PHILIPPINE ART:

ARCHITECTURE
PEARL JANE P. QUINTO
BTVTED Faculty
  Identify and differentiate the Philippine major
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

architectural house structure and religious

structure;
 Identify and differentiate the major
architectural points in the Philippines;
 Familiarize the Architectural Organization of
the Philippines; and
 Identify the Major Filipino National Artist for
Architecture.
  ARCHITECTURE OF THE PHILIPPINES (Filipino:
Arkitekturang Pilipino) reflects the historical and
cultural traditions in the country. Most prominent
INTRODUCTION

historic structures in the archipelago are influenced

by Austronesian, Chinese, Spanish, and American
architectures.
  During the Spanish colonization, the Philippine
architecture was dominated by the Spanish
influences. The Augustinian friars, along with other
INTRODUCTION

religious orders, built many grand churches and

cathedrals all over the Philippine Islands. During this
period the traditional Filipino Bahay na bató (Filipino
for "house of stone") style for the large houses
emerged. These were large houses built of stone and
wood combining Filipino, Spanish and Chinese style
elements.
  After the Philippines was ceded to the United States
as a consequence of the Spanish–American War in
1898, the architecture of the Philippines was
INTRODUCTION

dominated by American aesthetics. In this period,

the plan for the modern City of Manila was designed,
with many neoclassical architecture and art deco
buildings by famous American and Filipino
architects. During World War II, large portions of
Intramuros and Manila were destroyed.
  Many heritage districts in the provinces were burned
down by the Japanese before the end of the war. In
the reconstruction period after the Second World
INTRODUCTION

War, many of the destroyed buildings were rebuilt,

however, a majority of heritage structures, especially
in the provinces, were lost and never rebuilt. Most of
the structures that were lost are considered a focal
properties of former heritage towns
  In the late 20th century, modern architecture with
straight lines and functional aspects was introduced,
particularly in the Brutalist architecture that
INTRODUCTION

characterized government-built structures done in

the Marcos period. During this period many of the
older structures fell into decay due to the imposition
of martial law. After the return of democracy in
1986, a new age of Philippine architecture came into
focus through modernism. Early in the 21st century,
a revival of the respect for the traditional Filipino
elements in the architecture returned.
  There have been proposals to establish a policy
where each municipality and city will have an
ordinance mandating all constructions and
INTRODUCTION

reconstructions within such territory to be inclined

with the municipality or city's architecture and
landscaping styles to preserve and conserve the
country's dying heritage sites,
  which have been demolished one at a time in a fast
pace due to urbanization, culturally-irresponsible
development, and lack of towns-cape architectural
INTRODUCTION

vision. Such policies are used by countries which

have preserved their architectural marvels, and
entire cities as a whole, for hundreds of years, such
as Italy, France, Romania, Germany and Spain.
  BAHAY KUBO
 Houses were built in a more or less similar manner, in
the same way that the settlements were built beside
HOUSE STRUCTURES

rivers and streams.

 The houses were built near rice fields and coconut
groves and orchards.
 The houses sit on posts raised above the ground.
 The rooms were small, and generally, with a single
multipurpose room, having only the cooking space
differentiated among the areas in the houses.
  BAHAY KUBO
 There is a particular architectural piece called ‘batalan’
that is often situated in the rear part of the house, and
HOUSE STRUCTURES

is utilized for domestic work like washing, bathing,

water storage, etc.
 The houses were made of raw material like wood and
bamboo.
 Tree houses or houses built on trunk of trees rooted to
the grounds were seen as an advantageous position.
  BAHAY KUBO
 The doors of the houses were usually oriented to the
direction where the sun rises and never faced towards
HOUSE STRUCTURES

the west, an architectural tradition which can be

explained by the values and belief systems that early
inhabitants of the land have.
 The architecture of the classical period of the
Philippines is based on vernacular architecture for
most of its centuries and Islamic architecture in some
coastal areas at the south, plus the interior of Lanao,
after the 13th century.
  BAHAY KUBO
 The bahay kubo is the term for huts built out of nipa.
These types of edifices were characteristic of the way
HOUSE STRUCTURES

that indigenous people of the Philippines built homes

prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. They are
still in use today, especially in rural areas.
 Different architectural designs are present among the
different ethnolinguistic groups in the country,
although most homes built along the shorelines
conform to being stilt houses, similar to those found in
neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia,
and other countries of Southeast Asia.
  BAHAY NA BATO
 The arrival of the Spaniards in 1571 brought in
European colonial architecture to the Philippines.
HOUSE STRUCTURES

Though not specifically suited for the hot tropics,

European architecture was transposed via Acapulco,
Mexico into a uniquely Filipino style.
  PAOAY CHURCH
• Paoay Church, an example of Philippine earthquake
baroque architecture.
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

