Philippine Architecture: Early Period / Pre-Spanish Era

I. INDIGENOUS FOLK DWELLINGS - LUZON - 2-TYPES 01

1. IFUGAO HOUSES

1.1 INTRODUCTION

- The traditional Ifugao house; an elevated square and windowless one-room structure dominated by a high,
heavy pyramidal roof. The Ifugao houses were usually similar in architectural designs, but they differ in
decorative details depending on the tribes. Their houses were harmoniously located with the contour of the
rice terraces. The one-room house of the Ifugao commonly known to them as fale. The exterior of the
house seems to be nothing but a pyramid resting on four posts, while the interior space is enclosed by
slanting walls and ceiling that appears to be spherical that are formed by the loft.

1.2 PARTS OF THE HOUSE

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A. ATOP (ROOF)
- The steep pyramidal roof rom thick bundled cogon grass ( golun) used to provide shade from the
sun and shield the torrential rains.
B. GAOB ( WALLBOARD)
- Rectangular wooden planks of about 1 ½ inches thick with varying widths and heights vertically
fitted at an angle on grooved floor beams, joists & wall headers.
C. TUKUD ( POST)
- Made of large round logs 8-12 inches wide by 6-10 feet in legth and buried about 2-3 feet below
the ground and secured in with stone boulders around.
- Parts of trees with truncated roots are also used as posts and placed above stone boulders.

HALIPAN (CYLINDRICAL DISK)

The Ifugao House have three functional levels: the ground floor, the second level for the living quarters
and the third level which was used as the granary. The ground level the posts have wooden discs which
was called halipan to prevent rats from entering the house. The second level or the living area was
accessible through a removable ladder. The social affairs, eating, cooking, and sleeping are all done in
this area. At the third level there was the patyie, it is a shelf that extends from the wallboards outwards to
the underside of the roof. It serves as the storage area and as a structural support to the roof. Inside the
house was embellished rows of skulls of animals offered to gods during their annual rituals and also as a
source of pride to the homeowner.

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D. PALAN (ATTIC)
- The third level space of an ifugao house with a reed mat flooring and used as storage area for
rice grains.
E. PATYIE (SHELF)
- A shelf formed by fitting rectangular wood boards from the wall header to the roof.
F. NUNDATU (MALE SIDE)
- The spacious section inside the house intended for the male head of the family.
G. HALIPAN (CYLINDRICAL DISK)
- A wooden disk of about 2-14 inches thivk and 36-40 inches in diameter, placed along the upper
portion of the post to prevent rats from entering the house.
H. SILONG (BASEMENT)
- The space underneath the main house with stone pavement alignes with the edge of the roof
eaves.
I. PUNCHAPALAN (FIREPLACE)
- An earthen fireplace about 3-5 square feet with layers of open shelf used for drying firewood
and stacks of rice and preserving other food.
J. NA-ULYA (FEMALE SIDE)
- The space inside an ifugao house intended for the wife. It has a much smalle space due to the
presence of the fireplace (puncahpalan).

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K. PANTO (DOOR)
- A detachable wooden panel door tied to a girt and locked in place by a wooden bar.
L. TETEH (LADDER)
- A wooden or bamboo ladder which can be removed and hanged on the wall for security and
protection.

IFUGAO'S CONSTRUCTING A HOUSE

The Ifugao house is sturdily crafted of timber from amugawan trees raised on four posts, which was
buried 50 centimeters below the ground and locked in with stones. The four wooden posts that rest
upon the pavement and support two wooden girders, which also supports three wooden transverse
joists. The floor joists, floor silts, vertical studs and horizontal beams rests on the post and girders at
about head level from a cage. The floorboards were fitted between the joists. The wooden sides of the
house slant outward and rise to the waist, this forms the lower half of the wall. The upper half of the
wall is formed by the inner side of the roof. This creates a dark, windowless chamber which suggests a
womb. The roof system rests on the “house cage”. The steeply pitched pyramidal roof is covered with
thick layers of thatch or cogon, this insulates the house from the heat of the sun and from the torrential
rail.

