Architectural Design 4:

VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE

BS. ARCHITECTURE

VACATION HOUSE RESEARCH

I. Abstract
The history and culture of the Philippines are reflected in its architectural heritage, in the
dwellings of its various peoples, in churches and mosques, and in the buildings that have risen in
response to the demands of progress and the aspirations of the people.
Architecture in the Philippines today is the result of a natural growth enriched with the
absorption of varied influences. It developed from the pre-colonial influences of our neighboring
Malay brothers, continuing on to the Spanish colonial period, the American Commonwealth
period, and the modern contemporary times. As a result, the Philippines has become an
architectural melting pot– uniquely Filipino with a tinge of the occidental.

II. Design Philosophy

"To provide meaningful architecture is not to parody history but to articulate it" - Daniel
Libeskind

III. Background of the Study

The Filipino architecture is an interesting child of varied influences, both local and foreign.
Before the modern architecture in the Philippines were a mix of American and Spanish colonial
architecture in the Philippines that resulted in rich architectural feats we have today. From the
baroque churches to the famous buildings in the Philippines, you’ll easily notice the similarities
and differences in the Filipino architecture that makes a great mix of notable designs.
The Philippine’s architectural landscape is a contrast among small traditional huts built of wood,
bamboo, nipa, grass, and other native materials; the massive Spanish colonial churches, convents
and fortifications, with their heavy “earthquake baroque” style; the American mission style
architecture as well as the buildings of commerce with their modern 20th century styles; and
today’s contemporary, albeit “modern mundane” concrete structures of the cities.
In architectural designs in the Philippines today, you can still see the Bahay Kubo design applied
to some establishments like cafes, restaurants, and hotels to give the Pearl of the Orient Seas a
cultural identity and preserve the original example of architecture in the Philippines.

Characteristics of Philippine Vernacular houses regarding on:

Construction and Materials
● Philippine Vernacular indigenous materials like wood or bamboo, nipa, grass,
and other native materials like lime and stones creating a light structure
 suited to the tropics. The simple construction and use of local materials facilitate
the dwelling’s easy reconstruction and/or repair following earthquakes, typhoons
or floods.
● Employing simple construction methods, using local, readily available
materials. While the bahay kubo by nature is an impermanent structure, its light
and simple structure nonetheless may easily be constructed by less-than-skilled
labor.
Floor Plan and Spatial Arrangement
● These traditional Philippine dwellings are typically simple rectangles or
squares in plain/simple boxes in form. In larger houses, the spaces within the
dwelling are arranged as a series of layers that flow into each other — defined
volumes but not full enclosures — with mutable partitions and boundaries.
● Raised on posts to avoid the damp earth, or worse, floods, and to prevent
insects and animals from entering the house. Domestic animals, tools and
implements are kept in the silong. The raised floor also allows air to rise up
between the floor slats, cooling the living space.
Walls and Openings
● tall and wide wall openings for maximum daylight and cross-ventilation are
possible. Indeed, the windows of the traditional Philippine house take up a high
proportion of the wall surface area, in many instances more than 50 percent.
● The capiz panels slide wholly into recesses in the walls for maximum ventilation,
while the wood jalousies can be adjusted to block the harsh sun.
Roof and Eaves
● Traditional Philippine dwellings have a steep slope for easily shedding rain, with
means for capturing and storing rainwater. The steep slope also helps draw hot
indoor air upwards to the top of the roof and away from the living areas.
● Deep overhangs protect the large windows from harsh sunlight and rain, with
vented soffits to further assist in dissipating the hot air and moderating the
temperature inside the roof structure, and consequently, the living spaces below.

Examples of Vernacular House in the Philippines

● Mala-a-walai & Torogan House

● Bay Sinug House

● Bontoc House

● Binayon House
 ● Ivatan House

● Isneg house

IV. Design Concept

Modern Culture- Reflective Design

● To revive human appreciation of Philippine culture as a means of conserving and
enriching cultural heritage and keeping our own identity in a modern approach.

Eclectic Style
● A mixture of some vernacular house styles in the Philippines (Torogan House and
Ivatan House Style).

