MODULE 4.

1
Architecture in the Philippines
Module 4 Overview
4.1 Early Philippine Shelters
4.2 Pre-Colonial Vernacular Architecture
4.3 Spanish Colonial Architecture
4.4 American Colonial Architecture
4.5 Post-war and the Republic Years
4.6 Marcosian Architecture
4.7 Contemporary Philippine Architecture
Early Philippine
Shelters
Tabon Cave
Complex
Lipuun Point, Palawan.

■ Prehistoric cave shelters were the

earliest form of human habitation.
■ The Tabon cave was the site to
first establish the presence of
humans in the Philippines during
the Pleistocene.
Tau’t Batu
■ Indigenous Filipinos who still
continue the primeval practice of
living in caves to his date.
Idjang
Batanes

■ Rock-hewn fortresses
Pinanahang
■ Lean-to of the Agta of Palanan.
■ Constructed along the principle of
tripod.

Hawong. Used by the Pinatubo Aeta;

has no living platform; forms two sloping
sides with one or both ends left open.
Kalinga Tree
House
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Spanish Colonial
Architecture
Instruments of Urbanism
▪ Reducción
▪ Encomienda system
▪ System of cities and towns
▪ Cuadricula
▪ Colonial infrastructures
Reducción
Forced urbanization and resettlement.
Reducción
The formerly scattered barangays were
brought together and reduced in number
and made into compact and larger
communities to facilitate religious
conversion and cultural change.

Bajo de las campana, under the sound

of the bells.
Encomienda
The colony was divided into parcels assigned to a
Spanish colonist (encomendero) who was mandated
to “allocate, allot or distribute” the resources of the
domain.
System of
Cities and Towns
The institution of a hierarchal settlement system.

Cabecera (city) or poblacion (town), core of the

municipality. Barrios, adjacent barangays.
Intramuros, The Walled City.
Intramuros
■ Patterned after the walled
fortresses of Europe
■ Reserved for the nobility and the
clergy.
Extramuros
Living beyond the walls.
▪ Pueblos, villages outside the walls.
▪ Parian, a separate urban quarter designated to the
Chinese community .
▪ Dilao, Japanese community.
Cuadricula
A system of streets and blocks laid out in a grid
pattern, with uniform precision.
The Laws of the Indies, 1573
▪ Characteristics:
▪ elevated location
▪ an orderly grid of streets
▪ a central plaza, a defensive wall, and zones for
churches, shops, government buildings, hospitals,
and slaughterhouses.
▪ Encapsulates the classicist theories of urban design
proposed by Vitruvius and Alberti.
Plaza Complex
Grid pattern of streets with the main
plaza at the center surrounded by the
church, the tribunal, other government
buildings, and the marketplace.
Plaza de Roma. Plaza complex of Intramuros.
Colonial
Infrastructures
New building typologies and construction technology
was introduced.
Churches
Edifices for religious conversion.
Parts of a Church
▪ Altar mayor, main altar.
▪ Sagrario, tabernacle.
▪ Pulpito, pulpit.
▪ Retablo, elaborately ornamented altar screen.
▪ Sacristia, where the priest and his assistants put on
their robes before the mass.
▪ Coro, choir loft.
▪ Tribunas, screened gallery.
Church Complex
▪ Church
▪ Convento, parish house or rectory.
▪ Campanarios, bell towers.
Basilica Minore del Santo Niño; Cebu. (Oldest church in the Philippines.)
Bantay Church (Shrine of Our Lady of Charity); Ilocos Sur. (Belfry served as a watchtower for pirates; Neo-Gothic.)
Carcar Church (Church of Sta. Catalina de Alexandria); Cebu. (Minaret-like bell towers; Neo-Mudejar.)
San Sebastian Church, Manila. (The first and only all-steel church in Asia; Neo-Gothic.)
Manila Cathedral; Intramuros, Manila. (Restoration, Fernando Ocampo; Neo-Romanesque)
Baroque Churches of the Philippines, UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
San Agustin Church; Intramuros, Manila.
San Agustin
Church
Intramuros, Manila.

■ The Church of the Immaculate

Conception of San Agustín.
■ First church to be built in Luzon.
■ Only structure in Intramuros to
survive WWII.
■ High Baroque style retablo.
■ Ceiling paintings in the trompe
l’oeil style.
■ Chinese fu dogs at the entrance.
Paoay Church, Paoay, Ilocos Norte.
Paoay Church
Paoay, Ilocos Norte.

■ Saint Augustine Church.

■ Most outstanding example in the
Philippines of 'Earthquake
Baroque'.
■ Volutes of contrafuertes
(buttresses) and in the pyramidal
finials of wall facades.
■ Massive coral stone belltower.
Miag-ao Church; Miag-ao, Iloilo.
Miag-ao Church
Miag-ao, Iloilo.

■ Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church

■ Stands on the highest point of
Miag-ao, its towers serving as
lookouts against Muslim raids.
■ It is the finest surviving example of
'Fortress Baroque'.
■ The facade epitomizes the Filipino
transfiguration of western
decorative elements.
Santa Maria Church; Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur.
Santa Maria
Church
Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur.

