MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION

METHOD
IVATAN (BATANES)
ALTHOUGH VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE BAHAY NA BATO,
THESE HOUSES ARE MADE UP OF THE SAME STRONG MATERIALS
SUCH AS PERFECTLY CUT LIMESTONES TO WITHSTAND STORMS,
EARTHQUAKES AND SUCH. THE IVATAN HOUSES ARE COMMONLY
BUILT AS BUNGALOW, WHILE BAHAY NA BATO HAS TWO SEPARATED
FLOORS. THE LOWER OR THE FIRST STOREY OF THE HOUSE IS MADE
UP MAINLY OF BRICKS OR SOLID STONE BLOCKS, WHILE THE UPPER
PART OR THE SECOND STOREY ARE MADE UP OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF
WOOD.

BAHAY KUBO
THE TRADITIONAL BAHAY KUBO IS FULLY MADE UP OF
ORGANIC MATERIALS SUCH AS YAKAL, NARRA, BAMBOO, COGON, ETC.
THE TYPICAL BAHAY KUBO IS ELEVATED IN WHICH THE SPACE
BENEATH THE HOUSE IS FOR STORAGE AND ANIMALS. THE ONLY
THING SEPARATING THE BAHAY KUBO FROM BAHAY NA BATO IS THAT
INSTEAD OF THE OPEN SPACE BELOW, BAHAY NA BATO HAS
BRICKWALLS, WHICH DOESN’T ONLY SERVE AS STORAGE, BUT SOME
ARE USING IT AS A MULTI PURPOSE SPACE MOSTLY FOR BUSINESSES.
BEFORE WHEN CEMENT STILL
WASN’T INTRODUCED DURING
THIS ERA, EGG WHITES, MUD,
BURNT SHELLS AND LIMESTONES
WERE USED FOR HOLDING UP
BRICKS AND SOLID ROCKS.

THE TYPICAL BAHAY NA BATO’S

FEATURES AND MATERIALS ARE
BALUSTRADES OR BARANDILLA,
VENTANILLAS (WINDOWS),
CAPIZ SHELLS, WOOD, BAMBOO
STILTS, TIMBER POSTS, BRICKS/
SOLID STONE BLOCKS AND ETC.
WHILE THE ROOFING MATERIALS
ARE CHINESE TILED ROOF OR
THATCH.
MATERIALS USED FOR BAHAY NA BATO DIFFER FROM THE
PLACES WHERE IT’S BUILT.

METRO MANILA
MOST OF THE BUILDINGS IN MANILA AND CENTRAL
LUZON WERE OF ADOBE, A VOLCANIC TUFF QUARRIED FROM THE
HILLS WHICH IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM THE MATERIAL OF THE
SAME NAME FOUND IN LATIN AMERICA (ADOBE IN THOSE HISPANIC
COUNTRIES REFERS TO MUD AND STRAW FORMED INTO
RECTANGULAR BLOCKS WHICH ARE THEN DRIED IN THE SUN).
BRICK WAS THE ESSENTIAL BUILDING MATERIAL IN
NORTHERN LUZON; HOUSES AND CHURCHES OF BRICK WERE ALSO
BUILT IN SCATTERED AREAS OF THE ARCHIPELAGO, ALL THE WAY
DOWN TO JOLO, SULU. UNIQUE DESIGNS OF THE NORTH MAY
INCLUDE HAVING THE FACADE WALLS OF THE SECOND LEVEL MADE
UP OF STONE MATERIAL IN MANY BUILDINGS, RATHER THAN THE
MORE COMMON WOODEN SECOND LEVEL FACADE. HOWEVER, IT
STILL REMAINS FAITHFUL TO THE NIPA HUT PRINCIPLE.
THESE NON-WOODEN (STONE) SECOND LEVEL FACADE WALLS STYLE ARE
ALSO PRESENT IN SOME OF THE BAHAY NA BATO OF OTHER REGIONS BESIDES
THE NORTH, LIKE THE 1730 JESUIT HOUSE OF CEBU IN VISAYAS. THE WOODEN
SECOND LEVEL FACADE BAHAY NA BATO ARE STILL PRESENT IN THE NORTH.
IN VIGAN, CAPITAL OF ILOCOS SUR, MANY HOME OWNERS CHOSE TO
BUILD BOTH STORIES IN BRICK, WHICH WAS AVAILABLE IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
WITH THE MASSIVE WALLS, THE VOLADA DISAPPEARED IN MANY RESIDENCES
AND THE KITCHEN BECAME AN EXTENSION IN STONE, WITH VENTS PIERCING
THE WALLS TO LET OUT SMOKE.

