Bahay na bato 

(Tagalog, literally "house of stone") is a type of building originating during

the Philippines' Spanish Colonial period. It is an updated version of the traditional bahay kubo. Its
design has evolved throughout the ages, but still maintains the bahay kubo's architectural basis
which corresponds to the tropical climate, stormy season, and earthquake-prone environment of the
whole archipelago of the Philippines and fuses it with the influence of Spanish colonizers and
Chinese traders. Thus created was a hybrid of Austronesian, Spanish, and Chinese architecture with
American influence during the American era, supporting the fact that the Philippines is a result of
these cultures mixing together. Its most common appearance is that of an elevated, overhanging
wooden upper-story nipa hut (with balustrades, ventanillas, and capiz shell sliding windows) that
stands on Spanish-style solid stone blocks or bricks and posts as foundation instead of
just wood, bamboo stilts, or timber posts. Roofing is either Chinese tiled roof or thatch (nipa, sago
palm, or cogon), of which many today are being replaced by galvanized or other modern roofing. It
followed the bahay kubo's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments used as
living space with the ground floor used for storerooms, cellars, and other business purposes.
Like bahay kubo, much of this ground level was reserved for storage; in business districts, some
spaces were rented to shops. Horses for carriages were housed in stables called caballerizas.
[1]
 Bahay na bato had a rectangular plan that reflected vernacular Austronesian Filipino traditional
houses integrated with Spanish style.[2]