View allAll Photos Tagged indigenousarchitecture
Pre-colonial Mountain House - by JBulaong 2020 #Precolonialmountainhouse #PrecolonialPhilippines #Maharlika #Philippinearchitecture #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture #lanzones
Pre-colonial Lakeside House - by JBulaong 2020 #Precoloniallakesidehouse #PrecolonialPhilippines #Maharlika #Philippinearchitecture #tboligirl #tnalak #LakeSebu #Mindanao #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture
Pre-colonial Upland House - by JBulaong 2020 #Precolonialuplandhouse #PrecolonialPhilippines #Maharlika #Philippinearchitecture #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture
Pre-colonial Lowland House - by JBulaong 2020 #Maharlika #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #PrecolonialPhilippines #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture #Philippinearchitecture
Pre-colonial Maranao Royal House with Princess' Chamber - JBulaong 2020
#lamin #torogan #Maranaoroyalhouse #Mindanao #Precolonialhouse #PrecolonialPhilippines #Maharlika #Philippinearchitecture #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture
This is an old Bidayuh panggah, sometimes called a skull house. In the past, it was where the skulls from headhunting were kept, symbols of courage and protection for the community. The panggah was also the place where warriors and unmarried young men stayed, apart from the women and children, guarding the longhouse as the first line of defence. Today, it stands in silence, weathered and broken in parts, yet carrying the memory of a way of life now fading. For the Bidayuh, the panggah was never just a shelter of wood and leaves ā it was a place of pride, duty, and identity.
Bahay Kubo Retreat - by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas painting 24" X 32" #bahaykubo #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #bahaykubodesign #bahaykuboperspective #bahaykuboconcept #PhilippineArchitecture #PilipinoArchitecture #FilipinoHouse #painting #tropicalhouse #tropicalarchitecture #indigenousarchitecture #woodenhouse #nipahut
Maharlikan House - by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas painting 24" X 32"
#Maharlika #precolonialPhilippines #precolonialPhilippinenipahouse #utopia #Ophir #islandsofgold #Chryse #indigenousarchitecture #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #PhilippineArchitecture #FilipinoHouse #painting #tropicalhouse #tropicalarchitecture #indigenousarchitecture #woodenhouse
Pre-Colonial Goldsmithing Village by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas
#PreColonialPhilippines #Maharlika #JBulaong #islandsofgold #Ophir #oiloncanvas #painting #Philippinearchitecture #indigenousarchitecture #goldsmithingvillage #baybayin #utopia
Buwan (Courtship at Bahay Kubo) - by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas painting 24" X 32" #bahaykubo #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #bahaykubodesign #bahaykuboperspective #bahaykuboconcept #PhilippineArchitecture #PilipinoArchitecture #FilipinoHouse #painting #tropicalhouse #tropicalarchitecture #indigenousarchitecture #woodenhouse #nipahut #harana #serenade
Datu House - by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas 24" x 32"
#Datuhouse #Maharlika #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #painting #PrecolonialPhilippines #Islandsofgold #Ophir #utopia #ancientPhilippinegold #Filipinohouse #indigenousarchitecture #Philippinearchitecture
Ifugao House - by JBulaong 2019 oil on canvas painting 24" X 32" #Sagada #Ifugao #Banaue #JBulaong #oiloncanvas #PhilippineArchitecture #PilipinoArchitecture #FilipinoHouse #painting #tropicalarchitecture #indigenousarchitecture #vernaculararchitecture #hagabibench #Ifugaohouse
The choza is a structure common to the Ecuador highlands with a grass roof an mud or stone walls and can be homes, barns or storage sheds. Although I've seen many chozas, this was the first I'd seen with the braided grass on the roof. There was nobody around to ask why the braids were there, but I suspect this area gets some pretty strong winds and the braids add weight and durability to the roof. This is at an elevation of over 4000 meters and the weather here can be harsh. I took this photo at 1 p.m. and the temp was only 4 C (39 F).
This is in the area on the western side of Mt. Chimborazo, which at 6310 meters is the highest peak in Ecuador and the point farthest from the center of the earth.
Looking up from the center of the Potomac Atrium in the National Museum of the American Indian, visitors are met with a mesmerizing architectural spectacle: a concentric oculus spiraling upward toward the sky. This iconic interior element, located at the heart of the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C., echoes Indigenous architectural traditions that center light, circularity, and the natural world.
Designed by Douglas Cardinal (Blackfoot/Algonquin) in partnership with Johnpaul Jones (Cherokee/Choctaw) and the firm Jones & Jones, the building opened in 2004 and stands as a celebration of Native peoples across the Western Hemisphere. The oculusāsymbolizing the connection between earth and skyāis central to that vision. As natural light pours in from the skylight above, it moves with the sun, tracing daily and seasonal rhythms deeply rooted in Native cosmologies.
