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“Reinventing S.O.A.: SERVICE-ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE”

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Rino D.A. Fernandez, UAP
Professor, UST College of Architecture

Rino D.A. Fernandez is an architect by profession and currently the Research Consultant
of Escuela Taller-Intramuros, a school on conservation and restoration funded by the Agencia
Española Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo (AECID). Aside from this, he is also
a faculty member of the College of Architecture of the University of Santo Tomas and a
former dean of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts of Aquinas University of Legazpi.

“Revisiting Filipino-Hispanic Ancestral Houses:
An Examination of their Architectural Form and Influences”
Fil-Hispanic ancestral houses are materials and spatial expressions of the Filipinos’
social, economic, and cultural values. For a long time, it has been part of the rich built heritage
of the country. It is repository of knowledge particularly on the aspects of sustainable forms
and layout, compatibility with local climate and culture, and building techniques based on
experience and practical wisdom.
The prosperity brought about by the global trade during the 19th Century Industrial
Period resulted to the construction of this type of houses in almost every town and city, some
of which bear architectural features unexamined before. This study aimed to analyze these
features and determine form and influences; i.e. whether there exist regional variations
among the houses built in various places during the Spanish period.
The analysis focused both on exterior and spatial elements. Fifty plans of Fil-Hispanic
houses in Manila retrieved from the archives and another fifty existing houses from various
places were used in the study. Aside from the archival research, measured and field survey
were also used to produced plans and records current features and conditions.
Results show that spatial and façade elements are common in almost every house in
Manila and other provinces, although there are distinct characters inherent in the ancestral
houses of every place due to the way the community applied such elements. Notable to this
is Vigan’s houses distinct architecture. Vigan houses are exceptionally the best example
of a regionally distinct and regionally understood house architecture that emerged and
developed only in Vigan. The houses in Bicol embody simplicity in its design and are devoid
of any elaborate ornamentation. The houses in Bicol are exactly the opposite of the houses
in Bulacan, Bohol, and Iloilo. In these places, houses embody both internal and external
ornamentation although Iloilo houses are the most ornate. Houses in Negros epitomize a
sense of autonomy and freedom, having been built in the midst of a wonderful landscape
and with wonderful views from it. Generally, overall design of Fil-Hispanic houses show
qualities of an ecological and sustainable structure that are adapted to the environment,
having been building materials drawn directly from their surroundings. These findings will
help widen understanding of traditional design principles of the houses, and could be
reinterpreted in modern Philippine houses.
37th UAP National Convention © 2011

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