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M. AMBUBULAN (SQUARE BOX)

- Awooden square frame box attached to a king post used to carry the upper end of the rafters
thus making the apex ppyramidal.
N. WANAN (PURLINS)
- A horizontal member of a roof made from split bamboo and rono sticks laid put across the
rafters and tied by rattan vines.
O. BUGHOL (RAFTER)
- Long, round tree trunks of chopped flat boards tied to ambubulan ( square box) and liub (girt) to
support a roof.
P. DOTAL (FLOOR BOARD)
- Rectangular wooden planks of about 2 inches thick, 12-30 inches in widthe and 7 feet 7 inches
in length which are horizontally laid above floor joists as boards in a floor.
Q. MUNDILIGI (OUTER END FLOOR JOIST)
- Side- end floor beams above the girder with right angle grooves to receive the floorboards.
R. KULING (GIRDER)
- A wood transverse girder, 12-14 inches thick, 14-16 inches depth and 12-14 feet long, with a flat
top surfacce and a rounded base. This member holds the posts and holds up the floor beam
and central floor joist.

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S. POGNAD (STONE FOUNDATION)

- Huge stones that serve as foundation of the house as well as protection form the gound
termites and moisture.
T. GAWAAN (CENTRAL FLOOR JOIST)
- An inverted wooden tee beam that supports the floorboards.
U. HUKLUB ( TRANSVERSE BEAM)
- A chest level transverse wooden beam where wallboards are rabbeted.
V. LIUB (GIRT)
- A horizontal timber resting above the upper columns to support the rafters of the roof and the
central cross beam.
W. BAGAT (UPPER COLUMN)
- An upper wood column mortised at the base of the floor beams and enclosed by a girt above.
X. PUMPITOLAN ( CENTRAL BEAM)
- A long piece of heavy squared timber centrally located to reinforce the attic floor space and the
roof’s king post.
Y. TAKNANG ( KING POST)
- The vertical wooden member where the square box supporting the pyramidal roof is attached.

1.3 ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS

A. PLAN

-  Bale house is an enclosed structure, square in plan, 2.00 meter high on four tree trunks as
columns and  4.00 x 6.00 m. single room house. In the Bale house only the husband, wife and
youngest child live in the house. Upon reaching the age of reason, children sleep in communal
dormitories.
-  The Interior space was used for cooking, dining sleeping, storing and worship. With the
fireplace located at the far- right hang corner of the house and on the lower with a layer of earth
spread over. The shelves above the fireplace are provided for the storage of palay and
firewood.

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B. STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

- The Four house posts of 0.25 x 0.25 (cross-section area) are from amugawan tree, these posts
are buried into a hole dug about half meter and further secured by means placing stones on
each hole. Floor girders are carved with mortises on both ends to fit into the pointer upper end
of the posts which acts as tenons. Solid floor joists with wooden flooring are attached by
wooden pegs. The walls (waist or chest high) are usually slanted outward the top, and the
wallboards are mortised into the floor joists while the upper part are rabbeted to the beam.
Since no nails are used, the house can easily be dismantled, carried to a new site, and
reassembled.

C. PROTECTIVE ELEMENTS

- The bale house has a roof framing are made of rafters, that is in a pyramidal shape covered
with reed and grass. The apex of roof is made of grass covering attached loosely to allow the
escape of smoke emanating from the kitchen area. Its roof ran steeply from the top downwards
extending beyond the floor level, sometime concealing the walls entirely. Bale also hat a rat
guard in the four corners called halipan.

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D. DECORATIVE ELEMENTS

- For its decorative elements, the traditional Ifugao house includes a skull of a carabao and the
jaw of a pig, that is used as an indication of their status and to keep peace with the gods.
Indigenous People were said to worship gods and have a lot of superstition to protect
themselves from bad spirits, and being their house is the place were they spend a lot of time,
they incorporate their beliefs in their houses, one of which is the Ambubulan figure form that is
placed on the top of the roof were used as protection against the evil spirits and lightning, they
also believe that it is a sign of asking a favor from their god Kabunyan. They also have a bench
called Hagabi, this bench provides the status symbol for the rich Ifugao due to the cost of its
construction and the ceremonies involved.

HAGABI

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2. IVATAN HOUSE

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The Ivatan houses are not the typical houses you can find in the Philippines. The Ivatan houses are
made of metre-thick limestone and coral walls as well as cogon grass roofs, and it is sturdy enough to
withstand strong winds. 

The Ivatan House is a unique vernacular architecture developed in the province of Batanes. Its
compact structure is divided into four areas: the main house, the cooking house, toilet, and bathhouse.
During the cold seasons, the cooking house also serves as sleeping quarters. The houses of Ivatan are
constructed and repaired through a cooperative system called kayvayvanaan or kamanyiduan. Through
this system, houses are fixed with immediate action.

