
serve as a lay attendant of the Pope in the Vatican City.
He died in 1994 at the age of 81 in Manila, Philippines.

PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE DURING PRE-SPANISH PERIOD

The earliest records of pre-colonial architecture in the Philippines are rock shelters and
caves in Palawan. Early Filipinos are nomadic since they are constantly in search for food
through hunting or fishing so they mainly rely on nature when creating shelter and do not need
to build permanent structures. With the development of tools, tent-like shelters and tree
houses were also created to serve as their abode. As farming became a stable source of food,
the locals were accustomed to creating permanent structures to serve as their home. The
houses of the natives before the Spanish colonization were predominantly rectangular in shape
and built on stilts so it may be lifted and be transported to a new site. Several factors also affect
the type of materials and configuration of houses such as the difference of climate and
topography of numerous Filipino groups in different parts of the country. For instance, there
are variations when it comes to pre-Hispanic houses of those from Ifugao, the bahay kubo (nipa
hut) from the lowlands and the Maranao’s very intricate torogan house. Beautifully designed
mosques were also widespread in the Mindanao region as early as 14th and 15th century due
to the emergence of the Islamic religion even before the arrival of the conquistadores.

CLIMATE
The provinces in the low lands normally near the sea shores are hotter compare of the
places in the high lands where they established their group in the mountains. During the
months of March to June is the dry season and wet season is from July to October; the rest of
the month is the mixture of both. So as the houses we're built in accordance to what the
temperature and weather condition.

Before the coming of Spaniards, Filipino houses were made of light materials such as
bamboo palms, vine grass, and wood. The pre-Spanish houses had a pyramidal roof, the walls
were low, and the floor was raised a few feet above.

Common materials were:

Bamboo Nipa Cogon grass Rattan

Guijo tree Yakal tree

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER


 Tropical architecture
 Open and transparent
 Light
PRE-SPANISH ARCHITECTURE OF LUZON (BONTOC (Fayu))

 House within house shelter for rice, chickens, pigs, and people.
 Square in plan and is designed to facilitate various activities.
 Granary: area of 2m2 is elevated on four posts of about 5’ high.
 Has a fireplace located at rear left corner.
On the ground floor (cha-la-noii) the following areas are arranged from the doorway to the rear
as follows:

 Immediately at the left side of the main entrance is

a rice threshing room of about 5 square feet in area
and sunk about a foot into the ground. Found at the
center of this room is the mortar used for threshing
rice.
 At the right side of the entrance is a bench 4’-O”
wide, 12’-O” long and l’-O” high where baskets,
utensils and other tools are placed. Chickens are
kept underneath this bench.
 Adjacent to the threshing room is the kitchen. With
an area of 5 square feet, it is provided with three
concave stove stones hacked by a low stone wall,
wooden shelves and water jars.
 Across the only entrance, at the rear side of the
house is the ang-an, which is used for sleeping and
storage. This is the only room with wooden flooring
and ceiling.
STRUCTURAL

 Four corner posts and the side walls are built as supports to the roof
 Front and side walls are made of wood connected to the posts
 Rear wall is made of stone and mud
 Roof framing is made up of a ridge post which Is supported by two queen posts • Queen
posts are made to rest on a central horizontal beam
 Other horizontal beams are provided to support the upper rafters
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

 The sleeping compartment is provided with wooden boards or sleeping benches 3-O” x
4-O” in size.
 The board is slightly inclined on one end to allow the sleepers head be elevated. On the
other end is a pole where the sleeper can rest his feet.
 Fire can be provided under this pole when the need for warmth arises in the occupant.

PRE-SPANISH ARCHITECTURE OF LUZON (IFUGAO HOUSE)

 Isneg/ Apayao
 Location: Mountain of Apayao and the Northern end
of Cordillera
 Home of the Isneg boat people; pyramidal or hipped
roof; annex on one or both ends; removable sidings
for special occasion
Plan:

 Elevated at approximately 1.50 above the ground

 a single-room rectangular structure designed with
three levels
 lowest level: datag or xassaran, located at the center
of the room
 immediate level: ramuyon, occupy three sides of the floor proper (the lowest level)
 highest level: tarakip, located on the remaining side of the house is an extension
STRUCTURAL

 Fifteen posts of heavy hardwood are used as supports

 Posts are distributed in the following manner:
 Sinit posts - six of these support the data g and two support the tarakip
 Adixi posts - six of these support the roof
 Atobrobo - a single post supporting the ridgepole
 There are no fixed window openings since wall construction system allow occupants to remove
few wail boards in case air is needed for the interior.
 ISNEG OF APAYAO MOUNTAIN AND NORTHERN PART OF CORDILLERA PRE-SPANISH
ARCHITECTURE
Ivatan


