CHAPTER I:

1.INTRODUCTIONTOHOUSING
“Safe, affordable housing is a basic
necessity for every for every family.
Without a decent place to live, people
cannot be productive members of society,
children cannot learn and families cannot
thrive.”
Shelter
- The term “shelter,” which is oft en used to
defi ne housing , has a strong connecti on to
the ulti mate purpose of housing throughout
the world. The mental image of a shelter is
of a safe, secure place that provides both
privacy and protecti on from the elements
and the temperature extremes of the outside
world.
Pre-urban Housing
- Early dwelling designs were probably the result of
cultural, socioeconomic, and physical forces intrinsic to
the environment to the inhabitants. The housing
similariti es among civilizati ons separated by vast
distances may have been a result of a shared heritage,
common infl uences or chance.
Types of Pre-urban Housing:
1. Ephemeral Dwellings
also known as transient dwellings , were typical of
nomadic peoples. The African bushmen and
Australia’s aborigines are examples of societi es
whose existence depends on an economy of hunti ng
and food gathering in its simple form. Habitati on of
an ephemeral dwelling is generally a matt er of days.
Australia’s aboriginal house
Gabra hut, used by nomads in Kenya
2. Episodic Dwellings
- Also known as irregular temporary dwellings. These
groups are more sophisti cated than those living in
ephemeral dwellings, tend to be more skilled in hunti ng
or fi shing , inhabit a dwelling for a period of weeks, and
have a greater eff ect on the environment. These groups
also construct communal housing and oft en practi ce
slash-and-burn culti vati on, which is the least producti ve
use of cropland and has a greater environmental impact
than the hunti ng and gathering of ephemeral dwellers.
Inuit Igloo
Tents of the Tungus of Eastern Siberia
3. Periodic Dwellings
- Also known as regular temporary dwellings. Used by
nomadic tribal societi es living in a pastoral economy.
This type of housing is refl ected in the yurt used by the
Mongolian and Kirgizian groups and the Bedouins of
North Africa and western Asia. These groups’ dwellings
essenti ally demonstrate the next step in the evoluti on
of housing , which is linked to societal development.
Pastoral nomads are disti nguished from people living in
episodic dwellings by their homogenous cultures and
the beginnings of politi cal organizati on.
yurt used by the Mongolian
“buryuut hajar ” of Bedouins of North Africa
4. Seasonal Dwellings
- Schoenauer describes seasonal dwellings as
refl ecti ve of societi es that are tribal in nature,
seminomadic, and based on agricultural pursuits that
are both pastoral and marginal. Housing used by semi
nomads for several months or for a season can be
considered semisedentary and refl ecti ve of the
advancement of the concept of property, which is
lacking in the preceding societi es. This concept of
property is primarily of communal property, as opposed
to individual or personal property.
“Hogan” of Navajo tribe, North America
5. Semipermanent Dwellings
- According to Schoenauer, sedentary folk societi es or
hoe peasants practi cing subsistence agriculture by
culti vati ng staple crops use semipermanent dwellings.
These groups tend to live in their dwellings various
amounts of ti me, usually years, as defi ned by their crop
yields. When land needs to lie fallow, they move to more
ferti le areas.
Pueblo (village) Hopi, Zuni, and Acoma Indians , southwest
U.S
6. Permanent Dwellings
- The homes of sedentary agricultural societi es,
whose politi cal and social organizati ons are defi ned as
nati ons and who possess surplus agricultural products,
exemplify this type of dwelling. Surplus agricultural
products allowed the division of labor and the
introducti on of other pursuits aside from food
producti on; however, agriculture is sti ll the primary
occupati on for a signifi cant porti on of the populati on
English Cott ages
URBANIZATION
- Permanent dwellings went beyond simply providing
shelter and protecti on and moved to the considerati on
of comfort. These structures began to fi nd their way
into what is now known as the urban setti ng.
- The earliest available evidence sug gests that towns
came into existence around 4000 BC. Thus began the
social and public health problems that would increase
as the populati on of citi es increased in number and in
sophisti cati on
Trends in Housing: “Tenement
Housing”
- First used in America in the 19 t h century. Oft en
intertwined with the term “ slum”.
- Wright notes that in English, tenement meant “an
abode for a person or for the soul, when someone
else owned the propert.
- Slum, on the other hand, initially was used at the beginning of the
19th century as a slang term for a room. Then evolved into a term
for a back dwelling occupied by the lowest members of society.
- existing large homes were subdivided and new structures were
added, creating rear houses and often housing up to 10 families.
When this strategy became inadequate to satisfy demand, the
epoch period of the tenements began.
Side Secti onal View of Tenement House, 38 Cherry Street,
N.Y., 1865
Tenements in Soundview, The Bronx
Punta Tenement Building
2. PHILIPPINES PERSPECTIVE ON HOUSING
HOUSING
- Buildings or structures that individuals and their family
may live in that meet certain federal regulations. Different
housing situations vary for individuals and may depend on age,
family and geography.

