Amakan

The term can also be applied to baskets and banig (soft woven mats made from pandan leaves, buri palm straw, abaca, or sedges), which also use the same weaving patterns.

They are lightweight and porous, allowing air circulation to keep buildings cool in the hot tropical climate.

The porosity also balances pressure inside the house during strong winds, minimizing roof damage.

It is not uncommon for amakan to also be used as a design element (usually as cladding or paneling) in modern Filipino architecture to portray a rustic, traditional and tropical aesthetic.

This results in a lengthwise woven panel with the split midrib providing the upper and lower border.

A typical amakan wall in a beach hut in Misamis Oriental
Amakan walls in diamond and cross patterns in Bukidnon
Interior view of a traditional roof made from thatched nipa leaves ( pawid ) in Pulilan , Bulacan