This photograph captures the oculus looking straight up, emphasizing the soft radial flow of the architecture. The gentle curvesāfree of sharp cornersāecho the natural erosion of stone by wind and water. Rings of light fixtures sparkle like stars or ancestral spirits, reinforcing a sense of cosmic unity. From this vantage point, the building becomes almost celestial, a quiet act of reverence and grounding in a city of marble and monuments.
Unlike the rigid symmetry of classical architecture found elsewhere on the National Mall, the Potomac Atriumās spiraling form draws on organic and Indigenous spatial concepts, honoring communal gathering spaces such as kivas and longhouses. It functions not just as a dramatic architectural moment but as a ceremonial centerāwhere festivals, dances, and public programs come to life.
The oculus is more than a design flourish. It is a spiritual and cultural gesture, framing the sky as a place of story, ceremony, and continuity. It connects the past with the present and futureālinking generations of Native peoples to each other and to the land.
Photographing from the center looking up offers viewers a rare perspective on this sacred geometry, revealing layers of meaning that transcend materials and form. In a city dominated by power and politics, the National Museum of the American Indian reminds us of deeper truthsāof cycles, light, land, and legacy.
Undulating curves of golden Kasota limestone greet visitors at the entrance of the Smithsonianās National Museum of the American Indian, a bold architectural statement on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This photo captures the museumās sinuous faƧade and sweeping canopyāan homage to natural rock formations shaped by wind and water. Opened in 2004 and designed by Douglas Cardinal (Blackfoot/Algonquin) in collaboration with Johnpaul Jones (Cherokee/Choctaw) and the firm Jones & Jones, the building is the first Smithsonian museum dedicated solely to Native American heritageāand the first to be designed by Indigenous architects.
Rather than adopting neoclassical or Brutalist tropes common to federal buildings, the design draws from Native philosophies and relationships to land, light, and ceremony. The absence of straight lines echoes the belief that nature itself is curvilinear, flowing, alive. The main entrance faces the rising sun, in alignment with spiritual traditions. The textured limestone, quarried in Minnesota, exudes warmth and seems to ripple across the buildingās surface like layers of sediment or memory.
The museum was envisioned as more than a place to view artifactsāitās a cultural hub where Native voices are centered. Exhibits are developed in collaboration with Indigenous communities, and the museum hosts festivals, talks, and performances celebrating Native resilience and storytelling.
In this image, the interplay of organic forms and architectural precision is striking. Glass curtain walls arc inward and outward, blurring the threshold between built environment and the natural world. The overhang above the entrance shields visitors in a welcoming gesture, like a canyon alcove or the arms of a sheltering ancestor.
Set against the urban geometry of Washington, D.C., the building offers a tactile, poetic contrast. It reminds us that Indigenous cultures are not relics of the past but vibrant contributors to the present and future. Through both its content and its form, the National Museum of the American Indian asserts presence, sovereignty, and continuity.
Baguio City's shooting vertical population continues to build high-rises even on impossible slopes. An investigative journalist once called Baguio "A Disaster-Waiting-to-Happen."
American architect Daniel Burnham designed Baguio City in the early 1900s for a projected population of only 25,000. The city's current population stands at 360,000 permanent residents.
Transient population, plus tourists, swells it up to close to 2-million during peak seasons.
three views of a beautiful barn in northern Virginia, about an hour's drive west from Washington; the weathered board-and-batten wood and the worn metal roofs sit handsomely in the well tended, gently rolling field
The adults on the left are Ingrid (born Sarri) and her husband Nils Andersen Inga. In front of the parents are Berit and Ole Nilsen. The lady on the right is Ellen, sister of Ingrid. In front of Ellen are the children Inger Anna and Tomas. The children of Inger Anna are reindeer herders still today.
Native Hut
Photo taken in Jan. 2007
in Sagada, Mountain Province
Philippine Cordillera
Southeast Asia
This is an example of indigenous architecture in the mountain villages of the Philippine Cordillera, with slight variations from tribe to tribe.
There is a door but no stairs. Well, the stairs are pulled up for security, especially at night.
This kind of dwelling is fast vanishing though in favor of modern materials such as concrete, iron and metal.
three views of a beautiful barn in northern Virginia, about an hour's drive west from Washington; the weathered board-and-batten wood and the worn metal roofs sit handsomely in the well tended, gently rolling field
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2009 -,
A cluster of houses, gust rooms and studios for a large extended family on a farm.
As you would have gathered, the honeycomb brick work acts as temporary support for arch construction above. The man in grey standing on the ground has just thrown a brick to the man sitting near the top rung of the ladder, who has just caught it. Judging by the pile of bricks on the ground it must have taken a while to shift.
This main elevation with most of the living and sleeping accommodation of the owners house will face a large garden with a swimming pool.
