Paul Angel S.

dela Rosa
BS ARCH 1-2

STRENGTH WITH PATRIOTISM: BUILDING STONES AND INDIGENOUS

MATERIALS

Stones are non-meta llic mineral matter to which the rocks are made of, often used as
a building material. I find stones fascinating because without it, life will be different or might
as well, not exist. In ancient times, humans mainly used stones for survival, but as time pass
and the succeeding civilizations become more advanced, humans found even more uses for
stones; examples are for sculpting and decorations. Going back to its purpose as a building
material, not all the stones are qualified to be one. The stones used for building construction
should be hard, durable and tough and should be free from weathered soft patches of material,
cracks and other defects that are responsible for the reduction of strength and durability.

An example of a building stone is granite, an igneous rock. Every time I hear about
these types of rocks, this stone will always come to my mind first because it’s the most
common igneous rock found on earth. It is formed by the solidification of magma at a
considerable depth from the earth’s surface. Due to this, it exhibits properties that made it one
of the building stones that can be used in tiles, course aggregate in concrete, ballast for
railways, as damp proof course and external cladding of walls. Stones are very important not
only to humans, but also to all lifeforms on our planet, each having their own purpose for
using it. I like how creative and resourceful humans can be in using the environment for their
advantages and continuously improving it for the sake of living a better life.

Next, we move onto the Indigenous materials. These are materials that are naturally
and locally found in a specific place or area. I believe that these materials affect the culture
of the people at a particular region because of the factors, such as geography, climate and the
lifestyle of the people affects the abundance of a specific material to their place, promoting
variety. Also to me, using indigenous materials will promote a sense of nationalism and the
creation of local products.

An example of an indigenous material is a bamboo. Bamboo is a versatile material

used in creating bed frames, sofa sets, tables and even houses like bahay kubo. This proves
that it’s strong, versatile and can provide comfort and safety to people. Based on what I
learned during my high school days, many stories and legends are derived from the property
of the bamboo to be strong and capable of adjusting to what the weather or life has to offer.
Saying that we should have this characteristic because of the fact that going with what life has
to offer is the solution to our problems or the answers to our lifelong questions.

These materials, when their properties are utilized properly, will be capable of
providing safety and comfort the same as what other materials can give. As an architecture
student, it is my duty to know how to utilize these materials properly.