If you’ve ever heard someone mention ‘nagbubuntis’ in a construction setup, chances are it doesn’t have to do with female reproduction. The term refers to a column or a slab that is weak in formworks and somehow bulges to resemble… you’ve guessed it… pregnancy. This is a typical construction term that Filipino workers use on…
By Ar. Gloryrose Dy Metilla Paints are very important elements of architecture because of their capacity to set the tone, literally. Some psychologists even argue that color determines the mood of certain spaces. In architecture, paint brands affect this further, and we can say that from experience. Some brands are more vibrant than others while…
It is time for us to feature a very important booklet that could change how we see cities. This booklet is called the Heritage Urban Landscape Toolkit. This published brochure “New life for historic cities: The historic urban landscape approach explained” introduces the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, which was adopted on 10 November…
Look it up on Flood Maps apps The quickest and easiest way to find out if your property is prone to flooding is to check a flood risk map. In the Philippines, we have flood risk maps made by different agencies. The UP Project Noah app is one of the most reliable apps to show…
Present almost everywhere in Philippine urban and cultural landscapes, the carinderia is a local food stop that regularly cooks meals at affordable prices. In early illustrations, the pre-colonial carinderia structure consisted of a display area for the food, the small usually roadside kiosk conveniently shaded under thatched roofing. More modern carinderias are fixtures in marketplaces.…
Malls are a symbol of Philippine postmodern culture for retail, shopping and extravaganza. But did you know that the term mall was not really used to pertain to a huge building with lots of shops back in the day? In the 1700s, the mall was meant for a place where people played a game called…
We often see different types of arches in entrances of institutional buildings or in partition walls of residences. We see these arches in Philippines Government buildings. The most common arches would be the round and the segmented arch. The round arch is a continuous curve. It traces its history during the Roman era. The masonry…
This is every architect’s dilemma: Being asked for cheap or free architectural design. Most architects get insulted by this scenario but do not know how to respond to it. I interviewed Principal and Managing Partner of Asian Architects and Former Chairman, Green Architecture Advocacy Philippines, FUAP, APEC Architect, Associate of AIA, Ar. Mike Guerrero and he has shared…
Drywall and concrete walls are two different walls of a building. They are seldom interchanged but there is also a question about what is a drywall in the first place. A dry wall is a wall composed of plasterboard, wallboard, sheet rock, gypsum board, buster board, custard board, or gypsum pane and all the other…
Panolongs are end beams of a Torogan, a traditional royalty house of the Maranao. It is the most distinctive feature of the royalty houses because it protrudes in front of the house and on the sides making the royalty house an architectural marvel. There are usually seven panolongs around the Torogan, five in front and…
