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. The late national hero for architecture, Leandro Locsin once said, that Philippine Architecture is an elusive thing, because while it makes full use of modern technology, it is a residue of the different overlays of foreign influences left in the Philippines over the centuries: the early Malay culture and vestiges of earlier Hindu influences, the more than 300 years of Spanish domination, the almost 50 years of American rule, the Arab and Chinese influences through commerce and trade over the centuries. What resulted may have been a hybrid, a totally new configuration which may include a remembrance of the past, but transformed or framed in terms of its significance today. 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.
Rice terraces
For 2,000 years the mountainous province of Ifugao have been carefully cultivated with terraced fields.These rice terraces illustrate the ability of human culture to adapt to new social and climate pressures as well as to implement and develop new ideas and technologies. They also epitomize a harmonic, sustainable relationship between humans and their environment. The structures' original builders used stone and mud walls to carefully carve and construct terraces that could hold flooded pond fields for the cultivation of rice. They also established a system to water these plots by harvesting water from mountaintop forests. These engineering feats were done by hand as was the farming itself.
Maintenance of the rice terraces reflects a primarily cooperative approach of the whole community which is based on detailed knowledge of the rich diversity of biological resources existing in the Ifugao agro-ecosystem, a finely tuned annual system respecting lunar cycles, zoning and planning, extensive soil conservation, and mastery of a complex pest control regime based on the processing of a variety of herbs, accompanied by religious rituals and tribal culture.[4]
Classical period
Bahay Kubo was the one of the common houses of Filipinos from the classical period up to pre-modern era.
A replica of a traditional Ifugaohouse.
Later on the invention of various tools allowed for the fabrication of tent-like shelters and tree houses. Early Classical houses were characterized by rectangular structures elevated on stilt foundations and covered by voluminous thatched roofs ornamented with gable-finials and its structure could be lifted as a whole and carried to a new site. Examples include the Ifugao House, Bahay kubo and the Royal Nobilities' Torogan.
House structures
See also: Nipa hut
Houses were built in a more or less similar manner, in the same way that the settlements were built beside rivers and streams. The houses were built near rice fields and coconutgroves and orchards. The houses et on posts raised above the ground. The rooms were small, and generally,with a single multipurpose room, having only the cooking space differentiated among the areas in the houses. There is a particular architectural piece called ‘batalan’ that is often situated in the rear part of the house, and is utilized for domestic work like washing, bathing, water storage, etc. The houses were made of raw material like wood and bamboo. Tree houses or houses built on trunk of trees rooted to the grounds were seen as an advantageous position.
The doors of the houses were usually oriented to the direction where the sun rises and never faced towards the west, an architectural tradition which can be explained by the values and belief systems that early inhabitants of the land have.
The Bahay Kubo
The bahay kubo is the term for huts built out of nipa. These types of edifices were characteristic of the way that indigenous people of the Philippines built homes prior to the arrival of the Spanish colonizers. They are still in use today, especially in rural areas. Different architectural designs are present among the different ethnolinguistic groups in the country, although most homes built along the shorelines conform to being stilt houses, similar to those found in neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries of Southeast Asia.
Sulu Houses
In the Sulu archipelago, native houses are diverse. The stilt houses of the Tausug people are adapted to a coastal lifestyle. Traditional Tausug stilt houses have recognizable 'horns' on the roof, the only architectural style in the country to possess such a roof style. Inland Tausug architecture is similar, but have bases similar to the bahay kubo.
The Bajau people, and other nomadic sea gypsies in the Sulu archipelago, are known for their boat house architecture. They live in boats with roofs, fashioned as both transportation and permanent home. This way, the Bajau would no longer re-establish a home while they traverse the numerous islands and fishing grounds of Sulu.
The Yakan of Basilan also have a distinct architecture. Their houses have been influenced by the Tausug, Bajau, and traders from pre-colonial Butuan and Champa (present-day central Vietnam).
Skills in fortification
The architecture of the early Filipinos reflects the skills that were used at the time of war and on the battlefield. Due to the creation of various thalassocratic states within the archipelago, trade began to flourish. Neighboring states would often wage war for territory and trade rights in certain areas, which ultimately led to the fortification of villages and towns. Another reason for the development of these fortification skills was the necessity of projecting prestige and intimidation; leaders, mainly Datus, Rajahs, and Lakans, as they were called, often built forts and fortifications to intimidate other leaders in their area.
The kota
With the arrival of Indianized and Muslim scholars from nearby Indonesia, the native Filipinos were introduced to the concept of the kota or the fort. The Muslim Filipinos of the south built strong fortresses called kota or moong to protect their communities. Usually, entire families occupies the kotas, rather than just warriors. The kota served not only as a military installation, but also as a palace for the local lord, who often had their own kotas to assert their right to rule.. It is said that at the height of the Maguindanao Sultanate's power, they blanketed the areas around Western Mindanao with kotas and other types of fortifications to block the Spanish advance into the region.
The kota were usually made of stone and bamboo, or other light materials, and surrounded by trench networks. As a result, some of these kotas were burned easily or destroyed. With further Spanish campaigns in the region, the Sultanate was subdued and majority of kota were dismantled or destroyed. Kota were used by the Muslims as defense against Spaniards and other foreigners, and also saw use by renegades and rebels who built fortifications in defiance of other chiefs in the area.[5] During the American occupation, rebels built strongholds and the datus, rajahs or sultans often built and reinforced their kotas in a desperate bid to maintain rule over their subjects and their land.[6] Many of these forts were destroyed by American expeditions, and as a result, very few kota still stand to this day.