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Most of the Ivatan houses are built with limestone walls, reed, and cogon roofs, strong enough to
withstand the numerous typhoons and earthquakes that visit the island on an average of eight times a
year. Some houses have roof nets which allow the roofs to last from 25 to 30 years. These nets serve
as the roofs' protection against strong winds during typhoons. Only three walls of the house have
windows; the fourth wall faces the direction of the strongest typhoon winds. The inside is relatively cool
during summer and warm during the rainy season.

2.2 TYPES OF IVATAN HOUSE

IVATAN HOUSE MORPHOLOGY

The composition of the Ivatan heritage house is not just a single structure. It is made up of at least two
separate buildings: the main house and the kitchen. In other cases, a third structure serving as storage
or shed may also exist. There are several variations of the Ivatan heritage houses. However, two
major archetypes can be easily identified. They are referred to in this paper as: the wood-and-thatch
(WT) structures, and the lime-stone-wood-and-thatch ( LSWT) structures. The grouping refers to the
basic materials used for the houses. Both groups, though, use thatch, wood and reeds as roofing
materials.

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A. Wood-and-Thatch Structures

These structures use thatch, wood planks, wood studs, reeds, or a combination of these. They are
usually smaller and built with less height compared to those made of stone walls. These are limited
to single story structures. Most WT structures are used as storage or kitchen areas. In addition,
along coastline villages, the WT structures may serve as temporary dwellings during harvest season
for fishing and other agricultural activities.

i. Rahaung

This developed from the primitive kamadid or camarin, a basic shelter consisting of a two
slope (A -frame) roof resting on the ground. Timber logs were used as posts to elevate the
A-frame and thus emerged the Rahaung shelter. Reeds are used to clamp the thatch. This
time, however, more layers of alternating thatch and reeds are used forming a thicker roof
system.

It may have no walls, although in a variation of this house type, the front and rear areas of
the A Frame sometimes have wall-like barriers made of thatch. These barriers cover only
the area from the level of the eaves to the top of the triangular frame, sort of elevated walls.
They provide shelter from rain and sun, which would otherwise penetrate if these areas
were left bare. Low, narrow wooden platforms are built alongside the posts to serve as
worktops, storage, or benches. This house type is used as a multi-purpose shelter to house
boats or as a shed for various work activities.

ii. Jinjin

The Chivuvuhung is an improvement of the Rahaung. It follows the same framework minus
the low platforms. Walls are now incorporated to create an interior space. Its name is derived
from the Ivatan term for the cogon wall. As such, its walls are made mainly out of wood,
cogon, and reeds though similar to the roof but with only two layers of cogon. Like the
kamadid, the walls rest on wooden posts that serve as columns.

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Door and window openings are made by simply leaving rectangular spaces in between
posts. Pieces of wood planks are used to serve as window frames and doorjambs. One or
two pieces of wood may be used as door or window panels for each opening. These panels
are affixed to the jambs using improvised metal hinges. It may or may not have a wood floor
depending on its use and the availability of wood planks.

Though it is commonly used as a temporary shelter, there are those who maintain this type
of house as a permanent dwelling. As such, a wood floor is a necessity. Jinjin’s are primarily
used as a seasonal shelter in fishing villages such as Diura Village in Batan Island. These
houses provide refuge and sometimes serve as storage where smoked fish are cured during
fishing season. They are left unoccupied when the tenants return to the mainland until the
next fishing season starts.

B. Lime-Stone-Wood-and-Thatch Structures

These structures use stones of varying sizes from gravel to boulders. Different stones are used
including volcanic, basalt, metamorphic, and the like. Coral stones are also commonly used
particularly in areas close to the sea. Stones are piled and bound together by applying lime mortar,
forming a strong, interlocking edifice.

The building system allows for a larger floor area and a two-storey frame. During the rainy season,
the lower level is usually used as storage for food and as shelter for animals. During summer, it is
used for storage of agricultural products such as yam, sweet potato, wood and charcoal while the
upper level is used as the main living quarters. A wood floor separates the two levels.

The LSWT structures are commonly used as the main house and the WT types as the kitchen or the
storage and on certain occasions as temporary dwelling during harvest season.

