Culture and

Architecture
Defining Terms:
Culture

 refers to shared knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that

give each society coherence, identity, and distinctive
way of life.
 It is demonstrated by the beliefs, customs, values, norms,
rules, laws, governance, arts, technologies and artefacts
that people generate and use as they interpret
meaning from their world and solve present and future
problems.
 Defines a group of people in terms of manner of
dressing, values, acceptable norms, ethics, religious
traditions, language, actions and way of thinking based
on available resources and technology

 These variables determine lifestyle, foodscape, manner

of communicating, or how they make use of space
(social, public, private, transboundary); type of solid
waste
 Heritage culture

Bahay Nakpil in Quiapo

Museum of Anthropology, Manila
Quaipo area
 Culture of urban people in the city

Traffic
Children playing
Jeepney
Streetfood
 Culture of consumerism

Sale season where we buy

cheap goods but are not needed
Culture of branding
 A brand is more than a company logo. A brand is “total constellation of
meanings, feelings, perceptions, belief, and goodwill attributed to any
market offering displaying particular sign”
 Communicative objects that convey symbolic messages to others,
 Significant resource for identity construction. Brand is a tool for the creation
of the self

 You don’t just wear shoes

 You don’t just drink soda
 You don’t just buy mobile phone
Coffee consumption and social status
 Drinking coffee means many things
 Regular drip coffee
 Sweetened icy drink with whipped cream
 tiny cup of espresso
 Foamy chai latte

Coffee is also a way to express social status and cultural capital.

Starbuck is more than a coffee shop, It introduces single-origin,
high quality coffee roast, how to grind beans and how to
distinguish yourself from mass-market coffee consumers
Culture of Disposal in Manila

Dagat ng basura
Plastic hanging on the
mangrove
Manila Bay garbage
 Cultural Practices in using these living spaces

 Community spaces – parks in the morning, night market in the evening

 Cemeteries – place of grief and memories to jogging places or playground,

living quarters of the living

 Monuments – evokes memories of the past of great men and women;

 Used as venue for mass actions
 Sleeping areas of the informal settlers (place of comfort)
 Parking area
 Homes – separate rooms for a particular activity (sala, dining, kitchen)
 Studio type homes, convertible into other uses

 Municipal or city Offices -

 Center of power in the barangay is barangay office, hall, basketball
court, daycare center and MRF rolled into one
 Malls – shopping to other uses
 One stop shop

 Streets – mobility, religious procession, political rallies

 Fluvial parades in the countryside bind families together; urban
processions like traslacion attracts tourism through media
 Culture and Technology

 Culture is about way of life, technology is a tool to improve way

of life. However, technology develops faster than culture that
people cant cope with these changes due to cultural or
generational differences.

 Effects: internet communication has limited social interactions;

creates miscommunication because written communication has
limitations; less personal; on line buying; touch srceen self service
kiosk; ex. grab; lalamove