For more see here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2001-
A unique Mausoleum currently under construction, for two modern Gnostics from Lahore. Hafiz Iqbal and his mentor Baba Hassan Din lived on the site of their mausoleum for a significant part of their lives and now their resting places lay under two identical domes around cloisters modelled on shrine of Imam Ali in Najaf.
It is said that Baba Din was an Englishman working for railways in Birmingham who arrived in Lahore in early 50s of last century to become a Sufi ascetic.
Din adopted a poor local boy, Hafiz Iqbal and educated him to high university standards but Iqbal decided to become a street sweeper under an assumed Christian name to experience life almost as an outcast.
The work on Mausoleum started soon after the death of Hafiz Iqbal, using only natural materials. The whole structure is built of local clay bricks and lime mortar prepared and mixed on site. The craftsmen use traditional tools and techniques, some revived especially for task. Some of the decorations are copied from the walls of Red Fort in Delhi. The false burial chambers are decorated with Organic verses chosen by Hafiz Iqbal, inscribed in ink made from burned mustard oil in the style of calligraphy taken from Taj Mahal.
The building will also house a Pharmacy and Library for public use.
For more see here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz 2009 -, This is another house in the foreground, the two storey block in the background contains guest accommodation with garages and servant quarters below. As you would note and I was informed by a very proud site engineer that there is not an ounce of concrete or a steel reinforcement rod anywhere on this site. Roofs are formed in brickwork without any form work for support.
Once again the lime preparing ponds can be seen in future courtyard.
For more see here here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2001- , The central courtyard contains the lime preparing tanks. It is said that the requirements of organic additives have been accidentally fulfilled by thousands of baby frogs perishing in these pools after rains.
One of the false chambers over the actual grave in the basement can be seen behind the marble 'jali', under the double dome above, an exact replica of Imam Ali's shrine in Najaf.
For more see here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2001. A modest but beautifully designed and crafted house for a professional couple and their family. This two storey high central space with raised brick vaulted feature also act as an efficient ventilation stack to create through ventilation to all rooms in the house. The external cavity brick walls are protected from intense sun in summer months by dropping reed matting from projecting concrete slabs at each floor level.
For more see here
It is a carving on the rice barn of Toraja. The design and colors reflect the philosophy of Toraja civilization on Sulawesi Island - INDONESIA
by: Ng Sebastian
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2009. This is the interior of the Mosque. Carpenter's table is in the foreground and half completed door frames and doors all around. My first naive reaction was of surprise to see electrical conduits cut into the brick work, which in my ignorance I assumed was going to be left exposed but I was told that in true traditional manner, every square inch would be tiled or plastered and decorated with calligraphy, natural forms and patterns to create a meditative calm space for praying. Once again the proportions of openings and walls are excellent.
For more see here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 2009.
This mosque is being built for a new community by a private client. Once again all materials are natural ā brick and lime mortar and render. Domes are being covered in traditional ceramic tile made in Thatta, using the same cobalt oxide as used in Mogul days. Terracotta decorations are made in a special kiln locally. The wood is taken out of trees chosen by the master craftsman, who then dries and cut the logs
and works on site to produce doors and frames.
The man sitting on the ground is master carpenter, who chooses the tree logs, cuts and cures them and proceed to make door frames and doors on a small electric cutting and planing table placed just on the other side of the first arch.
The proportions of the Mosque have been worked out using established rules of Islamic architecture. I will have to admit that the scale and ambience in and around Mosque is calming and quite enchanting.
For more see here
Architect; Kamil Khan Mumtaz, 1960s? . This very competent elevational treatment, unmistakably out of prevailing 60s aesthetics in western world was not acceptable to architect for much longer as he soon changed his approach to design.
For more see my Blog
It is a traditional village in Toraja in the interior of Sulawesi Island - Indonesia
by: Ng Sebastian
Tongkonan is a traditional house of Toraja ethnic on the interior of Sulawesi or Celebes island.
by: Ng Sebastian
Rodent-Proof Granary.
This old rice granary is where most of the palay grains harvest of a family is kept for future consumption. Souvenirs of abundant feasts, such as carabao horns, are also hung to it as decoration or status symbol.
This photo was taken in December 2006 in a remote mountain village of the Philippine Cordillera.
a picturesque barn along the roadside in northern Virginia's Fauquier County, about an hour's drive west of Washington
I took this picture while researching a Financial Times article found at www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e5887f8e-443f-11e0-931d-00144feab49a.h... and a video found at video.ft.com/v/805913439001/Seychelles-battles-Somali-pir...
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
People's House, Places, The Anishnaabeg Gamig, the Longhouse
three views of a beautiful barn in northern Virginia, about an hour's drive west from Washington; the weathered board-and-batten wood and the worn metal roofs sit handsomely in the well tended, gently rolling field