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How do the houses look in the Philippines?
stallionz
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How do the houses look in the Philippines?
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The Filipino pre-colonial traditional house is known as a “nipa hut” in English, “bahay kubo”, “balay”, “bay”, etc. in the local languages. It is raised on stilts like most Austronesian houses, with the space underneath used for keeping domestic animals at night (hence why it is usually fenced). The walls are usually made of split bamboo (usually woven), nipa palm leaves (hence the name), or wood. The roof is made of nipa palm leaves and is steeply pitched, to keep the interiors cool. It is quite simple. Fragile, yes, but designed to be rebuilt quickly, since typhoons are extremely common. This type of house is most common for the thalassocratic (coastal) ethnic groups (Visayans, Tagalogs, Tausug, Bikolanos, Ilocanos, etc.). It is still common today in small villages in rural areas. Variations of this design is also used by the Sama-Bajau, who build their houses directly on shallow water. There are also other notable traditional designs from other ethnic groups, like the Maranao torogan. Colonial era nipa hut with nipa leaf walls: Modern nipa hut with woven bamboo walls: The nipa hut design evolved during the Spanish era into what are known today as “ancestral houses”. It is the traditional house design of most town or city Filipinos during the Spanish era. Note that these are not “colonial houses”. They were used both by natives and European colonials and range from simple rural town houses to palatial mansions. The house of my own grandparents looked like this. It is a fusion of Spanish and native architecture and unique to the Philippines. It has movable wall panels inside as well as movable window panels (which are made from capiz shells), similar to Japanese houses. The roof is also either very tall and very steeply pitched and/or has a smaller roofed opening up top (it does not exist in European designs, so I do not know the term for it). The roof can be made from nipa palm leaves or Spanish-style ceramic tiles. It is also filled with ventilation openings near the ceilings, even within interior walls. All of it is designed to keep everything cool in the tropics. The area under the stilts in the pre-colonial houses have become walled in the ancestral houses with stone or wood. Usually they serve as servant’s quarters, kitchens, and so on. The living area is the wooden second floor which usually extends beyond the first floor. Full stone versions also exist. Sadly they are disappearing due to the ravages of World War 2, neglect and lack of government protection. Little or no new ones are being built. Manila, 1910: Manila, 1884: Interiors: 1895 painting by Juan Luna: During the American colonial period, there were also houses built in the bungalow style, but differ in that they are also uniquely raised on stilts. But these were usually restricted to places where Americans lived or on government settlements (like for teachers’ villages near universities or in plantations). Some still survive to this day, though most are rotting because they are wooden. They look like this: Modern Filipino houses are variable and don’t really follow a specific design. However, a favorite aesthetic among developers seems to be the faux Mediterranean style. It is the most common designs used in the suburban housing developments (called “subdivisions” in the Philippines). It is even used for government buildings and resorts. I personally hate it and wished we used more of our native designs. Other than that, other houses are just concrete. Nothing imaginative.
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Houses in the Philippines vary depending on the price range. You have the simplest of homes to the huge ones owned by affluent families. Here are some examples… This is low-cost housing Another sample of low-cost housing The one below is more of middle-class to upper-middle-class The pic below shows beautiful structures located in Cebu Now some of us can afford to live in condos…. Or oceanview apartments We do have our poor living in the slums…. And the wealthy I hope these pics give you a clearer idea of how the houses here look like. Budget for low-cost housing could be from 1 Million – 2.5 Million Pesos, apartment rentals depending on location could be 5000 for a whole apartment in Cavite to 17–20,000 pesos a month if located in Manila, BGC, Makati or Quezon City. The huge homes if for sale could be anywhere from 10–30 Million pesos. Just divide that number by 50 or 51, you would get the figure in US dollars.