Architecture of the Philippines

The architecture of the Philippines is a reflection of the history and heritage of the country. The most prominent historic constructions in the archipelago are from the Spanish Colonial period, though much Philippine architecture is also influenced by Japanese, Malay, Hindu, Chinese, and American cultures.

The pre-colonial architecture of the Philippines

consisted of the Nipa hut made from natural materials but there are some traces of large-scale construction before the Spanish colonizers came but not well documented. An example of this is the pre-colonial walled city of Maynilad although later after the Spanish colonization, dismantled by the Spaniards and rebuilt as Intramuros. There are also other minor pre-colonial walled cities like Betis and Macabebe.

After the Spanish American War The architecture of the Philippines was dominated

by the American style. In this period the plan for the modern city of Manila was designed, with a large number of art deco buildings, by famous American and Filipino architects.

At the end of the 20th Century Modern architecture with straight lines and

functional aspects was introduced. During this period many of the older structures fell into decay. Early in the 21st Century a revival of the respect for the traditional Filipino elements in the architecture returned

Pre-colonial Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the main form

of dwelling for a family in the Philippines was the nipa hut, a single room house composed of wood, bamboo or other native materials. Though the styles of the nipa hut varied throughout the country, most all of them shared similar characteristics including having it raised slightly above ground on stilts and a steep roof. Aside from nipa huts, other small houses were built on top of trees to prevent animal as well as enemy attacks.

Colonial Spanish In this era, the nipa hut or Bahay Kubo gave way

to the Bahay na Bato (stone house) and became the typical house of noble Filipinos. The Bahay na Bato followed the nipa hut's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments. The most obvious difference between the two houses would be the materials that was used to build them. The Bahay na Bato was constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo materials.

Bahay na Bato

The Bahay Na Bato, the Colonian Filipino House, is a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. In Vigan, Ilocos Sur, excellently preserved examples of the houses of the noble Filipinos can be admired. In Taal, Batangas, the main street is still ligned with examples of the traditional Filipino homes.

Fort Santiago

Fort Santiago (Fuerza de Santiago) is a defense fortress built for Spanish conquistador, Miguel López de Legazpi. The fort is part of the structures of the walled city of Intramuros, in Manila, Philippines.

The location of Fort Santiago was also once the site of the palace and kingdom of Rajah Suliman, chieftain of Manila of pre-Spanish era.

Intramuros Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the

Pasig River, was built by the Spaniards in the 16th century and is the oldest district of the city of Manila. Its name, taken from the Latin, intra muros, literally "Within the walls", meaning within the wall enclosure of the city/fortress, also describes its structure as it is surrounded by thick, high walls and moats. During the Spanish colonial period, Intramuros was considered Manila itself.

Paco Park Paco Park was planned as a municipal cemetery

for the well-off and established aristocratic Spanish families who resided in the old Manila, or the city within the walls of Intramuros during the Spanish colonial era.

Most of the wealthy families interred the remains of their loved ones inside the municipal cemetery in what was once the district of Dilao (former name for Paco).

Augustinian Churches These magnificent structures can still be found all

over the Phlippine Islands. The Augustinian historians Fathers Policarpo F. Hernández and Pedro G. Galende,coffetable book "Angels in Stone" documents all the churches built by the Augustinians throughout the Philippines over the centuries.

It is the first European stone church to be built in the Philippines designed in Spanish architectural structure. The church also houses the legacies of the Spanish conquistadors, Miguel López de Legazpi, Juan de Salcedo and Martín de Goiti who are buried and laid to rest in a tomb, underneath the church.

The church was built by the Augustinian friars from 1694 until 1710.It shows the earthquake proof baroque style architecture.

Lighthouses

During the Spanish and American era many lighthouses were constructed around the Phlippine Islands. The most Northeastern Lighthouse can be found in Burgos, Ilocos Norte.

The 20th Century

Philippine Architecture during American colonization

After the Spanish American war in 1898 the Americans took over rule of the Philippines until after the second world war. During this period the Americans constructed many Art Nouveaux buildings in Manila. In 1902 Judge William Howard Taft was appointed to head the Philippine Commission to evaluate the needs of the new territory.

Manila Metropolitan Theater

The Manila Metropolitan Theater is an art deco building designed by the Filipino architect Juan M. Arellano, and built in 1935. During the liberation of Manila by the Americans in 1945, the theatre we totally destroyed. After reconstruction by the Americans it gradually fell into disuse in the 1960s.

The National Monument to Dr. Jose Rizal

The bronze and granite Rizal monument located in Rizal Park, Manila, has long been considered among the most famous sculptural landmarks in the Philippines. The monument is located near the very spot where Dr. Jose Rizal was executed December 30, 1896.

Standalone movie theaters of the Philippines

During the advent and continuous growth of Philippine cinema in the early 90's, came with the establishment of Philippine theaters in the Metropolitan Manila along with those in the Philippine provinces during the said period.

Other Examples of Filipino Architecture

Parish of the Holy Sacrifice Antipolo Church

Parish of the Holy Sacrifice The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice is the first circular

church and the first thin-shell concrete dome in the Philippines

Antipolo Church The image of "Our Lady of Peace and Good

Voyage" has been venerated in the church of Antipolo for centuries. The old church that housed the virgin was destroyed in February 1945 when the Americans bombed Antipolo as part of the liberation campaign of Manila. In 1954 a new church was build designed by the renowned Filipino architect Jose de Ocampo.

This church is of a coupular design centered around the image of the Virgin. It functions as the center point of the pilgrimages to Antipolo.