The arrival of the Spanish colonizers brought in new construction technologies in the islands. Most
Influential of these is the use of masonry. The use of lime as mortar was introduced and with this
emerged a new system of construction. European community planning was enforced using religion
as means to convince the indigenous people of its practicality. In line with this, adaptation to
European construction techniques developed a new set of house archetypes while merging with old
traditions.

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i. Sinadumparan

This type of Ivatan house has walls made of stones and lime mortar. It still followed the basic
form and roof construction of the WT houses but the use of masonry allowed it to go wider and
higher.

This new technology allowed for a lower level, which is used as a storage area or as shelter for
domesticated animals during typhoons. A Sinadumparan house may vary in size and height
depending on its use.

Main House or Rakuh

If it is used as the main house, meaning the living quarters, it is usually larger and taller. The
lower level may have a higher ceiling to accommodate jars, boats, and other household
belongings. Though it is referred to as a lower level, it is not located below ground. It is actually
at ground floor height and is only treated as such because the upper level is where the main
habitable area is. These two levels are divided by a wooden floor anchored to the wall by a
system of girders and joists resting on several pieces of corbel stones protruding from the walls.
The floor is made of wood planks joined together by wooden dowels. The door and window
openings are identical in width and height. Both have two swing-in panels and the only visible
difference between the two is a hip-high verandilla (wood balusters) added to the windows.

Kitchen or Kusina

A Sinadumparan used as a kitchen is a smaller version of the main house with a few noticeable
alterations. Its lower level (basement) is only about a meter high and sometimes, the lower level
may be omitted. It is intended mainly as a shelter for small animals such as dogs and fowls.

Consequently, the openings in this level are devoid of any door panels. The kitchen has the
same door assembly as the main house but has smaller widows, measuring only about half the
height of the door.

The most distinguishing feature of the kitchen is a very low wall platform serving as a built-in
stove called rapuyan. This is also made of stone and mortar. It is also equipped with wooden
partitions located above the stove called paya, which are used as storage for dried fish,

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vegetables, condiments, and the like. Wood branches shaped as hangers are hung from the
roof truss and above the kitchen’s cooking area. Meat and dried fish are hung on these food
hangers so that the rations are naturally smoked while cooking. Recessing part of the wall about
half a meter deep makes a built-in storage area. This area is just about half a meter wide and a
meter tall.

2.3 PARTS OF THE HOUSE

A. PAKAW (RAFTER)
- 4”x4” parallel wood beams attached to the ridge and the roof beams to support the thick and
heavy cogon grass roof.
B. TUKAH (TIE BEAM)
- A 4”x6” piece of timber with both of its ends connected by lap joints to the roof beams to keep
them from spreading.
C. PANINJINAN (WALL STUD)

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- A 4” diameter piece of log vertically laid in parallel with the post to support the lightweight cogon
wall. Its lower end is buried about 24” underground and the upper end is fastened to the roof
beam.
D. PAREY (CORNER POST)
- A vertical piece of log, about 7” in diameter, situated at the corner of the house and buried at
least 1.00 meter deep to hold up the roof beams.
E. PASUNEN (KING POST)
- A vertical piece of log, about 12” in diameter situated at the center of the shorter wall of the
house to bear the ridge beam of the roof.
F. JINJIN (COGON WALL)
- Cogon grass wall securely tied to the wall studs.
G. SAPAWAN (RIDGE BEAM)
- A 4x4” wood beam at the ridge of the roof to support the upper ends of the rafters.
H. PANGANIVUCAN (ROOF BEAM)
- A long piece of the heavy 6”x6” square timber resting above the longer wall of the houses to
support the roof rafters.
I. SUPIT (REED MAT TIE)
- A rattan strip parallel to the rafters laid above and tied to the reed mat.
J. VUVONG (LOWER RIDGE COVER)
- The lower portion of the ridge cover that is tightly pressed by the top layer of yayis or battens.
K. SAKONG (RIDGE COVER)
- A thick bundle of cogon laid to cover the ridge of the roof.

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II. REFERENCES
1. REFERENCES (TEXTBOOKS)
1.1. A., F. R. D. (2015). Diksiyonaryong Biswal ng Arkitekturang Filipino = a visual dictionary on
Filipino architecture. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House.

2. REFERENCES (WORLD WIDE WEB)

II.1. Ignacio J. F., Alejandrino R. M.( n.d.).MUHON: A Journal Of Architecture, Landscape
Architecture and the Designed Environment.
https://www.hdm.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/cmhb2004/cmhb2004-01.pdf

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