Latest Articles
Kadayawan Cultural Village Featuring the Houses of the 11 Tribes of Davao
Starting 2017, the Davao City local government set up the Kadayawan Cultural Village at the Magsaysay Park to popularize the traditional houses in the ancestral domains of cultural communities. This way, visitors to the annual…
Rakuh: Ivatan traditional house of stone and mortar
If you’ve ever wondered what typhoon resilience looks like, look to the Ivatan of Batanes and how their homes have been designed to withstand the strongest of elements. The traditional house of the Ivatan is…
Trellis vs. Pergola
Back in the days when we could regularly go to garden events, we would see vines crawl across a part of the venue. We sometimes mistake pergola for a trellis and the other way around…
Media Agua
We refer to that ledge or canopy that sits about windows outside Spanish colonial homes as the media agua. It was used in traditional houses in the Philippines and in ancestral Spanish Colonial houses. Usually,…
Patio vs Deck
Following our posts about verandahs, balconies, and terraces, let’s talk about the patio and the deck. Again, these things are not the same. As outdoor spaces, they may seem alike, but they are actually different. …
Nipa Roof Shingles
Nipa Roof Shingles are made from Nypa Fruticans, or nipa palms, which are not only abundant but also cost-effective in terms of indigenous construction materials. Nypa Fruticans grow beside the sea, in tidal flats or…