Architectural styles

Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture.

In architectural history, the study of Gothic architecture, for instance, would include all aspects of the cultural context that went into the design and construction of these structures. Hence, architectural style is a way of classifying architecture that gives emphasis to characteristic features of design, leading to a terminology such as Gothic "style".

The Victoria and Albert Museum maintains an interactive online microsite with an introductory overview of ten architectural styles grouped in four clusters:

Modern, High-Tech and PostmodernEast Asian, South Asian and Spanish IslamicGothic and Gothic RevivalClassical and Classical Revival.

Modern, High-Tech and Postmodern

Postmodern

Postmodern architects felt that buildings in the Modern style had been stripped of their symbolic character.

In a desire to create striking and individual buildings, they ignored many traditional rules of architecture, such as the principles of proportion and scale. They used modern construction techniques but also stylistic elements from many different periods and styles. Some came from historical or local architecture, others from popular culture.

Clash of scales

Thin fa ades�

Classical references

Storm Water Pumping Station

AT&T BuildingNew York1978-83Philip Johnson and John BurgeePhoto: Robert Elwall/RIBA

High-Tech High-Tech is the name given to a particular strand of

modern architecture that developed from the 1970s onwards.

As the name suggests, it is a highly engineered and technological style. Its character is expressed through industrial and factory-made materials and components.

In the hands of skilled architects, High-Tech buildings are individual and dramatic. The style lends itself to public buildings, corporate offices and transport facilities worldwide.

Exposed structure

Glass

Tension structures

Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank

Hong Kong and Shanghai BankHong Kong1979-86Foster & PartnersPhoto: Alistair Hunter/RIBA

Modern The Modern Movement spread internationally

from central Europe after the First World War.

Modernists rejected historical styles in favour of clean lines and simple forms. Architects thought of buildings as machines and designed them to be efficient.

They gave them flat roofs and used industrially produced materials like sheet glass, steel and reinforced concrete. Colours, decoration and shapes were reduced to a minimum. Inside, rooms were well lit but often clinically bare.

East Asian, South Asian and Spanish Islamic

East Asian

Architecture in East Asia is based on simple, timber-frame construction. This framework supports pitched roofs, using crossbeams placed one on top of the other in diminishing order of size.

The size and choice of site show the status of important buildings like temples and palaces.

Buildings extend laterally in a series of courtyards. Ornament is often concentrated on the roof, using carved woodwork, paint, lacquer and brilliantly glazed tiles.

Yomei-monShogun Tokugawa Ieyasu MausoleumNikko, Japan1634-6Photo: Japan Information and Cultural Centre, Embassy of Japan, London

South Asian

With its climatic and cultural diversity, South Asia has developed great regional variety in its building traditions.

During the long history of its civilisation, particular structures have evolved to suit the needs of its religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism.

The region has also successfully synthesised foreign architectural traditions with its own, as seen in the Mughal style. This fused Islamic building types and elements imported from Iran and Central Asia with Indian features.

Temple of AdinathaRanakpur, Rajasthan, India1439Photo: Ian Dawson Grant/RIBA

Spanish Islamic

The Islamic world has many architectural traditions.

In the Muslim cities of Spain and Morocco, masonry walls and arcades support pitched roofs. Rooms range around internal courtyards, with arcades to provide shade. Mosques have arcaded halls and courtyards and are distinguished by minaret towers.

Status is shown by a building's size and rich ornamentation. Interiors are often entirely covered with decoration, especially carved and painted stucco and glazed tiles.

Court of the Lions, Alhambra PalaceGranada, Spain1362-91Photo: Danielle Tinero/RIBA

Gothic and Gothic Revival

Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival began in England in the 1730s, in a mood of nostalgia for the past. By the 1840s it had become a style with moral values linked to an upsurge in Christian belief.

It was also thought suitable for modern structures like railway stations and hotels, even though they were often built of iron and brick.

At the same time, glass painters revived the medieval techniques of stained glass.

Palace of WestminsterLondon1840-70Sir Charles Barry and A. W. N. PuginPhoto: Joe Low/RIBA

Gothic The Gothic style began in the great medieval cathedrals

of France in the 1140s and lasted until about 1500. Gothic churches were triumphs of engineering in stone.

Their style was based on the pointed arch and rib vault. These elements spread the physical load of the high walls, which were often shored up on the outside with elaborate buttresses.

Their interiors were lit by large areas of stained glass.

Salisbury CathedralSalisbury, EnglandAbout 1220-66Photo: Bernard Cox/RIBA

Classical and Classical Revival.

Classical

The classical style emerged in Greece about 2600 years ago. It used columns and capitals to support beams called entablatures. These were combined in a design system called the orders, with each element carefully proportioned using mathematics.

The Greeks used three distinct types of order: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Romans added two more: Tuscan and Composite.

The Romans also exploited the use of the arch, vault and dome.

The ParthenonAthens447-432 BCIktinos and Kallikrates Photo: Bernard Cox/RIBA

Classical Revival

A vigorous revival of ancient classical forms began in Italy in the 1420s. They became the basis of most western architecture over the next 400 years.

At first, the borrowed forms were Roman, but from the 1760s Greek models were used to create the revitalised style.

This revived classical style was thought to have strength and dignity. It was specially favoured for buildings of authority.

The TempiettoRomeAbout 1502-12Donato Bramante Photo: Vanni Archive/Corbis

Reference http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/

architecture/style_level3.php?id=262&parent=257&area=0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_the_Philippines

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architectural_style