The other day, one of my fellow THD residents asked me about the Bahay Kubo term he heard from a Filipino friend. I did some search and here's what I learned.
The báhay kúbo, kubo, or payág (in the Visayan languages), is a type of stilt house indigenous to the Philippines. Often serving as an icon of Philippine culture, its design heavily influenced the Spanish colonial-era bahay na bato architecture.
Etymology:
The Filipino term báhay kúbo roughly means "country house", from Tagalog. The term báhay ("house") is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *balay referring to "public building" or "community house"; while the term kúbo ("hut" or "[one-room] country hut") is from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kubu, "field hut [in rice fields]".
The term "nipa hut", introduced during the Philippines' American colonial era, refers to the hut version of bahay kubo. While nipa leaves were the thatching (pawid) material often used for the roofs, not all bahay kubo are huts or used nipa materials.
History:
Classical period (pre-Hispanic era)
Distinction between each tribes and cultures' style may have been more visible during the pre-hispanic period. Different architectural designs are present among each ethnolinguistic group in what is now the Philippines and throughout the Southeast Asia and Pacific as part of the whole Austronesian architecture.
They were designed to endure the climate and environment of the Philippines. These structures were temporary, made from plant materials like bamboo. The accessibility of the materials made it easier to rebuild when damaged by a storm or earthquake.
Bahay na bato
Bahay na bato developed from the bahay kubo with noticeable Spanish influence. Its design evolved throughout the ages but maintained its nipa hut architectural roots. Its most common appearance is like that of stilt nipa hut that stands on Spanish style stone blocks or bricks as a foundation instead of wood or bamboo stilts.
The bahay na bato, followed the nipa hut's arrangements such as open ventilation and elevated apartments. 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. The differences between the two houses were their foundational materials. The bahay na bato was constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo materials. It is a mixture of native Filipino, and Spanish influences.
During the 19th century, wealthy Filipinos built houses with solid stone foundations or brick lower walls, and overhanging. Wooden upper story/stories with balustrades. The ventanillas and capiz-shell sliding windows were both native Filipino influences on the design. The thatched nipa roof (pawid) is often replaced with Spanish-style curved clay tiles known as teja de curva.
Bahay na bato had a rectangular plan that reflected the Hispano-American Antillean architectural style integrated with traditional Philippine style. Today these houses are more commonly called ancestral houses.
Characteristics:
The hut was typically made of local building materials found in nature such as wood, bamboo and cogon grass. Similar to modern Feng shui, vernacular and superstitious reasons for the materials are considered.
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. The windows to the hut were large to allow cool air in. Similar conditions in Philippine lowland areas have led to characteristics "typical" of examples of bahay kubo.
Bubóng (roof)
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. 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. The steep pitch of the roofs is often used to explain why many bahay kubo survived the ash fall from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, when more 'modern' houses collapsed from the weight of the ash.
Silíd (living space)
The main living area is designed to let in as much fresh air and natural light as possible. Smaller bahay kubo will often have bamboo slat floors which allow cool air to flow into the living space from the silong below (in which case the silong is not usually used for items which produce strong smells). 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.
Dungawán (windows)
Bahay kubo are typically built with large windows, to let in more air and natural light. The most traditional are large awning windows, held open by a wooden rod. Sliding windows are also common, made either with plain wood or with Capiz shell-panes which allow some light to enter the living area even with the windows closed. In more recent decades inexpensive jalousie windows became common.
In larger examples, the large upper windows may be augmented with smaller windows called ventanillas (Spanish for "little window") underneath, which can be opened for ventilation to let in additional air on especially hot days.
Legacy:
American architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney visited the Philippines for three months in 1850. He noticed that during a storm, bahay kubo structures are very "light and flexible"; they only seem to dance and sway through storms. This inspired him to emulate the flexibility of bahay kubo in 1879 when he built the first lighter building. In 1884, he built the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, the first metal-framed skyscraper in the United States. Because of this, he became known as "The Father of Modern American Skyscrapers", and the Home Insurance building would become the predecessor of all the modern skyscrapers in the world, showing how important the bahay kubo is in history.
Source: Wikipedia
Meanwhile, Did You Know? Magellan underestimated Lapu-Lapu’s forces, assuming his superior weapons would secure an easy victory. Instead, his army was outnumbered and defeated in hand-to-hand combat!
Lapu-Lapu’s resistance against Magellan in the Battle of Mactan (1521) is often seen as an act of patriotism, but some historians suggest it was more about protecting trade dominance. At that time, Mactan was a key player in local commerce, competing with Rajah Humabon of Cebu, who had allied with the Spaniards. Magellan’s attempt to assert Spanish authority may have threatened Lapu-Lapu’s economic control, prompting the fierce resistance.
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