 Location: Slope of cliffs and villages built along the
sides and tops of rocky hills of Batanes Island
PLAN:


 stand directly on the ground to withstand strong
winds or typhoons •

 made up of two houses - the rakuh (big house)
consists of the living room and sleeping quarters and
the kusina (kitchen)
STRUCTURAL:

 The walls, made of lime and stone, is sometimes

embedded with wooden reinforcements in order to
resist the effect of a strong earthquake. The
reinforcements run from the haste up to the roof frame.
 Doors and windows are provided in the rakuh house but the wall facing the direction of
the strongest winds are left solidly closed.
Kalinga

 Location: Steep mountain slope of the Cordillera

Plan:

 rectangular or octagonal form

 octagonal shaped house is called binayon or
finatyon
 living area is elevated at 1.20 meters
 Attic is located underneath the roof which is also
used as granary
 elevated fireplace is found at the left rear side
 flooring of the elevated portions of the house is made of removable reed mats resting
on floor joists
 the approach to the house is through a ladder which leads to a narrow platform at the
front
PRE SPANISH ARCITECTURE IN VISAYAS
Mangyan

 Location: Mountainside or hillside of Mindoro •

Plan:

 communal house is elevated from the ground at 1.50 meters to the surrounding
platform
 one-room structure measures 6.00 x 10.00 and is rectangular in plan
 Palaganan - passageway At the central part of the house leading from the main door

 Visitors may sleep along the palaganan but most of
the time this is used as an extra storage space for the
families
 Individual families are not separated from one another
by partitions. Rather, their space allotment is defined
by a mat spread on the floor and also by their
individual fireplaces.
Structural:

 walls are made of the bark of trees and are constructed a meter or less above the floor
 Opening allows the occupants to observe the exterior without being seen from the
outside
 covered by a gabled roof with cogon grass thatching
 Roof eaves project 1.00 meter beyond the wall for protection against the cold wind
 There are no windows. Openings are provided through the space between the flooring
and the underneath surface of the wall.
TAGBANUA

 Location: Coastal and Near-Coastal plains and valleys of Central Palawan •

PLAN:

 Elevated on stilts about 8’-O” high

 usually made of eight levels
 Each level corresponds to certain function such as entrance, cooking or hearth, dining,
sleeping and various levels for storage
 The highest level usually contains storage space for pillows and blankets
STRUCTURAL:

 Since there are various floor levels partitions are unnecessary

 The entire house do not have windows
PRE-SPANISH ARCHITECTURE OF MINDANAO
Manobo •

 Location: Lowland of Agusan, Bukidnon, Davao, Misamis Oriental, Cotabato

Plan:

 Flooring is made of withered bark of the mahogany tree or

split bamboo
 No decorations at all in the Manobo house because the
Manobos stay outdoors most of the time
 Four or more corner posts are used as main supports to the
house
 The main house is covered with sun-dried cogon grass gabled
roof shaped like an inverted V
 The roof for the kitchen is considerably lower than that of the
main roof and is placed at right angles to the main house
 The only entrance to the house is located at the kitchen area.
The ladder is made of the trunk of the tree cut with notches to
serve as its steps.
Maranao Torogan •

 Location: Hills, along the river, road or lakeshore of Mindanao

 An ancestral house for the datu and his family
Special Parts: •

 Tapaan – found at the Kitchen, made of plaited bamboo used for smoking fish and meat.
 Kodal or the carabao corral – found underneath the Kitchen
 Gibon or Paga - rooms not exposed to visitors; used as hiding place for the datu’s
daughter
 Lamin - a tower atop the brogan where the princess and her ladies in waiting hide
during occasions
 Panggao – datu’s ceremonial bed
Structural:

 The torogan house is constructed by first putting up the center post called rapuwilih
followed by four corner posts called lukud.
  Flouse posts are made from bunga wood and are placed on top of large stones for
protection against the devastating effect of earthquakes
 floor beams are supported by 25 thick posts
 end beams are called panolong and are ornately carved with piako (fern-like) or naga
(dragon-like) motifs
 Walls are made of gisuk wooden panels carved with ornate okir designs
Samal

 Location: Coastal waters of Jolo

Plan:

 consisting of one or more small rooms and a kitchen

are built partially above the ground and water on
wooden posts
Structural:

 Stilts are usually made of bamboo poles while walls are

made of wooden boards or sawali
 Roof thatching is held securely by placing flattened
bamboo spaced far apart over it
Tausug

