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Báhay na bató (Filipino for "stone house"), also known inVisayan languages asbaláy na bató orbalay nga bato, and inSpanish language as Casa de Filipina is a type of building originating during theSpanish colonial period of thePhilippines. It is an updated version of the traditionalbahay kubo of the Christianized lowlanders, known for its use of masonry in its construction. It uses stone and brick materials, and later synthetic concrete, rather than just organic materials of the former style. Its design has evolved, but still maintains thebahay kubo's architectural principle, which is adapted to thetropical climate, stormy season, and earthquake-prone environment of the wholearchipelago of the Philippines. It fusesbahay kubo's architecture with the influence of Spanish colonizers. It is one of the many architecture styles throughout theSpanish Empire known as Arquitectura mestiza. The style is a hybrid ofAustronesian andSpanish architecture; and later, with early 20th-centuryAmerican architecture, supporting the fact that the Philippines is a result of these cultures mixing. Its most common appearance features an elevated, overhanging, wooden upper story (with balustrades,ventanillas, andcapiz-shell sliding windows) standing on wooden posts supported by a rectangular foundation. The posts are placed behind Spanish-style solid stone blocks or bricks, giving the impression of a first floor. The ground level contains storage rooms, cellars, shops, or other business-related functions. The second floor contains the living areas as it is with thebahay kubo. The roof materials are either Spanish-style curving clay tiles (teja de curva)[1] orthatched with leaves (likenipa,sago palm, orcogon). Later 19th-century designs feature galvanization. Roof designs are traditionally high pitched and includegable,hip, or a traditional combination of both (similar to theEast Asian hip-and-gable roof). Horses for carriages are housed in stables calledcaballerizas.
It was popular among the elite or middle-class and the 19th century was the high point of these houses’ construction, when wealthy Filipinos built them all over the archipelago.
The same architectural style was used for Spanish-era convents, monasteries, schools, hotels, factories, and hospitals, with some of the American-eraGabaldon school buildings, all with few adjustments. This style was still used during theAmerican colonization of the Philippines. After theSecond World War, construction of these buildings declined and eventually stopped in favor of post-World War IImodern architecture.
Today, these houses are more commonly calledancestral houses, due to most ancestral homes in the Philippines being ofbahay na bato architecture.
Though theFilipino termbahay na bato means "house of stone", these houses are not entirely made up of stone; some are dominated by wooden materials, while some more modern ones use concrete, in contrast to the organic materials that make up thebahay kubo. The namebahay na bato was applied to the architecture over generations.[2]
Precolonial Philippine architecture is based on traditional stilt houses of the Austronesian people ofSoutheast Asia. The first buildings during the early years of Spanish occupation wereBahay kubo which are made of wood and bamboo materials. It is a type of construction with which the pre-Hispanic indigenous Filipinos had been working expertly since early times and is known asAustronesian architecture. Bahaykubo roofs were made of nipa palm or cogon grass. In its most basic form, the house consisted of four walls enclosing one or more rooms, with the whole structure raised above ground on stilts.[citation needed]
When Spaniards arrived, they quickly introducedSpanish architecture of building a more permanent construction traditions which they inherited from theRomans. They thus began building communities with the church and government as focal points. By the mid-1580s, through the efforts of Domingo Salazar, the first bishop of Manila, and of the Jesuit Antonio Sedeño, edifices began to be constructed of stone. Fr. Sedeño built the first stone building, which was the residence of Bishop Salazar.[citation needed]
By 1587, Governor GeneralSantiago de Vera required all buildings in Manila to be built of stone. For this purpose, the indigenous Filipinos were taught how to quarry and dress stone, prepare and use mortar, and mould bricks. Thus began what has been called the first golden age of building in stone. This new community setup made construction heavier and more permanent materials desirable. Some of these materials included bricks, mortar, tiles, and stone. Heavily favored accounts of towering palaces and splendid mansions reached the peninsula. However, the ambitious plans of the Spaniards were dashed in 1645 when a terrible earthquake struck Manila.[2]
The twin dangers of fire and earthquake gave rise to another type of architecture. Finding European construction styles impractical in local conditions, Spanish and Filipino builders quickly adapted the characteristics of thebahay kubo of the natives and applied it toSpanish Colonial architecture. This type of construction was soon calledbahay na bato or as Jesuit Ignacio Alzina calls it, "arquitectura mestiza" or “mixed architecture”.[2] Under more than three centuries of Spanish initiative, buildings of wood, stone, and brick were constructed all over the archipelago, from theBatanes Islands in the north toTawi-Tawi in the south, fromPalawan in the west toSamar in the east.[2]
DuringWorld War II, the American and Japanese forces destroyed many of these houses.[citation needed]
Different styles depend on each house's individual appearance. For example, somebahay na bato do not haveventanillas, some do not haveCapiz windows, and some lack both. Some have galvanized, tiled, nipa, or cogon roofs. Ground-level walls may be made of bricks, adobe, coral, or wood, although modern structures typically use concrete. While retaining the basic form, the 19th-centurybahay na bato reflected changing tastes by incorporating motifs from other prevalent styles.[2]
Houses such as theVega Ancestral House that have emerging stone works at the bottom part of the house but have almost wooden materials appearance even to the first level walls are still considered bahay na bato; the namebahay na bato was applied to this architecture over generations, as most of these houses use stone materials, contrary to the precolonial era that used little to no stones at all. The same principle applies to the nipa hut: not all nipa huts use nipa materials; some use cogon.
