IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A

Abstract

Due to the 381 years of Spanish and American colonial rule in the Philippines, colonial residential styles—such as those in Silay City—are seen to be complex in language because of the blending of different cultures, contexts, perspectives, materials, and technologies. Therefore, a typological investigation will be performed with the main goal of categorizing the façade openings of selected ancestral houses constructed between 1850 and 1930, which are part of the Silay Historical Protected Site in Negros Occidental. Since doors and windows are key entities that help make the elevation’s focal point and visual appeal, the research will classify the visual order of these elements using the gestalt principles. These fundamental façade components are represented by colors so that we can consider them independently and in combination to form the façade. The study will look at how the shape, design, and regional identity of Negrense house facades were influenced by the composition, spatial organization, scale, patterns, ornamentation, and construction technologies utilized throughout the colonial era. In addition, based on their current typological qualities and components, it will provide a chronology and classification system for the numerous architectural façade styles used in the city. Further the findings demonstrates that the materials and technologies brought to Silay throughout the colonial era produced a distinctive element for a particular period, and that each sample made an effort to maintain its own distinctive identity even during the transition between two colonial powers and in contexts in which shared characteristics are also present. Accordingly, the Negrense domestic architecture is thus a product of technological transfer from Spanish and American architecture, but it was built in accordance to changing user requirements.