HOUSING IN THE PHILIPPINES

- The Philippine housing industry believes that every Filipino
family has the right to live with dignity in the comfort of one’s own
home regardless of economic status. It aims to eliminate the
housing backlog by the year 2030.
ABOUT HOUSING
- housing backlog is 3.9 million households
- Assuming that production of housing units would average 200,000
units every year from 2012 to 2030, the backlog would still persist
and hit 6.5 million households by 2030.
- Highest demand come from economic housing, socialized housing,
low-cost housing. account for a large share of housing production
- As of 2011, there are 3,164 players in the housing industry. Despite
the huge number of firms engaged in housing, only a few firms
dominate the industry. Most of these firms are highly integrated
developers that are engaged in various real estate developments
besides housing. Many other firms are into retail real estate, hotels,
commercial office buildings, and industrial estate development.
• Subdivision and Housing Developers’ Association (SHDA)
- t h e l a rge st o rga n i zati o n o f h o u s i n g d e ve l o p e rs i n t h e
P h i l i p p i n e s , co u nti n g 1 6 0 m e m b e rs f ro m i t s c h a p te rs i n
L u zo n , V i s aya s , a n d M i n d a n a o .
• Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations (CREBA)
• Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines, Inc.
(REBAP)
• Philippine Association of Real Estate Brokers (PAREB)
• National Real Estate Association of the Philippines (NREA)
• Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines
(OSHDP)
FACTS and FIGURES
3.CULTURAL BELIEFSINHOUSING (REGIONALSCOPE)
ARCHITECT ERNESTO R. ZARATE
- The experienced Filipino architect is familiar with common folk
beliefs and usually follows them or applies these age-old in the
p l a n n i n g o f o n e ’s d r e a m h o u s e

Many of these beliefs are based on sound planning practices that do not have to be overly
emphasized for example :
- its more advantageous if two faces of the house take in the morning sun.
- In Bontoc, the front door of the house must face against the flow of a nearby river
according to ancient folk beliefs.
- Ibalois, a Benguet ethnic group in the Cordilleras, 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.
POST
In Southern Tagalog
• In Southern Tagalog, posts are erected following this procedure: posts
are laid with their bottom ends at the footing on the ground and the
top ends pointing towards the east. The post nearest the east is the
first to be raised.
In Romblon
• The same procedure is followed for the other posts, one after the
other in a clockwise direction as one reads the plan. This same
clockwise manner of raising the posts is practiced on the island of
Romblon and the belief is that it will make the house windproof.
In Tausugs
• The Tausugs equate the building of a house to the development of a
fetus. They believe that the first to appear in a woman's womb is the
navel. Hence, the first post to be erected should be the main post
within the interior of the house.
STAIRS
In Ilocanos
• An orientation towards the east is also required for stairs. Ilocanos position
their stairs so that they rise with the morning sun. To them, if it were the
other way around, meant turning one's back on fate.
Some Builders in Bulacan
• But builders in Pandi, Bulacan, just like many typical Filipinos, believe that a
stairway facing east is considered bad luck because, they say, anything facing
the early sun dries up ahead of all others, and in the same token, wealth
taken into the house will dry up much faster.
Other Beliefs
• When planning a structure with two or more storeys, the stairway should not
be positioned at the center of the structure so as not to divide the building
into two equal parts.
ORO, PLATA, MATA
• There are guidelines, too, governing the number of steps in one's stairs.
Starting with the first landing, count the steps using the words oro (gold),
plata (silver), and mata (death).