Though many houses are built in a standard design, many houses are also mixed, arranged, patterned and/or coated with a variety of designs from different architectural styles and cultures connected to the Philippines. This is includingChinese,Romanesque andClassical styles among others. These houses could have an unprecedented mixing and matching of architectural styles, such as havingNeogothic andNeo-Mudéjar orMoorish Revival details in the same corners – that is, on top ofBaroque.[3] Although retaining its basic form, the 19th-centurybahay na bato reflected changing tastes through the incorporation of motifs from prevalent styles such asVictorian,Renaissance Revival andNeoclassical decorations which includedcolumns,pilasters,caryatids,atlases andfriezes adopted fromGreco-Roman architecture, the civilizations from which Spanish culture descend. Classical traditions in these houses also appear inBeaux-Arts later in history. The dawn ofArt Nouveau also greatly influenced the mixing of styles and aesthetics of these houses. Many laterbahay na bato buildings adapted design styles,such asArt Deco during the latter era of American rule, and even through the postwar period of loose restoration.[2] The mixing of so many different architectural styles give thebahay na bato a distinct look that is reflective of the Philippines' unified cultures and society.[citation needed]
The style ofbahay na bato may also vary by area. Each region evolved its own building style, which was in many cases dependent on the materials available. As construction techniques were developed, quarries opened, and kilns constructed, various parts of the country began to show a preference for specific building materials.[2] As a result,bahay na bato have several variations along ethnic lines. Thebahay na bato in Cebu, for example, differs from the one in Ilocos and so on.
Manila, the capital of the Philippines, has some of the most diverse styles and materials ofbahay na bato, ranging from the early period of Spanish colonization to the American era. Many were destroyed byWorld War II.[citation needed] The Metro Manila area still has one of the largest concentrations ofbahay na bato houses.[2] Most buildings in Manila andCentral Luzon were of adobe, a volcanictuff quarried from the hills, which is entirely different from materials of the same name found inLatin America (adobe in those Hispanic countries refers to mud and straw formed into rectangular blocks which are then dried in the sun).[2]
In Manila, the largest, fanciest, and most prestigious companies eventually established themselves along theEscolta; by the second half of the 19th century it was the most important commercial district in the country. The opening of Manila as a free port encouragedBritish people,Germans,French people, and other foreigners to set up businesses on the Escolta and adjacent streets, causing many majesticbahay na bato buildings to be built.[2]
Northern Luzon has some of the best preservedbahay na bato in the Philippines. The unique style of the north, commonly in theIlocos Region, usually bases its design on brick materials. This material is commonly used inbahay na bato buildings, houses, churches, walls, monuments andfortification of the region.[2]
Brick was the essential building material in northernLuzon; houses and churches of brick were also built in scattered areas of the archipelago, all the way down toJolo, Sulu.[2] Unique designs of the north may include having the façade walls of the second level made up of stone material in many buildings, rather than the more common wooden second level façade popular in the rest of the country. However, buildings built in this style in the region remain faithful to the nipa hut principle. These non-wooden (stone), second level façade walls styles are also present in some of thebahay na bato of other regions besides the north, like the 1730 Jesuit house ofCebu inVisayas.[2] The wooden second level façade inbahay na bato are still present in the north.[2]
In Vigan, the capital ofIlocos Sur, many homeowners built both stories in brick, which was available in large quantities. With the massive walls, thevolada (an overhanging balcony) disappeared in many residences, and the kitchen became an extension in stone, with vents piercing the walls to let out smoke.
