BAHAY KUBO

A common type of dwelling in lowland and coastal areas during the Pre-Hispanic Philippines.
“Bahay” is a Tagalog word for house while “kubo” is from the Spanish “cubo”, meaning cube

Bahay kubo is a one-room house, raised above the ground to protect the dwellers from the
dampness and humidity of the earth.

The Bahay Kubo is the native house of the Philippines and is also considered as its national
shelter. Made of indigenous building materials like bamboo and nipa, this pre-
Hispanic architecture was constructed to perfectly adapt to the tropical climate of the
Philippines and to be easily repaired or rebuilt once damaged by typhoon, flood or
earthquake which frequented the country. Its name is said to have originated from the
Spanish word, cubo, which means “cube,” because of the bahay kubo ‘s rectangular/cubic
shape.

The bahay kubo has three distinct horizontal divisions, namely:

the stilts or posts,
the one-room upper living unit,
and the steep roof.

The posts are often covered or enclosed with bamboo latticework to serve as usable space
underneath the house for house implements and livestock.

https://classroom.google.com/c/NDQ3OTM0MTk0MjM3/m/NDY2NDI4NzY3Mjkz/details
“balai” and spanish “cubo” or cube – cube-shaped house, from its boxy appearance

• primitive style of dwelling probably started around 200 BC, with the coming of iron tools

• well- adapted to tropical climate

• of wood, rattan, cane, bamboo, palm leaves, cogon and nipa Elevated one to five feet from the ground
- silong
• protection from the moist ground and flood

• protection from vermin and other animals

• enclosed area as sleeping quarters

• silong used for storage for tools and crops, an animal enclosures, or burial ground

https://classroom.google.com/c/NDQ3OTM0MTk0MjM3/m/
NDY2NDI4NzY3Mjkz/details
TYPICAL PARTS OF A BAHAY KUBO : BULWAGAN – living rm. / receiving area, w/ a low table called
dulang. SILID – sleeping area w/ “ tampipi” instead of closets. GILIR or PAGLUTUAN – kitchen area
containing the ff ; DAPOGAN or kalan – cooking apparatus w/ a shoe shape stove. b.) BANGAHAN or
banggera – place where pots are kept. c. BATALAN–an exposed porch where child- size jars are kept &
washing,drinking & bathing took place.4. SIIONG – where farm & fishing tools, pestles, pigs & cattles are
kept. KAMALIG – a storage house detached from the house where unhawled rice is kept

• Parts:

• Bulgan - is the area reserved for entertaining guests

• Silid - is a private room used for sleeping

• Paglutuan or gilir - ¡s the kitchen or cooking area

• Silong - is the space found underneath the house used as a storage space for the
farming and fishing implements and also for the animals kept

• Parts of the Kitchen:

• Dapogan - is a table on top of which is the river stone, shoe-shaped stove or kalan.

• Ban gahan - this was later called ban gguera or banggerahan and is used as a place for
drying and storing pots and pans, drinking glasses, plates and other kitchen utensils.

• Batakui - this is the unroofed area where water jars (used for drinking, washing and
bathing) are kept.

Materials
The bahay kubo is often built with whole bamboo or tree branches as structural framework, and finished
with bamboo strips for floors, palm leaves for roof, and bamboo strips or palm leaves for walls.
 Nipa hut (bahay-kubo)

• An indigenous house used relatively all over the Philippines before the Spaniards.

• Traditionally made of Bamboo tied together covered with thatched roof of Anahaw Leaves or
Nipa

• Originally, the bahay kubo is a one-room dwelling structure with porch provided on all sides of
the house. Then, the bahay kubo graduated into a more sophisticated type of dwelling

• Parts:

• Bulgan - is the area reserved for entertaining guests

• Silid - is a private room used for sleeping

• Paglutuan or gilir - ¡s the kitchen or cooking area

• Silong - is the space found underneath the house used as a storage space for the
farming and fishing implements and also for the animals kept

• Parts of the Kitchen:

• Dapogan - is a table on top of which is the river stone, shoe-shaped stove or kalan.

• Ban gahan - this was later called ban gguera or banggerahan and is used as a place for
drying and storing pots and pans, drinking glasses, plates and other kitchen utensils.

• Batakui - this is the unroofed area where water jars (used for drinking, washing and
bathing) are kept.