Philippines · Structural Craft / Decorative Craft
Sipi Capiz / Bintana Capiz
Capiz shell (Placuna placenta) is the windowpane oyster of the Philippines — a nearly flat, translucent bivalve up to 15cm across whose shell is uniquely suitable for thin, flat cutting into panel sections that transmit diffused light. Before glass became available, Philippine colonial architecture used capiz shell panels in wooden frames as windows — producing the characteristic warm, diffuse-amber interior light of Spanish colonial Filipino houses. The capiz shell window-making tradition involves harvesting and cleaning the shells, splitting them to the correct 1–2mm thickness, cutting them to panel dimensions, and fitting them into the nito (vine) or wooden grid frames of the traditional Filipino window. The shell splitting — using a single blade stroke at the exact angle to produce a flat, even sheet — is the defining technical skill.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed
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