Pre-Colonial Filipino Architecture

BALAI / BAHAY

Bahay evolved from the word BALAI which means house

BAHAY-KUBO

Nipa Hut/House Lowlands all over the Philippines.

Kubo

Derived from cubo, a Spanish word for cube.

Height of the walls

Equal to its width - gives a boxy appearance or a cube-shaped house.

BAHAY-KUBO historical usage

In the 16th c. bahay kubo were used for only a few years then abandoned.

Tagbanuas of Palawan

Agricultural soil wear out / Abandon the house when a member dies to avoid misfortune.

BAHAY-KUBO regional variations

Varies across regional and ethnic lines.

Structure of BAHAY-KUBO

Structure of light materials supported by posts elevated from 2.5 m. to 5.0 m. from the ground.

Purpose of elevation

Protection from vermin and other animals of the low ground.

Community aspect of BAHAY-KUBO

Built close to each other as a community and to serve the defensive need of the inhabitants.

BAHAY-KUBO construction method

Assembling is like basket making.

Materials used in BAHAY-KUBO

Various kinds of wood, rattan, cane, bamboo, palm, nipa, bark or cogon.

Roof assembly

assembled on the ground.

Types of roofs

Steep roofs either of gable (dos agues) or hip (quarto agues) type made extensively of nipa shingles or cogon thatched.

Favored wood for posts

Molave is the favored wood for house post (haligi).

Post installation methods

Holes may be dug and posts inserted in, sometimes kept firmly in place by a circle of buried rocks.

Floor construction

Floor is of bamboo slats spaced from each other at regular intervals.

Benefits of bamboo floor

Light and air to pass through even if the windows are closed; conducive for sleeping.

Wall sidings assembly

Assembled on the ground and are made of flattened split bamboo woven together into herringbone patterns to form sawali.

Papangkol

Two panels of vertical-split bamboo are clamped together for the panels to grip each other, keeping the rain from coming in.

Samil

Several layers of nipa leaflets that have been combed lengthwise over bamboo slats.

Wall siding materials

Coconut leaves, cogon grass and anahaw palm leaves surround the house posts and stand independently.

Rattan lashings

Sidings of the walls are kept in place with the help of this

Silong

The space underneath the house used as an enclosure for keeping domesticated animals and storage for household implements.

Salá

Doors that are attached to a post with rattan hinges.

Gililan

Floor sills that run around the outermost periphery of the soleras to support the walls.

Halige

House posts.

Kahab-an

Connects the bottom ends of the rafters together.

Kilo

Rafters.

Palatpat

Bamboo strips tied onto the rafters with rattan vines as the main supports of the roofing.

Palupo

Ridge pole.

Patukuran

Beam laid over the yawi at right angle

Pawid

Nipa shingles made by stripping leaves from the petiole and bending them.

Sahig

Slatted floor made of rattan or bamboo strips that tie the different parts to each other.

Sikang

Poles which cross the rafters halfway down the slope.

Soleras

Floor joists that are laid.

Tarugo

Wooden peg over narrow bamboo slats.

Yawi

Master beam which runs from one post to the other and is lashed with rattan.

Bulwagan

Living room where the custom was to sit on mats spread out on the floor.

Silid

Sleeping area divided from the bulwagan by a sawali partition.

Paglutuan

Area where food is prepared, may sometimes be a separate structure.

Dapogan

Consists of table, river stones, and a shoe-shaped stove (kalan).

Bangahan

Area where pots, dishes, and other utensils are kept.

Batalan

Porch which opens from the paglutuan.

Kamalig

Separate storehouse on stilts where unhulled rice is kept.

Physical Realities

Factors that have a bearing on the interior environment of the end-user, such as topography and climate

Social Traditions

Social beliefs and practices related to the interior space use of an individual or family dwellers.

Cultural Values

Values pertaining to interior space use that have been passed on to generations.

Aesthetic Sense

How an individual translates his/her perception of beauty in the interior space.

Concept of Space

Includes openness, transparency, and flexibility.