THE OKIL VENTING LIGHT SCREEN

Throughout the centuries of Philippine building tradition, from up north of the archipelago to down south, a variety of houses has emerged. Taking on various forms --- the rustic bahay kubo, the elegant bahay na bato, the modest tsalet --- the Filipino house has been shaped by the demands of the environment and available building materials.

Because of our country’s tropical climate, one distinct feature of the Filipino house is the concept of transparency. This characteristic allows for maximum ventilation or better circulation of air, making the house rather comfortable despite the scorching heat and stifling humidity of the tropical climate.

These climatic concerns are addressed with wide windows, elevated floors, roof vents, open porches and fretwok at the upper portions of partitions, giving the Filipino house an airy or maaliwalas ambiance. Hence, making the structure truly “a house that breathes.”

In some parts of Mindanao, particularly around the Davao Gulf area, an architectural detail has evolved in response to the tropical climate --- the okil venting light screen or VLS. This is a creative ventilation detail that brings in outside air and shadowed light into the house’s interior. The light screen consists of repeated patterns of carved wood panels with interesting curving designs in its perforations.

Okil comes from the Malayan word “ukit” which means to carve. The VLS’ flamboyant pattern takes off from the okir, the Maranao’s ornate curvilinear motifs applied in woodcarving, popularly found in the panolong, the potruding beam-end of the torogan or the Maranao datu house.

The VLS, while resembling the calado, runs the whole length of the exterior wall and is also found above the window transom and ventanilla, while the latter is mainly positioned in the upper parts of interior partitions. Aside from allowing cross ventilation, the light screen allows diffused light to stream into the house while casting ornate shadows inside. From the outside, the VLS provides an attractive lace-like ornamention to a humble wooden structure.

A recent documentation of ancestral homes in Mindanao revealed that this architectural feature developed in the southern parts of the island in the early 1900s and eventually disappeared around half a century later. This was the period when large plantations were established in Mindanao, which brought an influx of migrants from different parts of the country. The region, thus, became an melting pot of cultures, bringing together varied building traditions.

During the study, the researchers were able to locate in the sleepy town of Baganga, Davao Oriental, a living artisan of the okil VLS, Hipolito Mulato, who, with other apprentice carpenters from Bohol, travelled to Davao in the 1930s in search of livelihood. Later, becoming a master carpenter, Mr. Mulato, now an octogenarian, would incorporate Mindanawon motifs into his carpentry know-how. His masterpieces, proud residential structures of yore, now dilapidated, can still be found around Bangaga.

Artistic details, though not imperative in building function, plays an important role in architecture. The okil venting light screen was able to fuse both. Indeed, its an outstanding architectural detail that combines fascinating ornamentation with the important demands of tropical design.