■ Church of Nuestra Señora de la

Asunción.
■ Situated on a hill surrounded by a
defensive wall.
■ Separate pagoda-like bell tower at
the midpoint of the nave wall.
■ The brick walls are devoid of
ornament but have delicately
carved side entrances and strong
buttresses.
Conservation
These legislations ensure their proper safeguarding,
protection, conservation, management and use as
religious structures, as declared National Cultural
Treasures, National Historical Landmarks, and as
World Heritage properties.
▪ RA 10066 (National Heritage Law)
▪ RA 10086 (National Historical Commission of the
Philippines Law)
Fortresses
Characterized by heavy stone walls, moats, and grid
road layouts. Bastions, keeps, and watchtowers were
also built to cover blind spots.
Fort Santiago
Intramuros, Manila.
Parts of a Fort
▪ Cortinas, thick perimeter walls.
▪ Bastiones or baluartes, four-sided bulwarks skirting
the cortinas on both ends.
▪ Foso, moat.
▪ Casamatas, stone embrasures where artilleries were
propped up.
Institutional Buildings
Monumental civic architecture epitomized the
colonial institutions under the Spanish governance.
Ayuntamiento
Intramuros, Manila.

■ Also known as Casa del

Ayuntamiento, Casa del Cabildo,
Casa Consistorial, or Casa Real.
■ As a seat of colonial governance, it
housed several administrative
offices and archives.
Palacio Real
Intramuros, Manila.

■ Also known as Palacio del

Gobernador General.
■ Residence of the highest official of
the land.
■ Malacañang Palace, the summer
residence of the Governor General.
Other civic buildings
▪ Real Audiencia, or Tribunal, trial court.
▪ Aduana, customs house.
▪ Hacienda Publica, treasury.
▪ Municipio, Casa de Municipal, or Casa Real, a smaller
version of the Ayuntamiento in the provincial towns.
▪ Casa Hacienda, expansive structures housing spaces
for the administrators and his workers on a landed
estate.
Educational and
Scientific Buildings
The various religious orders fulfilled the missionary
tasks of bringing education, healthcare, and social
welfare to the indigenous subjects.
Schools
University of Sto. Tomas, Manila.
Oldest established university in Asia.

■ Colegio or universidad, found in the

urban areas.
■ Escuela primaria, found in different
pueblos.
Hospitals
▪ Hospital Real, first hospital; built by the Franciscans;
catered only to the Spaniards.
▪ Hospital de San Gabriel, for the Chinese in Binondo.
▪ Hospital de San Lazaro, for the lepers.
Observatories
▪ Observatorio Astronomico y Meteorologico de Manila,
or the Manila Observatory; established by the Jesuits
to assist in forecasting typhoons.
Industrial Buildings
Because of the Hispanic urban program, living
standards were elevated through urban infrastructure
and public works.
Bridges
■ Puente de España (Bridge of
Spain), built after the destruction of
Puente Grande (first and only
bridge crossing the Pasig River) in
the 1863 earthquake.
Train Stations
■ The Tutuban Station of the Manila-
Dagupan railway line; served as
the main terminal for all northbound
destinations.
Lighthouses
■ The Pasig Farola, the oldest
lighthouse in the Philippines; also
known as the San Nicolas
lighthouse.
Water System
■ The Carriedo Waterworks installed
the piped-in water system. The
water was offered to the public free
of charge.
Commercial Buildings
Spain attempted to establish an Asian trading empire
to be based in Manila. Soon the city became one of
the major colonial port cities in Southeast Asia.
Shops
■ Alcaiceria de San Fernando, very
first large commercial structure; silk
market in Binondo; housed stores
for Chinese merchants and
government offices.
■ Tabacaleras, tobacco and cigar
factories; Cigarreras, female
workers.
■ The bahay na bato was later
retrofitted to have room for
commercial function.
■ Sari-sari store and carinderias.
Hotels
■ Hotel la Palma de Mallorca, Hotel
de Paris, and Hotel de Espana,
foremost hotels in Intramuros.
■ Casas de huespedes, boarding
houses; less expensive lodgings.
Banks
■ Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II,
first bank built; initially housed in
the Aduana.
Domestic Structures
Dwellings reflecting the differences in social class.
Accesorias
■ Apartment dwellings
■ Evolved from the need of migrant
laborers for cheap housing in
commercial and industrial areas.
■ Vivienda, each unit; has a zaguan,
sala and sleeping quarters.
Bahay na bato
A housing prototype which combined elements of the
indigenous and Hispanic building traditions to
prevent the dangers posed by fire, earthquakes and
cyclones.
Bahay na Bato; Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Bataan.
Arquitectura Mestiza
▪ A new hybrid-type of construction, coined by Jesuit
Francisco Ignacio Alcina, which refers to structures
built partly of wood and partly of stone.
Characteristics of a Bahay na bato
▪ Generally has two storeys, at times three.
▪ The ground floor is made of cut stone or brick, the
upper of wood.
▪ Windows: ground floor, grillworks; second floor, sliding
shutters with capiz shells or glass panels.
▪ Capped by a high hip roof with a 45-degree-angle
pitch.
Bahay na Bato, ground and second floor plan.
Parts
Ground floor

■ Cochera, driveway or garage.

■ Zaguan, vestibule or storage;
usually for the caroza.
■ Entresuelo, mezzanine area, for
offices or servants’ quarters.
■ Cuadra, horse stables.
■ Cocina, kitchen.
Parts
■ Escalera, wooden staircase.
Parts
Second floor

■ Caida or ante-sala, interior

overhanging veranda; most
immediate room from the stairs.
■ Sala, living room.
■ Baño, bathroom.
■ Latrina, toilet.
■ Cocina, kitchen.
■ Comedor, dining area.
■ Azotea, outdoor terrace, located
beside a balon or over an aljibe
(water cistern).
■ Cuarto, bedroom.
Parts
■ Galeria volada or corredor, flying
wooden gallery.
■ Oratorio, praying area.
■ Callado, wooden fretwork on top of
partitions.
Parts
■ Pasamano, window sill.
■ Ventanillas, vents beneath the
window sill which reach to the floor.
■ Barandillas, wooden balusters.