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 Kadayawan Festival could see and experience for themselves the traditional homes of the 11 tribes predominant in the city. For the first digital Kadayawan Festival, Filipina Architect features the 11 structures at the Kadayawan Cultural…
Batibot
Despite its elegance, not much is written about the Batibot Chair, a Filipino counterpart of the Vienna Bentwood. Originally made from bent iron rods, the batibot lives up to its namesake, the etymology coming from a history of sturdiness and firmness. In fact, the word batibot apparently means small but hard and sturdy. This seat became popular in the late 1950s and 1960s in the Philippines, becoming part of the…
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 called the Rakuh. It is the main house that serves as living quarters. Its ceiling is higher that could store jars, boats, and other household belongings. The house typically has two levels which are divided…
Bay Sinug
A roof is a roof, but for the Tausug traditional Bay Sinug, it is so much more. It is an expression via architecture, the roof not merely serving as protection from heat or rain. The Bay Sinug roof features horn-shaped finials called Tadjuk Pasung, an accent losing prominence in favor of the more modern galvanized roofing. According to some, the tadjuk pasung represents either the flight of bird or the…
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 but they are actually two different elements of hardscapes. While both involve the use of vines or similar plants, the difference is quite distinct. A trellis is simply a latticework built so that vines can…
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, the Spanish-influenced window canopy is made from scallop-bordered cloth. In the bahay kubo, the traditional media agua is an awning type or push out or “tukod” type. In modern settings, the media agua is a…
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. The Patio is a paved outdoor area of a house which is used for dining or recreational purposes. In Spanish, the word ‘patio’ means courtyard. The patio is usually made of concrete, stone, bricks, tiles,…
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 brackish swamps. They are often found in the Philippines and in many other parts of the Pacific and Southeast Asia. The leaves of mature Nipa Fruticans can grow to as high as 9 meters. The…
Medical Arts building vs. Hospital building
People refer to a building where they get a doctor’s diagnosis or health checked as a hospital but it is actually called a Medical Arts Building. Not many people know the difference. The Medical Arts Building, also called Medical Office Building or Medical Arts Center or Medical Arts Tower of a Hospital, is the building that houses a lot of clinics or doctors affiliated with the hospital or medical center.…