Arkitekturang Filipino - A History of Architecture and Urbanism in the Philippines

Aug 7, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven

A scholarly history of Filipino architecture and urbanism traces how early human shelters, Austronesian building traditions, and vernacular dwelling systems shaped the built environment across regions of the Philippines. It examines material culture and construction techniques, from stilt houses and thatch roofing to ritually ordered spaces, then expands into Muslim architectural forms and their spatial logic. The book further analyzes Hispanic colonial urbanism and architectural transformation, including Intramuros, colonial administration, defense, religious conversion sites, and industrial infrastructures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages640

Reading Time26 h 53 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Between the Earth and Sky

Early Philippine Shelters

Philippine Vernacular Architecture and its Austronesian Ancestry

Traditional Materials and Construction Techniques

Regional House Types

Muslim Space and the Philippine Islamic Architecture

Islam in the Philippines

The Mosque and the Axis of Prayer

Muslim Secular Architecture

Spectacle of Power

Hispanic Structuring of the Colonial Space (1565-1898)

Manila: The Genesis of an Intramural Colonial City

Intramuros: The Bastion of Authority

Extramuros: Living Beyond the Walls

Military Architecture and Defense Installations

Gerard Lico 33550010418353 # ArkitekturangFilipinoA HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM IN THE PHILIPPINES # ARKITEKTURANG FILIPINO A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISMIN THE PHILIPPINES https://archive.org/details/arkitekturangfil0000lico # ARKITEKTURANG FILIPINO A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISMIN THE PHILIPPINES GERARD LICO The University of the Philippines PressDiliman,Quezon City THE UNIVERSITY OFTHE PHILIPPINES PRESS E.de los Santos St.,UP Campus,Diliman,Quezon City 1101Tel.Nos.:9253243/Telefax No.:9282558E-mail:press@up.edu.ph ◎2008 by Gerard Rey Lico All rights reserved. No copies can be made in part orin whole without priorwritten permission from the author and the publisher. The National Library of the Philippines CIP Data ## Recommended entry: Lico,Gerard. Arkitekturang Filipino:a history of architectureand urbanism in the Philippines/Gerard Lico.一Quezon City:The University of the PhilippinesPress,c2008. p.;cm. 1.Architecture-Philippines-History.2.Architecture,Domestic-Philippines.3.Vernacular architecture一Philippines.I.Title. NA1527720.95992009 Po91000058ISBN978-971-542-579-7 Book Design:Gerard Lico Printed in the Phlippines by Econofast Press 1 2 3 Table of Contents Foreword……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ix Rodrigo D. Perez,II Preface…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………xi Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………xiii Maria Cristina V. Turalba Between the Earth and Sky Early Philippine Shelters Cave Dwellings as the Early Human Shelter………………………………………………………3 Nomadism and Ephemeral Portable Architecture ………………………………………………5 Arboreal Shelter:Dwelling High on Tree…………………………………………………………………………7 Rice Terraces-The Prehistoric Megastructure………………………………………………………11 Philippine Vernacular Architecture and its Austronesian Ancestry Defining the Vernacular………………………………………………………………………………………………………15 Austronesian Building Heritage and the Aquatic Cultural Network of Asia-Pacific…………………………………………19 The Great Austronesian Expansion………………………………………………………………………………22 Stilt Houses-An Austronesian Legacy…………………………………………………………………………24 The Raised Pile Foundation……………………………………………………………………………………………………27 The Voluminous Thatch Roof………………………………………………………………………………………………28 Traditional Materials and Construction Techniques …………………………………………29 The House as a Ritually Ordered Space …………………………………………………………………30 Regional House Types…………………………………………………………………………………………………………32 Monsoon Frontiers: Ivatan Houses…………………………………………………………………………………………33 Cordillera House………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………35 Isneg…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………35 Kalinga………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………37 Bontoc………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………39 Ifugao…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………41 Kankanay…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………45 Lowland Vernacular Dwellings: The Bahay Kubo…………………………………………………46 Iskwater. Vernacular Architecture for the Urban Margin. ……………………………53 Muslim Space and the Philippine Islamic Architecture Islam in the Philippines………………………………………………………………………………………………………61 Philippine Muslim Concept of Space……………………………………………………………64 The Mosque and the Axis of Prayer…………………………………………………………………………66 The Architecture of the Philippine Mosque ……………………………………………………………71 The Center of lslamic Instruction……………………………………………………………………………………79 Muslim Secular Architecture…………………………………………………………………………………………………………80 Forts and Royal Residences ………………………………………………………………………………80 Mindanao and Sulu Vernacular Houses…………………………………………………………………81 Maranao……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………83 Maguindanao…………………………………………………………………………………………………87 Tausug……………………………………………………………………………………………………………88 Yakan…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………90 Samal………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………92 Badjao……………………………………………

FAQs

What major historical periods does the book cover?

It moves from early Philippine shelters and Austronesian-influenced vernacular architecture, to Islamic architectural traditions, and then to the Hispanic colonial structuring of space and urbanism from 1565 to 1898.

How does the book treat vernacular architecture?

It defines the vernacular and links Philippine building heritage to Austronesian ancestry, including stilt houses, raised pile foundations, roof forms, materials, construction techniques, and regional house types.

What aspects of colonial urbanism and architecture are emphasized?

The discussion includes colonial encounter programs, codification of conquest and city planning, the rise of Intramuros, developments beyond the walls, and architectural institutions such as administration, education, religious conversion sites, and public infrastructures.

Aug 7, 2026

Uploaded by Jiven