V. Design Considerations
● Accessibility
● Sustainability
 ● Safety
● Proper Traffic Flow
● Proper Zoning

Ivatan House Characteristics:

● Traditional Ivatan homes are constructed with cobbles and mortar, made out of thick
limestone walls and thatched cogon roofs. They have walls as thick as 80 centimeters to
one meter. Doors and windows are made of sturdy hardwood planks while roofs are made
of thatched cogon.
● The Ivatan people, an ethnolinguistic group of the Batanes province in the northernmost
part of the country, built the now-famous stone houses for a very good reason: to protect
them against the harsh environmental conditions.
● Batanes is surrounded by major bodies of water including the South China Sea and the
Pacific Ocean, hence it doesn’t have a very stable climate. The Ivatan houses are made of
metre-thick limestone and coral walls as well as cogon grass roofs, and they are sturdy
enough to withstand strong winds.

Torogan House Characteristics:

● A torogan is elevated above the ground by columns
cut from trees of huge girth. Its walls are covered with
plywood sticks and the roof thatched with dried coconut
leaves. There is no interior partition, so it appears as a huge
hall.
● “The torogan has remarkable disaster-resilient features
that can be potentially relevant to the community today,” said
architect Gloryrose Dy.
Things to Consider in Designing a Vacation House
● Safety and Longevity
● Great Ocean Views
● Proximity to the Beach
● Open Floor Plan
● Easy Access Between Floors
● Space for Entertaining
● Timeless Design
o Streamlined Design
o Use Bright Light Tones
o Maximizes the Natural Light and Breeze
o Use Nature Inspired Materials and textures
o Connection to the Outdoors

Green

Roofing to withstand the corrosive powers of the

ocean air and harsh tropical elements.
 ● To minimize maintenance and ensure
structural longevity, the architects designed Casa
Sare and Casa Caracali with durable materials
and finishes to withstand the corrosive powers of
the ocean air and harsh tropical elements. The
flat, turf-topped roofs also include long
overhangs to protect the interiors from unwanted
solar gain. The desire to blend both homes into
the environment drove the design of simple
architectural shapes, a minimalist material palette and walls of operable glass that open
up to completely blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living.
“Each house was designed for users to experience the tropical weather and beautiful
nature, and every single space of both houses has a great relation with the exterior,
bringing in the natural light to all the interior areas and looking for cross ventilation using
the sea breeze year-round,” the architects explained. “Around 65 percent of the interior
areas are covered by green roofs, reducing the footprint of the project in this
protected environment.”

Vernacular Materials that will be use in the Vacation House:

● Limestone
Most limestone was formed in shallow marine environments. Despite its
small area, the Philippines is one of the world's richly endowed countries in
terms of mineral resources. ... Among the non-metallic minerals, limestone
and marble accounted for about 39 and 29 percent, respectively.

● Corals like Capiz Shell

 Placuna Placenta, or capiz shell, is a bivalve mollusk abundant in the Philippines. From
being used as a building material, capiz evolved into an affordable alternative to
mother-of-pearl and other precious shells in décor. The material reached its zenith in the
1960s-70s with the capiz lamp, becoming the mid-century modern era's ubiquitous
tropical accessory.

● Mangrove Wood
Mangroves have been exploited for timber for building dwellings and boats
and fuel-wood for cooking and heating. Palm species are used, especially in
Southeast Asia and Brazil, to construct jetties and other submerged
structures because they are resistant to rot and to attack by fungi and
borers.

● Bamboo
Bamboo has a high elasticity and is, therefore, suitable as a building
material for earthquake-prone regions in particular. Bamboo ecotourism or
bamboo industry, the island nation of the Philippines is teeming with this
woody grass. More than 60 species of bamboo are known to grow in this
country, and about 20 of them grow nowhere else.

● Rattan and Abaca

Are naturally found in the Philippine dipterocarp forests and are
distributed throughout the country. Abaca fiber is so strong, in
fact, that it's used to make ropes, twines, fishing lines and nets,
as well as coarse cloth for sacking. Is rattan furniture any good?
Natural rattan furniture is exceptionally strong and durable, of
course, if it is protected from the outdoor elements and if it is
made according to the highest quality workmanship standards.

Things to Consider in Designing a Japanese Style Garden

● Grow Evergreens
● Grow Moss
● Make a Private Pavilion
● Try a Pagoda Pillar
● Add Textural Contrast
● Create Structure from Plants
● Add Bridge and small Waterfalls
● Stone Streambed
● A representation of a mountain.
● Walkways designed to encourage contemplation.