Calabarzon has some of the most thoroughly preserved heritage houses, built mostly using adobe stones.[citation needed] Towns along the coasts of Luzon, especially inBatangas, used roughly hewn blocks of coral and adobe stone.[2]
Thebahay na bato inBulacan and many in Central Luzon are famous for their carvings. The most notable ones are in theMalolos, in its heritage core, where ancestral houses are located.[2] Since adobe lends itself to sculpture, houses in Bulacan had façades decorated with carved flowers, leaves, and religious symbols.[2]
Many constructions in the Bicol peninsula took advantage of the abundant volcanic stone from nearby volcanoes. One characteristic of houses in Bicol is that ground-floor overhangs are common, considering the region's rainy climate and decorations tend to be minimal for these houses. Larger towns in Bicol boast manybahay na bato homes.[2]
Mostbahay na bato inVisayas use coral stone, though many are still adobe and bricks. Cebu, Bohol, Negros, and Iloilo are famous for theirbahay na bato houses.[2] Throughout the Visayas, the craft of cutting coral stones was virtually elevated into a fine art, with blocks fitting so precisely into each other that not even a razor blade could be inserted between them. The material was so durable that it did not have to be protected with a layer ofpaletada.[citation needed] Aside frombahay na bato, Visayan noble settlements are also dominated by mansion-typepayag (bahay kubo), which are built likebahay na bato but use wooden walls instead of stone walls covering the bottom floor. These arts were brought by the Visayan settlers to the coastal towns ofMindanao.[2]
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TheIvatan people ofBatanes have a very different style ofbahay na bato. As the islands of Batanes were absorbed by the colonial Philippines much later through Spanish conquest, theirbahay na bato developed much later as well. Structures combined the pre-colonial Ivatan-style (presumably thejin-jin) and colonial Filipino-stylebahay na bato, particularly the northern style from Ilocos and Cagayan, but with the use of thick limestone blocks instead of the bricks traditionally used in the northern mainland. In addition, structures incorporated practical methods suitable to their unique environment prone to destructive typhoons. Their variant styles include the commonsinadumparan, which is similar to the mainlandbahay na bato, having storage areas below and living quarters above. However, the storage floor is partially underground, acting as a basement, and the first floor serves as living quarters, appearing as a one-story house. Therakuh style, however, upholds the mainland tradition of having the first floor as storage and the second floor as living quarters, appearing as a two-storey house. The mainlandbahay na bato influence is very much clear in therakuh building.[citation needed]
Many convents, monasteries, schools, hospitals, offices, stations, etc. also adapted thebahay kubo architecture to the Spanish colonial style. As a result, many of these buildings end up beingbahay na bato as well.
Examples of such buildings include theUniversity of Santo Tomas (Intramuros),Colegio de Santa Rosa Manila campus,San Juan de Dios Educational Foundation,Tutuban station, AMOSUP hospital, Hotel de Oriente in Binondo,Malacañang Palace, and many other church convents which are still standing today.[2]
Examples:
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TheIntramuros Register of Styles is the mainarchitectural code ofIntramuros, the historic core of the City ofManila,Philippines. The Register of Styles prescribes theBahay na Bato as the default style for new constructions in Intramuros.
The Register became part of Presidential Decree No. 1616, as amended, when it was gazetted by theOfficial Gazette of the Philippines on June 17, 2022.[4] TheIntramuros Administration is the agency of the Philippine Government responsible for the implementation of the Register of Styles.
Intramuros in Manila is the only locality in the Philippines where, for cultural reasons, the use, height, scale, and aesthetics of all new constructions and development are pre-determined and strictly regulated under the force of national law. The Register of Styles, as an integral part of Presidential Decree No. 1616, is the main legal document prescribing and guiding the implementation of pre-war architectural colonial styles in Intramuros.[5][6]
The Register of Styles is the first document to detail the historical styles of Intramuros. It was authored by Rancho Arcilla, who was then the Archivist of the Intramural Administration, and under the initiative ofGuiller Asido, the former Administrator of Intramuros.[5]
By form, the urban landscape of Intramuros mostly lacked setbacks, with buildings that were mostlyterraced (rowhouses).Courtyards or backyards were exceptionally well adapted to the climate. The Intramuros style was described as bothvernacular and cosmopolitan. While its Church and State buildings were European in orientation, albeit adapted and localized, most of the buildings were enclaved within its walls and embraced tropical vernacular constructions as exemplified by theBahay na Bato. Churches, fortifications, and palaces fashioned in European styles, though few, became icons and objects of popular imagination. In contrast, the vernacularBahay na Bato, which was adopted in majority of buildings, prevailed in terms of number of constructions. Except in certain instances, the Register of Styles prescribes tha\eBahay na bato as the default style for new constructions in Intramuros.[6]
Facade with volada,ventanilla andcapiz windowAs with any vernacular architecture, different features ofbahay na bato vary from building to building, and houses may have or lack certain elements from the following list:[citation needed]
Media related toBahay na Bato at Wikimedia Commons
