HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 4

Name: Romin, Khayzekiel Garcia

Austronesian Vernacular Architecture is a building style based on local needs, availability of construction
materials and reflecting to the local tradition and beliefs of the community. The term Vernacular Architecture is
now broadly applied to give emphasis in indigent, ethnic, tribal, or traditional architecture. The term Austronesian
on the other hand is the relationship of large group of various people speaking the same language. The countries
included are Madagascar, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Polynesia. With 1268 languages, Austronesian is one of the largest and the most spread language families of the
world.
The Philippine Architecture on its classical period spends amount of time on “vernacular style”. The
“vernacular” materials that available in Philippines are abaca, bamboo, coconut shells, coconut lumber, santol
wood, rice hull and nipa. These are construction materials that is widely used in Asia. This technique is commonly
called green architecture or green building because of timber-framed construction though not so sustainable but has
a potential if these structures will be taken care of properly.
There are still a lot of people using Bahay-kubo as a home. Mangyans for example, the people living in a
small society or secluded from the city and noise, those in the rural areas, mountains, and farms. Bahay kubo is a
structure that sits on post raised above the ground. The rooms are commonly small, generally have a single multi-
purpose room having a different space only for cooking (located adjacent to the room and sometimes outside the
house). Bahay-kubo is the term for huts built of nipa.
Archaeological records that most of Filipino villages were established near water it is to support their
everyday needs. Bodies of water is used as source of food “fishing”, good means of travel since there are no roads
until Spanish times, and a source for drinking, washing, and bathing. Examples of these dwellings are Ifugao
houses and Isneg houses. Ethnic houses are caves (Tabon cave), lean-to dwellings and tree houses.
I have always been fond of Bahay-kubo’s because I grew up having one outside our house and whenever
we visit the Katutubo/Mangyans I always admire how creative they are to form such a unique design on a
vernacular structure and materials. There is so much to it than what we are seeing. Philippine Architecture should
not only focus on what is the trend and what’s eye pleasing. Philippine Architecture should have consciousness on
what we are as a national subject and having our ethic structures to be our concept can boost our own confidence as
a nation.