 Location: Coastal water of Tapul, Siasi, Basilan, Malaysian, Borneo, Tawi-Tawi,

Zamboanga del Sur, Cotabato
 Bay-smug – their native name for traditional Tausug house
Plan: •

 Elevated above the ground, it consists of the following parts: entrance porch or salos,
sleeping quarters and kitchen
 Panran – an open extended platform used as a family area
 The kitchen, whose flooring is a foot lower than that of the main house, is a separate
area linked to the main house by a bridge made of
bamboo or wooden planks
 flooring of the house is made of thin strips of
bamboo material
 Bilik – sleeping area
 Found at the roof top is the tajuk pusung. It is a
wood carving in the form of the manuk manuk bird
showing a stylized head and neck of a rooster or a
stylized design of a naga dragon
Structural:

 sleeping area or the bilik is the only room in the house proper and is supported by 9
posts while the porch and the kusina are supported by separate posts
 posts are made of heavy timber or bamboo
 Except for the center post, all posts rise up to the roof
 Wooden floor beams or hanglad attached to the posts together with other smaller
beams support the floor joists
 Beams and girders are joined together either by joints or by tying both members with
hijuk vines or lagtang and haun vines
 Walls are made of split bamboo or woven coconut palms wall does not reach up to the
roof. An opening of about 0.45 meters is provided for ventilation.
T’Boli

 Location: Hilltops and mountaintops in the Lake Sebu area in Cotabato

Plan:

 house is built on 6-O” high stilts, built with various levels

 with an approximate area of 900 to 1,350 sq. ft.
 Lowa - it is the central space used as sleeping area for overnight guests. It has an area of
15e-O” x 20’-0” and 8” lower than the areas alongside it.
 BIaba - it is the side area, usually 6’-O” wide, used as working and conversational space.
 Desyung - this is located opposite the Iowa and the blaba. This is regarded as the area of
honor because here the head of the house entertains guests and performs rites under a
curtained canopy.
 Dofil - located on both sides of the desyung and sometimes elevated at a height of 3’-O”
over the iowa, this is the sleeping quarters for the wives and children of the headman.
 Bakdol - this is the entrance to the house
 Kohu - this is the hearth made of beaten-earth floor. It has a shelf where pots and pans,
baskets and other utensils are kept.
 Dol - this is an area used for the kohu and stair
landing.
 Fato Hu - located at the rearmost part of the
house, it is the utility area.
 Kotel - a detached structure located some few
feet away from the house which functions as a
toilet
Structural

 Bamboo is generally used for the house posts

 Walls are made of sawali or woven bamboo strips

 The low biaba wall is hinged to the floor at its lower side so that it can be opened
towards the outside in case an extended floor area is needed
 The dofils are separated from one another by means of a sawali wall which extends up
to the roof.
Yakan

 Location: Mountainous interior of Basilan

Plan:

 Elevated 2 to 3 meters above the ground

 single-room structure rectangular in plan
with approximately 50 to 100 sq. mts. floor
area
 does not have partitions
 kitchen is used as the family’s dining area
 porch is used for entertaining guests and as a
resting place for the household
 In the Living room, one will find a cloth-weaving Loom located near the door which
leads to the porch outside
Structural:

 Posts are made of sturdy wood onto which floor beams are attached
 walls are made of sawali or horizontal wooden boards or bamboo poles attached to one
another by rattan lashings
 Roof eaves overhang the wall at .50 meters Doors are oriented towards the east for
prosperity while few and small windows are provided because of the belief that bad
spirits cannot pass through the small openings quite easily. A small window is often
provided at the end wall opposite the kitchen.
BAHAY KUBO
An indigenous house used relatively all over the Philippines before the Spaniards. •

 Traditionally made of Bamboo tied together covered with thatched roof of Anahaw
Leaves or Nipa •
  Originally, the bahay kubo is a one-room dwelling structure with porch provided on all
sides of the house. Then, the bahay kubo graduated into a more sophisticated type of
dwelling.
Parts:

 Bulgan - is the area reserved for entertaining guests

 Silid - is a private room used for sleeping
 Paglutuan or gilir - ¡s the kitchen or cooking area
 Silong - is the space found underneath the house used as a
storage space for the farming and fishing implements and also
for the animals kept
Parts of the Kitchen:

 Dapogan - is a table on top of which is the river stone, shoe-

shaped stove or kalan.
 Ban gahan - this was later called ban gguera or banggerahan
and is used as a place for drying and storing pots and pans,
drinking glasses, plates and other kitchen utensils.
 Batakui - this is the unroofed area where water jars (used for drinking, washing and
bathing) are kept.