17/10/2026
FROM CEBU, TO THE WORLD. Where Design Gives Back.
From a small piece of mountain land in Carmen, Cebu, to being recognized at Japan's Good Design Award 2026, a journey we never imagined would reach this far.
We are deeply honored that Alhibe Farm , our regenerative placemaking project anchored by bamboo architecture, is among the 10 Philippine winners, joining 1,484 awardees selected from 5,111 entries worldwide.
But beyond the recognition, what touches us most is how the jury understood the heart of what we have been trying to nurture all these years.
In their evaluation, the jury recognized Alhibe as a model that brings together tourism, local employment, and agriculture, while embracing the character and culture of its place. They also saw the greater possibility of this approach extending beyond our little corner of the world.
For us, that is perhaps the most meaningful part of this recognition.
Because Alhibe was never simply about building beautiful structures. It began with a desire to live closer to the earth, to learn from the land, to work with what was already there, and to discover how architecture could give back more than it takes.
Over the years, bamboo became shelter, water became a gathering place, trees became our companions, and the farm became a living classroom. None of this happened overnight, nor through our hands alone. It grew through the patience, care, and shared efforts of everyone who planted, built, tended, and believed along the way.
Good design, we believe, should not end where the structure ends. Its value lives on in the land it nurtures, the livelihoods it supports, the relationships it strengthens, and the generations that will inherit it.
From our hearts, thank you to the Good Design Awards Japan for seeing the possibilities in this humble undertaking.
May this recognition inspire more of us to design not only for the world we live in, but for the world we hope to leave behind.
Rooted in Cebu. Growing with nature. Reaching beyond borders.
With gratitude,
M+S Studio Co. Ltd. × Alhibe Farm 🌿