• The Yakans of Mindanao, however believe in odd numbering of steps and

number of bedrooms.

• Chinese-Filipinos on the other hand count their steps by four.

DOORS
• It is advised that doors should not face each other. The people in the north
associates this with the easy passage of a coffin through two doors that
directly face each other.

• In Sta. Maria and San Miguel, Bulacan, however, wide doors facing each
other are considered lucky, especially if they lead to the terrace or garden.
LIVING ROOMS
• Sunken rooms, like basements are looked at as pockets of caves where evil
spirits can hide. It is balanced off only when an exit lower than the said room
is provided.

• Some Ilocanos do not want basements altogether because of the belief that
only coffins should be found under the ground.

• Overly ornate living and dining room ceilings, especially those with cornices,
moldings, and other superficial decorations are avoided as it tends to make
the ceiling look like a coffin.
BED & BEDROOMS
• It is advised that one must plan the doors of one’s bedrooms in such a way
that when it is opened, one would face neither the foot nor head of the bed.

• Neither should you put any bed under a cross beam, regardless of whether
the beam is of wood or concrete, and position the bed so that the occupant
will not be lying perpendicular to the beam.

• For houses with second floors, it should be observed that no drainage pipe
runs inside or under the floor where the bed is located.

• Do not place bedrooms in the basement portion of the house. It is always

preferred (luck-wise) that the bedroom floor is higher than the living room.
BRIGHT DINING ROOMS
• As anyone who knows Filipino cuisine, PampangeñoS love to cook (and eat),
so most of their dining rooms are situated in the sunniest and brightest
locations of the house. Ilocanos, on the other hand, prefer subdued lighting
because they consider eating a solemn occasion.
CHOICE OF LOT
• Triangular shapes are lucky

• Lots where the frontage has a smaller dimension compared to the rear.

• Residential lots facing east.

• A house that is built in the middle of a crossroad and faces the dead end or
what is called “tumbok” in Filipino is said to be full of bad luck for its
residence.
FENG SHUI
• Chinese Philosophy of geomancy of the understanding of the forces of the
Earth.

• Application of architecture promotes the creation of a designed environment

in harmony of the forces of nature.

• Literally “wind and water” (things that flow). Relate to the concepts of Qi or
Chi’i.

• Pronounced as “feng shway”

4. HOUSING TYPOLOGIES
BUNGALOW
• A very common type of house in the
Philippines. A home that is single-
storey where all the rooms are
located on the floor.

• It’s easy to navigate in as much as it’s

quick and easy to design and built.

• Perfect for starting families, can also

built with the provisions for second
floor just in case.
TOWNHOUSE
• Very popular in the Philippines as
the most commercially viable type of
housing to buy

• Basically a two-storey house built

with walls adjacent to each other.

• The type most commonly offered in

real estate commercial distribution
like Camella Homes.

• For tight budget

MULTILEVEL
• This is more commonly call as “up
and down” in that it is made with
two or more floors.

• It is also common house plan in the

Philippines for privately gated
subdivisions.
SINGLE-ATTACHED
• In the Philippines, single-attached house
plan is better defined by its layout more
than its build.

• A house is considered to be single-attached

if the house is built on one of the sides of
the lot so that there’s front, back and just
one side lot spaces.
SINGLE-DETACHED
• On the hand, when a house is situated in the middle of the lot so that it has
space on all sides of the lot instead of just 3.

• Like single-attached lot, this house plan is defined more by its layout rather
than overall design.
-PLEX
• Housing that has –plex affixed to
them are single building divided to
create multiple living spaces.

• When a single building is divided into

two so that it becomes two houses,
it’s a DUPLEX.

• When a single building is divided into

3 living spaces, its called a TRIPLEX.
-END-