Bahay kubo
[1][2] Often serving as an icon of Philippine culture,[3] its design heavily influenced the Spanish colonial-era bahay na bato architecture.
Christianized peoples such as the Tagalogs, Visayans, Ilocanos, Kapampangans, Bicolanos, Cagayanons, Mestizos, Criollos, Chinese and Japanese were send to live in the lowlands.
It was popular among the elite or middle class and integrated the characteristics of the nipa hut with the style, culture, and technology of Spanish architecture.
[10] The bahay kubo was elevated above ground or water on stilts as protection from pests, predators and floods, and usually consisted of one room where the whole family would dine, sleep and do other household activities; thus, access to the hut was by ladder.
The roof was made of palm leaves smoked for waterproofing and consisted of long steep eaves to allow water to flow down more easily.
[11] The traditional roof shape of the bahay kubo is tall and steeply pitched, with an apex called the "angkub" and long eaves descending from it.
[2] A tall roof creates space above the living area through which warm air could rise, giving the bahay kubo a natural cooling effect even during the dry season.
The steep pitch allows water to flow down quickly at the height of the monsoon season while the long eaves give people a limited space to move about around the house's exterior when it rains.
A bahay kubo may be built without an atip (ceiling) so that hot air can rise straight into the large area just beneath the roof and out through strategically placed vents.
[12] The cube shape distinctive of the bahay kubo arises from the fact that it is easiest to pre-build the walls and then attach them to the wooden stilt-posts that serve as the corners of the house.
[2] Some bahay kubo, especially those built for long-term residences, feature a batalán ("wet area" or "pantaw") distinct from other sections of the house—usually jutting out somewhat from one of the walls.
A nipa hut is an icon of Philippine culture as it represents the Filipino value of bayanihan, which refers to a spirit of communal unity or effort to achieve an objective.
[3][15] A famous folk song, "Bahay Kubo", is often sung in schools, and is about a small house surrounded by vegetables,[16] reading thus:[17][18]
Bahay kubo, kahit munti, ang halaman doon ay sari-sari: singkamas at talong, sigarilyas at mani, sitaw, bataw, patani,
Kundol, patola, upo't kalabasa, At saka mayroon pang labanos, mustasa, sibuyas, kamatis, bawang at luya.
Other examples of native Austronesian architecture in the Philippines also include structures like the fayu and katyufong of Bontoc; bale and abong of Ifugao; binayon of Kalinga; binangiyan of Kankanai; jin-jin of Ivatan; baley of the Matigsalug; binanwa of Ata; bolloy of Klata; baoy of Ovu-Manuvo; bale of the Bagobo Tagabawa; bong-gumne of Blaan; uyaanan of Mansaka; gunu-bong of T'boli; lawig, mala-a-walai, langgal, lamin and torogan of the Maranao; bay-sinug of Tausug; lumah of Yakan; and others.