• The order of the Augustinians, Augustinian Province

of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines,
built many churches all over the Philippines.
• These magnificent structures can still be found
throughout the Philippine Islands. The Paoay Church
in Ilocos Norte is one of the most prominent types
of these churches.
  PAOAY CHURCH
• This unique specimen of Filipino architecture called
Filipino Baroque from the Spanish era has been
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

included in the World Heritage Sites List of the

UNESCO.
• The church was built by the Augustinian friars from
1694 until 1710. It shows the earthquake-proof
baroque style architecture. The bell tower served as
an observation post in 1896 for the Katipuneros
during the Philippine revolution against the
Spaniards, and again by the Filipino guerillas during
the Japanese occupation in World War II.
  PAOAY CHURCH
• The present structure is the third to stand on the
site and has survived seven major earthquakes, and
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

the wars in Manila. The church remains under the

care of the Augustinians who founded it. The church
also houses the legacies of the Spanish
conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de
Salcedo and Martín de Goiti who are buried and laid
to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.
  IGLESIA NI CRISTO CHURCHES
• During American colonial rule over the Philippines,
there were a variety of rural anti-colonial
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

movements, often with religious undertones, and

American Protestant missionaries introduced
several alternatives to the Roman Catholic Church,
the established church during Spanish colonial
period.
• Iglesia ni Cristo church buildings primarily serve as
places of worship and are used for other religious
functions.
  IGLESIA NI CRISTO CHURCHES
• Anthropologist Fernando Nakpil-Zialcita, said that
INC churches can be uniquely identified for "its
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

exuberant use of fanciful forms and ornaments".

• Churches were started to be built in this style during
the late 1940s and early 1950s with the first
concrete chapel built in Sampaloc, Manila in 1948.
• The Pioneer Concrete Structures of the Church are
Mostly Influenced by Mixing Neo-Gothic and Art
Deco, and some are Built in Art Deco Alone.
  IGLESIA NI CRISTO CHURCHES
• The INC Central Temple which opened in July 27,
1984, can accommodate up to 7,000 persons, and
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

cost about US$2 million.

• The Central Temple features octagonal spires, "fine
latticework" and ribbed windows. Recent buildings
are variations of Carlos A. Santos-Viola's designs on
the Central Temple.
• These are designed to accommodate 250 to 1,000
persons while larger churches in Metro Manila and
provincial capitals can accommodate up to 3,000
persons.
  IGLESIA NI CRISTO CHURCHES
• Prominent architects, such as Juan Nakpil and
Carlos Raúl Villanueva, had been involved in
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

designing INC churches while the Engineering and

Construction Department of INC oversees the
uniformity in design of church buildings.
  UNITED ARCHITECTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
• Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
is the tallest building in the Philippines since its
RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES

completion in 2017 with a height of 281.78m.

• The United Architects of the Philippines (officially
known as the Integrated and Accredited
Professional Organization of Architects) is the
official architectural association of the Philippines.
• It is the first professional organization to be
accredited by the Professional Regulation
Commission and it currently has 38,000 members.
  INTRAMUROS
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS • Defensive walls of Intramuros
• Intramuros was the walled city of Manila along the
south bank of the Pasig River. It was established to
replace Kota Seludong, the seat of the power of the
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Kingdom of Maynila that was protected by a

rammed earth fortress equipped with stockades,
battlements and cannons.
  INTRAMUROS
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS • The historic city was once home to many colonial
churches, schools, convents, government buildings
and residences. Many of these products of Spanish
architecture were destroyed during World War II. Of
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all the buildings within the 67-acre city, only one,

the San Agustin Church, survived the war.
  RICE TERRACES
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS • A rainbow appearing after the rain at the Batad Rice
Terraces, one of the rice terraces in Ifugao.
• For years the mountainous province of Ifugao have
been carefully cultivated with terraced fields.
PHILIPPINE

• These rice terraces illustrate the ability of human

culture to adapt to new social and climate pressures
as well as to implement and develop new ideas and
technologies.
• They also epitomize a harmonic, sustainable
relationship between humans and their
environment.
  RICE TERRACES
• The structures' original builders used stone and
mud walls to carefully carve and construct terraces
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS

that could hold flooded pond fields for the

cultivation of rice.
PHILIPPINE

• They also established a system to water these plots

by harvesting water from mountaintop forests.
These engineering feats were done by hand as was
the farming itself.
  RICE TERRACES
• Maintenance of the rice terraces reflects a primarily
cooperative approach of the whole community
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS

which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich

diversity of biological resources existing in the
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Ifugao agro-ecosystem, a finely tuned annual

system respecting lunar cycles, zoning and planning,
extensive soil conservation, and mastery of a
complex pest control regime based on the
processing of a variety of herbs, accompanied by
religious rituals and tribal culture.
  RICE TERRACES
• Although popularly known as and listed by UNESCO
as a World Heritage site believed to be older than
ARCHITECTURAL POINTS

2,000 years, there are some conflicting recent

studies that report that the terraces may in fact be
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less than 1,000 years old.

  Leandro V. Locsin (1928–1994)
• one of the modern architects who shaped the
ARTISTS FOR ARCHITECTURE
modern Filipino Architecture. During his career, he
built five churches, over 30 different buildings, over
FILIPINO NATIONAL

70 residences, and major landmarks in the

Philippines including the Cultural Center of the
Philippines.
  Juan F. Nakpil (May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986)
• a Filipino architect, teacher and a community
ARTISTS FOR ARCHITECTURE
leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National
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Artists for architecture. He was regarded as the

Dean of Filipino Architects.
  Pablo Antonio (January 25, 1901 – June 14, 1975)
• Filipino architect. A pioneer of modern Philippine
ARTISTS FOR ARCHITECTURE
architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as
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the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time

  José María Zaragoza (December 6, 1912 – 1994)
• Filipino architect known for his European style
ARTISTS FOR ARCHITECTURE
during an era which used American architecture in
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the Philippines.
T h a n k
Y o u ! 33