History of Architecture 03

Discussion 01
November 27, 2012

Early Philippine Architecture

Nipa Huts
Nipa hut or called “bahay kubo”
is an example of vernacular
architecture mostly found in
tropical places like the
Philippines.
It is once called “balai” or
“balay”. In Ifugao area it is called
“baleh”.
The term “bahay kubo” literally
translates as “cube house”.
“Kubo or ‘cubo’ is an Spanish
term for a cube.
Nipa huts are known for its
freshness and its native
aesthetics. Materials used are vernacular such as bamboo, coconut leaves (pawid) and
round wood. In tropical places like the Philippines which is hot in most part of the year, it
is a need to have a shelter that gives comfort in terms of passive cooling. Passive
cooling is achieved in nipa huts by having large windows which literally allows volume of
air to circulate the entire house, especially by having bamboo slats flooring and light
non-heat absorbing roofing material. Later influenced by the Spaniards, the native nipa
huts later evolved into a multi-functional dwelling. It later added materials such as adobe,
terra-cotta bricks and mortar paste from lime stones.
Today, especially in rural areas, nipa huts remained humble and some of them still
manifests the original functional attributes of the old traditional hut. Below are the plans
and parts of a typical nipa hut:
Structural parts of the bigger nipa hut. Most of parts names are from native tongue and
some are from the Spanish colonizers.

Elevations of a smaller nipa-hut. Showing the “batalan” which doubles as kitchen and the
extension of the roof.
↑ House on stilts in some of the tribes in Mindanao such as the Badjaos.
They incorporate their living with their shelter for all of them are great fisher folks and
pearl divers.

↑ Yakan house. Showing the steep roofing and the high elevation of stilts. The Yakan
also made few and small windows because they believe in this way they can repel bad
spirits. ↓ Ifugao version of nipa hut. They called it “baleh”.
 ← Structural
parts of the
Ifugao house
(baleh.

← The Torogan is the

ancestral house of the upper-
class Maranao in the Lanao
Region of Mindanao. It is the
house of the Datu and his
families. It is the biggest
house within the sultanate.

← The Panolong.
Panolongs are the most striking
part of the exterior of the Torogan.
Most of them are not the ends of
the real beams of the house, but
are attached to the exterior, in
some what the same way
brackets are. Panolongs may
show “naga” (dragon) or “okkir”
(floral) designs or the combination
of both. The “sarimanok” is also
used as a design motif.