… the legacy of innovations …

Very likely, man’s earliest shelter was not

built by him. He simply found it – or found
himself in it. It was nature herself who
fashioned hollows on cliffs and mountain
sides that offered protection from heat,
rain and wind. In Angono, Rizal evidence
of ancient cave dwellers exists in carved
figures on cave walls, the earliest known
Philippine mural. The Tabon Cave in
Palawan is considered to have sheltered
the earliest men of the Philippines.
 Meanwhile, the food gatherer, the
fisherman, or the hunter, who moved from
one place to another in his search for food
and game, needed a shelter that was
portable. Thus, he fashioned the lean-to
form a frame made of tree branches and
twigs, using leaves and fronds for sidings.
A screen resting on the ground and help
up at an angle by one or several poles, the
lean-to is both roof and wall, protecting
dwellers from rain the heat of the sun.
Swidden-farming or kaingin led to a
relatively settled life. After making a
clearing in the forest, the swidden
farmer could cultivate it for two years,
let it lie fallow, the return to it a few
years later. Although dwellings
became larger and were better built,
they were neither permanent nor
durable because sometimes, the
kaingin farmer had to move on.
The floor can be the ground itself, or a
bed of leaves, or a platform slightly
above the ground. The lean-to is light
enough to be carried to another site.
However, the dweller can simply
abandon it and build another. A pair
of lean-tos can be joined together to
form a tent-like shelter, or a double-
slope roof, which, in effect, is the
beginning of a house.
With the development of wet-
rice culture, farmers became
rooted to the land. Though
hints of the kaingin lifestyle
persisted in the makeshift
character of various dwellings,
houses were built to last.
 In 1521, Magellan stumbled upon the
islands in his attempt to circumnavigate
the world. This was the introduction of the
Philippines to the western world. What
followed was 300 years of rule by the
Spanish and the acceptance of Roman-
Catholicism, which led to the building of
many great Baroque churches. In 1898,
sovereignty was given to the Philippines
and rule by the United States began. The
Philippines gained independence in 1945.
ETHNIC ARCHITECTURE
SPANISH INFLUENCE
BAHAY NA BATO
AMERICAN INFLUENCE
NEOCLASSICAL DESIGN
MODERN FILIPINO
ARCHITECTURE
 Ethnic culture lies on Philippine
architecture, an amalgam on
Anglo-Saxon, Latin, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese & other foreign
influences with sensibility of Pre-
Hispanic, Pre-Western & Southeast
Asian. Its Ethos is linked with
elements and creatures. It draws
inspiration from environment. It
also responds to man’s communal
and social needs.
Ethnic Structures are made of
natural materials such as
wood, vegetations, rocks &
sometimes molds. The
favorite material is bamboo,
which is used for doors,
flooring siding, roofing &
many others.
 Bahay Kubo

In the mountain areas and villages the traditional bamboo houses are still
common. Because bamboo has a rather good isolating quality, these houses are
rather cool. The open windows and - common - open structure, makes a good
circulation of air possible. This makes these houses quit comfortable.
 Ifugao House

The houses of the Ifugao, “Bale”,  people in Northern Luzon have  specific
features. Like the bamboo houses, they are build on piles, about three meters
high. The roof is made of long straw. Typical is the traditional, pyramid -like, 
shape of the roof. 
Ifugao House
 Ivatan House

