Although we see these glass panels in old houses and some contemporary revival, there is not much written about this architectural gem. These classical glass panels are often found in Spanish Colonial heritage houses in windows and dividers and are often with capiz windows. The Ylang-Ylang/Sampaguita Glass is a type of pressed glass with motifs such as flowers, leaves, and tendrils. A pressed glass is actually molded glass. Pressed glass…
Bamboo Roof Shingles are one of the primary derivatives for nipa thatched roofs in vernacular rural housing in the Philippines. Bamboo Roof Shingles are a kind of roofing in rural homes in the Philippines that makes use of materials that are readily abundant in nature. In this kind of shelter roofing, spliced buho bamboo or “Schizostachyum lumampao” are layered on top of each other. The roof frame has to be…
In our previous posts, you’ve seen glimpses of these windows during mentions of old Spanish houses. Capiz Windows, also known as exotic windowpane oyster panels, are classic windows in Philippine colonial architecture. These were widely used in Spanish-Filipino colonial houses. These windows are a combination of beautiful cut oyster shells framed inside Philippine hardwood. A bit of trivia about the shells: The capiz window pane oyster is called Placuna placenta.…
We often refer to an urban residence with an open plan as a bachelor’s pad or a studio apartment. These residences can be seen in condominiums or rentable spaces inside the main residence’s compound. Like many of our previous posts, let’s point out how these two are not alike, despite their similarities. While these two terms are sometimes mistakenly interchanged, they are actually quite different. A bachelor’s pad is smaller…
Before World War II, the Philippines had the largest community of Japanese immigrants in Southeast Asia. However, not much is known about this heritage in the Philippines due to its sensitive and painful history. One of the Japanese economic influences in the country was the establishment of Bazaars. Japanese Bazaars were famous and run branches in Manila, Cebu, and Davao during Pre-WWII Philippines. To name a few are Nippon Bazaar,…
These two roofing materials are the crowning glory of every home. What is the difference between them? For starters, a shingle roof is a roof composed of individual overlapping elements. These are typically flat and rectangular-shaped tiles that are laid in courses overlapping each other over flat sheeting. A metal roof on the other hand are roofs in corrugated tin, zinc, aluminum, galvanized metals, and even copper panels. Some metal…
In Filipino construction, there are terms so common that it has surpassed generations, from the Spanish-speaking elders to the everyday construction personnel working on roofing. These are the Dos Aguas and Quatro Aguas Roofs. A common sentence for these terms would be, “Gawin nating quatro aguas ang bubong.” What does it really mean? A dos aguas roof is a roof with two slopes. Its english term is a gable roof.…
Did you know that you shouldn’t nail two bamboo poles together? In some construction, we see this way of joining uncut bamboo poles together in typical huts in the Philippines. We often see that these poles are being nailed together. While this is commonly done, this can actually damage the bamboo. There’s a better and more sustainable way of connecting two bamboo poles together. The better option is tying the…
Filipina Architect of the Month: Mary Catherine Diaz For Filipina architects like Cat Diaz, the cities must learn from the barrios, and not the other way around. It’s a controversial statement, coming from someone who teaches several courses of architecture in schools like the University of Mindanao. How indeed do you question centuries and centuries of architectural history, when it works and has proven to be so effective? But when…
Balay Ukit is a kind of transom tracery unique to the Philippines and found in pre-WWII ancestral homes. The term was coined in the book “Balay Ukit: Tropical Architecture in Pre-WWII Filipino Houses” by Maria Virginia Yap Morales. This architectural element was an ingenious way of applying Green architecture during pre-World War II. It helped diffuse sunlight coming into the living spaces of the house while providing ventilation and aesthetic…
