Studio Alliance Sofya Buluşmasından Öne Çıkanlar

Our destination for the final meeting of 2026 was Sofia. Following Hamburg and Basel, we once again came together with teams from across Europe. The programme, spread across several days, was both busy and enjoyable, ranging from the Place X final presentations and Studio Alliance meetings to discussions on artificial intelligence and a dinner complete with traditional Bulgarian dancing.

The meeting in Bulgaria provided a valuable opportunity to gain new insights, share different perspectives, strengthen our collaborations and once again experience the power of the Studio Alliance community.

The Final Stage of an 18 Month Journey with Place X

The first day of the programme featured the final presentations of Place X: Human-Centric Workplace Design, marking the conclusion of a journey that lasted approximately 18 months.

Participants from different countries and professional disciplines presented their final projects, demonstrating how they had applied the knowledge gained throughout the programme to their own areas of work. In addition to design and workplace specialists, participants from marketing, business development and project management showed that human-centred design extends far beyond architectural solutions.

Those who successfully completed the programme also received their certificates during a ceremony held in Sofia.

One of the most valuable aspects of Place X was the opportunity to approach the same body of knowledge from different professional perspectives. Rather than considering human-centred design only through the question, “How can we design a better office?”, we had the opportunity to explore it from several angles:

How can we better understand user needs?
How can we translate insights gained from these needs into project strategy?
How can we communicate the value created through design more effectively to clients?
How can we apply a human-centred approach across different business processes?

Following the final presentations, the programme continued in a more social atmosphere. The welcome cocktail provided a wonderful opportunity to meet Studio Alliance members face to face again after seeing many of them mainly on screen, catch up and hear about developments across different countries.

What Was Discussed at the Studio Alliance Sofia Meeting?

The second day began with a full day Studio Alliance programme. The morning sessions focused on the future of the Alliance, ways to strengthen knowledge sharing among members and how collaboration across Europe could create greater value.

One of the common themes throughout the discussions was people, knowledge and projects. We exchanged ideas on bringing the right people together, making better use of our shared knowledge and turning this strong network into real project opportunities.

One of Studio Alliance’s greatest strengths is its ability to bring local experience from different countries together within a shared knowledge network. The discussions in Sofia helped us develop new perspectives on how this collective expertise could be used more effectively for members, clients and projects.

How Is Artificial Intelligence Transforming Business Processes?

One of the key topics of the day was, inevitably, artificial intelligence. However, the discussions were not limited to new tools or image generation technologies.

We explored how artificial intelligence could be used in practical areas such as Design & Build processes, cost estimation, data analysis, bid preparation, operations and business development. Various examples highlighted the potential of technology to accelerate routine tasks, analyse large volumes of data and support decision making.

At the same time, there was a strong emphasis on the need to verify AI generated outputs, protect organisational knowledge and ensure that human judgement remains part of the process.

From a business development perspective, we also discussed how data and artificial intelligence could help identify the right opportunities at an earlier stage. Technology can analyse more data and detect early signals, but local market knowledge, strong relationships and experience still belong to people. The most effective approach was recognised as one that combines technological capabilities with human expertise.

Human Intuition Alongside Technology

Following the technology focused sessions, the presentation on brand-led placemaking and human intuition brought a complementary perspective to the programme.

The session explored why spaces should be considered not only in terms of function, square metres or aesthetics, but also through purpose, story, identity and user experience. Powerful examples demonstrated how asking “Why does this place exist?” before “What are we designing?” can transform both the design brief and the resulting experience.

This approach once again reminded us that while new technologies are transforming design and project processes, human intuition, empathy and the meaning carried by a space remain just as important.

Studio Alliance Awards and Celebrating Together

Following an intensive programme, it was time for the Studio Alliance Awards ceremony and dinner. This year’s ceremony also brought a particularly proud moment for Diem. Our co-founder Melih Şamlı received the “Person of the Year” award at the Studio Alliance Awards.

The serious topics of the day then gave way to Bulgarian cuisine, music and traditional dancing. Before long, almost everyone had joined the dance. Teams from different countries gathering around the same table, sharing laughter and dancing together at the end of the evening perfectly captured why Studio Alliance creates such a strong sense of community beyond being a professional collaboration network.

For us, the Sofia meeting was more than the conclusion of a conference or training programme. It was an opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, evaluate new technologies, reconnect with the human side of design and enjoy spending time together.

We would like to thank the SGI Architects & Masterplanners team for hosting us in Sofia and for their contribution to every detail of the programme.

We returned from Sofia with our certificates, new ideas and wonderful memories. The next step is to translate everything we learned into real projects and new collaborations.

If you would like to explore Studio Alliance’s other meetings from 2026, you can read the key insights from our two days in Hamburg and discover our experiences from the Basel meeting .