De La Salle

University
-Dasmariña
s

ARCH516: HOUSING

Individual Research

The Cultural Beliefs based on Oriental Beliefs when it

comes to Housing Design and Orientation

Submitted by: Franz Daryl D. Dulce

ARC41 | 201531084 | September 10, 2019

Submitted to: Juanito Sy

 CULTURA L BELIEFS IN HOUSING

Philippine Setting

 The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with the common folk beliefs and usually
follows them or applies these age-old guidelines in the planning of one’s dream house.
 Many of these beliefs are based on sound planning practices that do not have to be overly
emphasized.
 • It is more advantageous if two faces of the house take in the morning sun. This can be
achieved if a corner of the house takes in the morning sun. This can be achieved if a
corner of the house faces east. In fact, most educated Filipinos are of the belief that the
more windows your residence has (or the larger they are), the better the chances of your
house absorbing natural and spiritual graces.
 In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river
according to ancient folk beliefs. • In Romblon, the roof of the house must slope
following the direction of the incline of the nearby mountains. • In the Cordilleras, it is
different. The ridge of the roof is always positioned at right angles to the ridge of the
mountain on which the house stands.
 Among the Ibalois, it is customary to give ample space underneath their houses by
elevating their floors to accommodate the future tomb of the owner to ensure perpetual
guidance over the house the dead leaves behind.
 If one is building a house within a family compound or between two relatives, make sure
that the roof is not higher than theirs, otherwise, their lives will never progress or will
always be worse. A sibling’s house must not be built so close to that of his parents such
that rainwater from the eaves of the main house pours onto the roof of the sibling.

Chinese Setting

 Traditional Chinese Siheyuan - the traditional Chinese three-entrance siheyuan. In this

type, the southern external courtyard is located next to the entrance court. Rooms on the
south side of the external courtyard are adjacent to the street, and used as housing for
male servants, a reception area for guests, or for classrooms where private tutors taught
young members of the owner’s family. After passing through the well-decorated gate, the
middle or inner courtyard is the focal point of the complex. The middle room in the
northern wing of the inner courtyard is a prestigious unit occupied by the leader of the
family. This middle room has the most beautiful decorations and ornaments made with
costly materials. The person of secondary importance in the family uses the rooms in the
east wing. By the same token, the rooms in the west wing are for the third-ranking family
member. The northern courtyard of the complex is the back court, which is the least
important, private in nature, occupied by daughters, female servants, and/or used as a
storage area. Rooms in this court are called Hou Zhao Fang.

Analysis of Building Layout Relationship with Space Syntax Traditional architecture is chosen to
describe syntactic analysis, as the traditional architectural layout contains strong cultural
information. The layout of traditional Chinese architectural space is deeply influenced by
traditional Chinese cultural thoughts. Traditional cultural thoughts can be divided according to
the philosophical system, meaning Confucianism, Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Neo-
Confucianism from the Northern Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the three
thoughts of “Yi”, “Li”, and “Dao” influence the traditional Chinese spatial conceptual layout.
Figure 3 embodies the concept of “binary coexistence” in The
 7 Feng Shui Tips for a Good House Floor Plan

Front Door and Main Entrance/Foyer

 In smart feng shui house floor plans, the front/main door will not be directly aligned with
another door or a big window. The front door will also not be facing the closet doors, the
bathroom door or a wall within less than a couple feet from it.

Doors and Windows

 The shape, placement, feng shui location (bagua area), and overall energy of doors and
windows in any given floor plan are all very important for a good feng shui flow of
energy. Simply speaking, the relationship between doors and windows defines the flow of
energy, because the function of doors and windows is to channel light and energy.

Bedroom Location and Design

 A good feng shui bedroom is undoubtedly one of the main factors that make a good feng
shui house. Unfortunately, way too many houses have been created on a poor feng shui
blueprint/floor plan.
Kitchen

 The location, design, and feng shui basics of your kitchen are all considered very
important in a good feng shui floor plan. In fact, your kitchen is part of the so-called
"feng shui trinity"--the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen--because of its utmost
importance for your health and well-being.

Staircases

 Staircases have a challenging "status" in feng shui. Almost as bad as the bathroom, but
not quite as bad. Knowing that staircases have a challenging feng shui energy, are there
better and worse areas in your home to have a staircase? Yes, of course.

Bathrooms, Laundry Rooms, and Closets

 The laundry room, as well as the closets and storage areas, are also considered
challenging because of the stagnant, heavy and cluttered/neglected energy they most
often carry. This certainly does not apply to all homes; we sure have seen beautiful, well
taken care of closets, laundry rooms, and storage areas, but they were usually an
exception to the rule.

Social Areas

 The design of social areas in a good feng shui floor plan is last on the list because most
houses usually have at least one area that is well suited for social interaction. If anything,
many houses have very well-designed social areas and poorly designed areas that relate
to one's more personal/intimate aspect of life.
References

(n.d.). 7 Feng Shui Tips for a Good Floor Plan. Retrieved from https://www.thespruce.com/feng-
shui-tips-for-a-good-house-floor-plan-1274490

Study on Courtyard Residence and Cultural Sustainability: Reading Chinese Traditional

Siheyuan through Space Syntax

Sentillas, V. (2018, July 15). Cultural Beliefs in Housing. Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/VahSentillas/cultural-beliefs-in-housing