CALABARZON
CALABARZON IS ONE OF THE REGIONS OF THE PHILIPPINES THAT HAS
SOME OF THE BEST PRESERVE HERITAGE HOUSES. TOWNS ALONG THE
COASTS OF LUZON, ESPECIALLY TO BATANGAS, USED ROUGHLY HEWN
BLOCKS OF CORAL AND ADOBE STONE.

CENTRAL LUZON
THE BAHAY NA BATO IN BULACAN AND MANY IN CENTRAL LUZON
ARE FAMOUS FOR THEIR CARVINGS. THE MOST FAMOUS ONES ARE IN
THE MALOLOS, IN ITS HERITAGE CORE WHERE ANCESTRAL HOUSES ARE
LOCATED. SINCE ADOBE LENDS ITSELF TO SCULPTURE, HOUSES IN BULACAN
HAD FACADES DECORATED WITH CARVED FLOWERS, LEAVES, AND
RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS.
BICOL
MANY CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE BICOL PENINSULA
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE ABUNDANT VOLCANIC STONE.

VISAYAS
MOST BAHAY NA BATOS' FOUNDATIONS IN VISAYAS
ARE CORAL STONE MATERIAL THOUGH MANY ARE STILL
ADOBE AND BRICKS. CEBU, BOHOL, NEGROS AND ILOILO ARE
FAMOUS FOR THEIR BAHAY NA BATO HOUSES.THROUGHOUT
THE VISAYAS, THE CRAFT OF CUTTING STONE OR CORAL WAS
VIRTUALLY ELEVATED INTO A FINE ART, WITH BLOCKS
FITTING SO PRECISELY INTO EACH OTHER THAT NOT EVEN A
RAZOR BLADE COULD BE INSERTED BETWEEN BLOCKS. THE
MATERIAL WAS SO DURABLE THAT IT DID NOT HAVE TO BE
PROTECTED WITH A LAYER OF PALETADA. THIS ART WAS
BROUGHT BY THE VISAYAN SETTLERS TO THE COASTAL
TOWNS OF MINDANAO.
BATANES
IVATAN PEOPLE OF BATANES HAVE A VERY
DIFFERENT STYLE OF BAHAY NA BATO. THEY ARE CALLED
SINADUMPARAN. AS THE ISLANDS OF BATANES WAS
ABSORBED TO THE COLONIAL NATION THE PHILIPPINES
MUCH LATER THROUGH SPANISH CONQUEST, THE
SINADUMPARAN WAS DEVELOPED MUCH LATERS AS WELL.
COMBINING PRE-COLONIAL IVATAN STYLE AND
COLONIAL FILIPINO STYLE (BAHAY NA BATO).
SINADUMPRARAN HOUSE HAS TWO BUILDINGS; ONE IS
KITCHEN AND ANOTHER IS THE LIVING AREA BUILDING
CALLED RAKUH. THE FILIPINO COLONIAL STYLE (BAHAY
NA BATO) INFLUENCE IS VERY EVIDENT IN THE RAKUH
BUILDING.
CONSTRUCTION METHOD
(INFLUENCES)
- CHINESE MASONRY
- INFLUENCED BY THE EUROPIANS; SPANISH /
ROMAN CEMENT
- MALAYO POLYNESIAN/ AUSTRONESIAN MASONRY

PEOPLE FROM THE PHILIPPINES' SPANISH

COLONIAL PERIOD ESPECIALLY THE RICH ONES
BELIEVED IN RITUALS IN WHICH THEY HAD TO
OFFER LIFE OR BLOOD TO EACH POSTS OF THE
STRUCTURE FOR A STRONGER FOUNDATION. RICH
PEOPLE ARE KNOWN TO OFFER THEIR SLAVE’S (OR
“ALIPIN”) BLOOD, WHILE MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE
OFFER ANIMALS.