HOA 4

Philippines' primeval expression resided in nature

Cave:

a place of dwelling for early Filipinos to protect themselves against the harsh
weather

required minimal site work and modification

Pleistocene people - earliest dwellers of caves in the Philippines; off-springs of

the ice age

TABON CAVE COMPLEX, SOUTHWEST PALAWAN:

largest cave dwelt in by prehistoric families for 30, 000 years

138 hectares; have more than 200 caverns

PETROGLYPHS, ANGONO, RIZAL

provides evidence of the ancient Filipino's effort to embellish habitation

IJANG, BATANES

mountain top citadels at Savidug Village, Sabtang, Batanes

early Ivatan settlers carved limestones to create vertical walls for defense

STONE AGE

first architectural revolution with the invention of stone tools for cutting fibers

helped develop the temporary tent-like shelters made of wooden skeleton and
vegetative or animal skin

LEAN-TO WINDBREAK/SHELTER

epitome of fundamental act of building

structurally anchored by a pole or a stick at an angle

HOA 4 1
 early dwelling of the Aeta

inalienable aspect of the Aeta's nomadic lifestyle

TREE HOUSE, arboreal

usually found in areas where violent intertribal conflict and nocturnal raids are
frequent

perched in the forked branches of trees 20-40 feet or even 60 feet above ground
to protect the dwellers from animals and human enemies

RICE TERRACES

a masterpiece of the pre-modern engineering and megalithic architecture

made by human hands to accommodate pond field agriculture

the stones used to construct the terraces is estimated to far exceed in bulk those
used in building the pyramids and the great wall of china

spans the provinces of cordillera's mountain province (ifugao, bontoc, kalinga,

and areas of abra)

walls reach up to 6 meter; 16 meter in some cases

elements: terraspace, embankment, and soil body

Southeast asian culture is descendant from a common ancestry based on the

affiliation with the austronesian family of language

Austronesian vernacular architecture

culture is characterized by a waterborne lifestyle

archetypal austronesian house consists of an architectural system of a wooden

rectangular structure elevated on posts with a thatched pitch roof

settlement patterns have a direct connection to bodies of water; therefore,

communities were developed along it

extended roof line with outward sloping gables forming saddleback curves - most
distinctive feature

HOA 4 2
 BAHAY KUBO

embodies the features of an austronesian dwelling

"cube house"

lineal dimension = 3 to 4 meters

constructed using wooden structural components (post and lintel framework)

supporting a STEEPLY pitched thatched roof

living floor raised on stilts with a voluminous well-ventilated roof cavity

stilts raise the house to avoid the flood water during rainy seasons and provides
underfloor ventilation during the summer

silong - underfloor space for storage, as a corral for animals, or a shaded

daytime workspace

stilts rest on top of foundation stones rather than being driven directly into the
ground ensuring flexibility during earthquakes

the house can be easily picked up if owner wish to move to another location
because it is assembled without nails. Jointing techniques for load bearing
elements, and wooden pegs and vegetative fiber lashings for non-load bearing
elements

the frame is first constructed on the ground then later to be attached to the posts

walls are made of light materials and it depends on the use and status of the
kubo: matting of folded and stitched palm leaves, flattened/plated bamboo
panels, and wood boards and panels

wall siding may be: nipa or sawali (split bamboo woven in a herringbone)

windows: awning type with nipa or palm window lid

types:

usually no ceilings or room divisions, it is a single multi-functional space;

however, sawali can be used to divide interior but with open doorways

a two to three unit quarter with living/sleeping area, kitchen/storage room,

and an open gallery at the front (balkon) or rear (batalan)

banggera - window with a hanging slatted rack for drying dishes and
utensils

HOA 4 3
 balkon - anti-room/lounging area

batalan - washing/bathing area

roof as most dominant architectural feature

ifugao dwellings - house that is mostly roof

older bahay kubo

cross gable finials at the apex of the roof as an ever-present feature

tausug's sungan roof - decorated with naga tajuk pasung or manuk-

manuk tajuk pasung

naga - sanskrit for serpent; represents the austronesian

cosmological model in many philippine islamic artifacts

roofing material is thatch

watertight and long-lasting if effectively laid out

IVATAN HOUSES

designed to withstand storms and to overcome earthquakes

kalikanto - stone and lime mortar used to build houses

sinadumparan or maytuab (depending on the shape of roof)

a one-storey roof with a partially submerged basement for storage

raku

two-storey house

thick stone and line masonry topped with gable or hip roof

roof system with bamboo, reed, rattan, and cogon

wooden post and lintel implanted in the walls

vukid - 1 meter thick cogon thatch

4th wall of the house (houses are oriented north-south) - windowless; is facing
the direction of the strongest typhoon winds with

panpe - ropes covering the entire roof fastened securely to the ground by stone
anchors used during typhoons

HOA 4 4
 MOUNTAIN PROVINCE HOUSES

primarily designed to shield residents from the cold weather

classified by william henry scott to:

northern strain

houses made by the isneg and kalinga

isneg tribe: binuron

rectangular plan covered by a high gable roof

roof framing separate to the floor framework

roof bowed into the shape of a boat turned upside down

only region of the cordillera to have a navigable river and a boat

building tradition

kalinga tribe

the only philippine vernacular form with an octagonal plan

3 divided floorings; center is lowest

southern strain - houses made by ifugao, bontoc, ibaloi, and kankana-ey

ifugao tribe: fale

square plan with either a pyramidal or conical roof resting on the

walls

supported by posts no higher than the floor joints

windowless

HOA 4 5