Ivatans’ houses are up

made of limestone walls,
reeds, and cogon roofs
Ivatan House
Tausug House: To the seafaring Tausug, Sulu, a house built on flat dry land or a
site that slopes towards Mecca is lucky. The one-room, gabled roof house is
known as “bay sinug” has a separate kitchen accessible through a side porch.
Upland House: The Isneg house binuron, built slightly above the ground, is also a
one-room dwelling like the fale but has more light and bigger. It is bamboo
layered, gabled roof ensembles an inverted boat, a design unique to the Isneg
who are boatbuilders.
 View of a tower and part of the village of Samboangan. The native Philippine
house was characterized by a pitched roof with two or four angles, supported on a
framework resting on four or more wooden pillars. It rose above the ground on a
platform of earth.
Bahay Kubo
The arrival of the Spaniards in 1571 brought
in Antillian architecture. Though not
specifically suited for the hot tropics,
European architecture was transposed via
Acapulco, Mexico into a uniquely Filipino
style.  The style traces its roots from the
Antilles, in Central America rather than
from mother Spain. The Christianization of
the islands created the need to establish
religious structures to support the growing
number of religious organizations.
Though they don't compare with those
seen in Europe or in Latin America,
Philippine colonial churches are
unique in their own sense. Some of
the best preserved colonial churches
in the country are found in the Ilocos
Regions, as well as those in the
provinces of Laguna and Batangas,
as well as the Visayan islands of
Panay, Cebu and Bohol.
Fort Ilocandia Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Vigan, Ilocos Sur
Binondo, Manila
Malancañang Palace
Basilica of St. Martin, Batangas
Paoay, Ilocos
Between the 17th and 19th centuries
Manila witnessed the birth of a new
form of construction that responded
both to earthquakes and to the
tropical climate: heat and heavy
rainfall. This architectural style
combines elements of the Asiatic
and Hispanic traditions. Stone,
pottery and wood were the building
materials used over centuries.
"Overhanging balconies", closed off with windowpanes made from capiz,
a flat translucent shell which is an essential ingredient of the Philippine
style.
 Earthquakes shook Manila in
1863 and 1880 caused a great
deal of damage. Reconstruction
of the city was undertaken by
civil engineers who adopted the
traditional combination formula,
while adapting this to the
adverse seismic conditions.
 Building techniques designed to
avoid the devastating effects of
earthquakes at the end of the 19th
century. After the ravage caused in
1880 it was recommended that the
ground floor of buildings should be
constructed using a timber
framework with multiple ties and that
the external walls should be brick-
built.
House in the San Miguel district of Manila. End of the 19th century. Private homes
were built with wide, overhanging roofs which protected them from the sun, high
temperatures and torrential rain.
Sta. Rita, Bulacan
Lucena City
Sariyaya, Quezon
Angeles City, Pampanga
Carcar, Cebu
Mapua St. , Manila (before WW II)
The Philippine Revolution of 1887 led to the declaration of
independence from Spain. This, on the other hand, was
superceded by the transfer of power from Spain to the
United States as part of the settlement entered by the
Kingdom of Spain with the United States after the
Spanish-American war. The Americans came to the
islands in 1898. With the arrival of the Americans came
a new breed of architectural structures. Foremost of the
American contributions to the country was the
establishment of civil government. This led to the
erection of government buildings from the city all the
way to the municipal level. Government houses dotted
every community. Designed in the most respectable
manner, these government houses resembled Greek or
Roman temples complete with porticoes and
pediments.
Pasay City Hall
“Muller's home“, Baguio City
Bagiuo Country Club
Baguio Cathedral
Escolta, Manila (before WW II)
Building and Short bridge crossing the Estero on Dasmarinas St., Manila
The Manila Hotel
Neoclassical buildings intended
to work with the Filipino
environment around them.
They indented to be imposed
on the public life around them
in ways differing from many of
our prized stalls.
The old Executive House (Congress Building/Legislative House) by Daniel Burnham
(Now, National Museum)
Metropolitan Theatre by Juan Arellano
Post Office and the Original Jones Bridge by Juan Arellano
Burnham's (Legislative Building, now
National Museum) and Arellano's
(Metropolitan Theatre and National Post Office)
architecture best
exemplified Neoclassicism,
the Metropolitan Theatre
though is a fine example of
Art Deco.
The Manila Cathedral, 1950
 The aftermath of the Second
World War left nothing but
destruction in its wake, and a
time of rebuilding ensued. The
modern era dawned on
Philippine architecture using the
simple straight lines of the
(International) Modern Style as a
chief mode of expression.
By the 70`s a new form of Philippine
architecture emerged with the
Filipinization of architecture. The
Filipino style found its way in the re-
emergence of traditional motifs, the
bahay-kubo and the bahay na bato
became popular forms to be copied
and modernized (Batasan
Pambansa, BLISS Housing
projects).
By the 80`s the country's architectural
idiom was swept by the tide of Post
Modernism, a hearkening back of
some sort to the romance of
classical architecture. Today,
architecture in the Philippines
continue to be vibrant and with the
country opening up to the world,
more first rate architecture is
pouring in.
Cultural Center of the Philippines
Coconut Palace
Bamban Bridge, Bamban Tarlac
Philippine International Convention Center
Senate, Republic of the Philippines (Parañaque)
Rockwell Center
Makati City
Makati City by night
Today, architecture in the
Philippines continue to be
vibrant and with the country
opening up to the world,
more first rate architecture
is pouring in.