MODULE 4.
1
EARLY PHILIPPINE SHELTERS
TABON CAVE- the Philippines Cradle of
Civilization, was declared a National Cultural
Treasure by the National Museum of the
Philippines.
● where the earliest evidence of man
● Tabon Man
● the Manunggul Jar, featured in the 1,000
peso bill
● 138-hectares
TAU’T BATO TRIBE (“people of the rock”)-
-articulate subgroup of the Palawan tribes.
-The Tau't Bato mostly live in caves
IDJANG HOUSE (Batanes)
-a fortress and settlement of the early Ivatans
-located in elevated hills difficult to climb
PINANAHANG
-is a lean-to house built by the Aeta tribe. The
house don't have a wall, nor a door. It has a leaning
roof and a pole, and it has a hay mat as a floor.
KALINGA TREE HOUSE
-built as safeguard from night-time ambushes by
tribal enemies or wild predator.
-a single-room house that are either integrally built
on high trees or above a tree stump serving as the
house’s main support.
Tree dwellers in the Philippines:
● Gaddang and Kalinga of Luzon Luzon
Manobos and Mandaya of Mindanao
● Moros of Lake Lanao
● Negritos of Bukidnon and North- central
Mindanao
● Bagobo of Davao
● Bilaan
● Ilongot
BUILDERS ARE NON-PROFESSIONAL; Use
natural materials abundant in their locality; actual
process of construction involves intuitive thinking;
Styles are specific to an ethnic domain
-*Anthropomorphism.
-Association of symbolism and meaning
PRE-COLONIAL VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE Exemplifies the
commonest building techniques based on the forms
and materials of a particular historical period,
region, or group of people.
DOMESTIC STRUCTURES
Archetypal tropical characteristics of Southeast
Asian domestic architecture:
● An elevated living floor
● Buoyant rectangular volume
● Raised pile foundation
● Voluminous thatched roof
BINURON TRADITIONAL (ISNEG HOUSE)
● Roof suggests an inverted hull
● Exposed floor joists outside suggest the
profile of a boat
● Datag or Xassaran, main section.
● Tamuyon, slightly raised platform on three
sides.
BINAYON (FINARYON TRADITIONAL KALINGA
HOUSE)
● Octagonal in plan; exterior features are not
strongly defined.
● Dataggon, central section.
● Sipi, slightly elevated side sections.
FAY-U (TRADITIONAL BONTOC HOUSE, FOR
THE AFFLUENT)
● Katyufong, dwelling for the poor.
● Kol-lob, residence of widows or unmarried
old women; can also be called katyufong.
INAGAMANG (TRADITIONAL BONTOC HOUSE
IN SAGADA)
● Agamang, upper level granary.
OTHER BUILDING TYPES
● Afong, family residence.
● Ato, council house and dormitory of the
young and old unmarried males.
● Ulog or olog, female dormitory.
● Al-kang, storage for food, jewelry and wine
jars.
 ● Akhamang, rice granary.
● Falinto-og, pig pens.
BALE (FALE TRADITIONAL IFUGAO HOUSE,
FOR THE AFFLUENT)
● Abong, dwelling for the poor.
● Support system: four posts, two girders,
three joists or beams.
● Halipan, rat guard.
● “The house as a womb.
BINANGIYAN (TRADITIONAL KANKANAI HOUSE,
FOR THE WEALTHY)
● Apa or inapa, for poorer families;
temporary abode.
● Allao, more temporary.
RAKUH TRADITIONAL IVATAN HOUSE.
● Thick thatch, walls mortared with stone or
plastered with white lime.
● Wooden post and lintel framework is
implanted in the walls.
BAHAY KUBO (TRADITIONAL LOWLAND
DWELLING, NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
REGIONS)
● “The passively-cooled house.”
● Porous surfaces
● Horizontality of windows
● Roof and window overhangs
● Surrounding gardens
INTERIOR (SPACES PRIMARY SPACES)
● Living room
● Kitchen and service area (dapogan,
banggerahan, and batalan)
SECONDARY SPACES
● Dining
● Silong and balkon
● Bedrooms
LEPA (TRADITIONAL BADJAO BOAT-HOUSE)
● No outriggers, roofed, loose and
detachable structure.
● Djenging, has outriggers, roofed, walled in
on all sides by wooden boards.
● Dapang or Vinta, not roofed, only used for
fishing and short trips.
LUMA (TRADITIONAL BADJAO LANDHOUSE)
● Harun, stairs where women often wash
clothes and kitchen utensils.
BAY SINUG (TRADITIONAL TAUSUG HOUSE)
● House building can be construed as
corresponding to the birth of a human.
● Tadjuk pasung finials.
TOROGAN (TRADITIONAL MARANAO HOUSE,
ANCESTRAL RESIDENCE OF THE DATU AND
HIS EXTENDED FAMILY)
● Mala-a-walai, traditional large house.
● Lawig, small house.
● The panolong (decorative beam ends) are
often with pako rabong and naga carvings.
● Lamin, lady’s dormitory tower.
FEATURES OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE
● The builders are non-professional
architects or engineers.
● There is constant adaptation, using natural
materials, to the geographical environment.
● The actual process of construction involves
intuitive thinking and is open to later
modifications.
● There is balance between social/economic
functionality and aesthetic features.
● Styles are subject to the evolution of
traditional patterns specific to an ethnic
domain.