About
blng studio is an architecture-led, multi-disciplinary design studio based in London. We work across architecture, environments, and objects—exploring how design can connect people and context through spaces that are human-centred, contemporary, and tactile.
Our approach balances function and delight, integrating concept, material intelligence, and disciplined execution into a coherent design process. We are a team of designers working across disciplines, driven by curiosity—expanding a 70-year dialogue across three family generations on how design can evolve with culture, context, and time.
Ariadna López Bieling & Leo Bieling
Led by the third family generation, Ariadna and Leo Bieling, the studio brings together Leo’s German-British precision and discipline with Ariadna’s Mexican warmth, materiality, and tactility. This cultural dialogue shapes a design language that balances structure and generosity, clarity and emotion—infusing each project with a sense of purpose and humanity.
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"Architecture is one expression of what we do.
We work across multiple design environments—
connecting people and context."
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Ariadna completed her architectural education at the Architectural Association in London and Pratt Institute in New York. Before establishing the London studio, she worked internationally with Heatherwick Studio and Architecture at Large, contributing to projects that bridged architecture, art, and design. Her work is defined by a sensitivity to material, tactility, and atmosphere, shaping environments that balance clarity and emotion.
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Leo is a graduate of the Architectural Association in London and TU Vienna, and is a registered architect in the UK and Germany. His experience includes positions at Zaha Hadid Architects, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and Plus Studio, where he honed his expertise in computational design and fabrication. His approach combines precision, structure, and process, integrating digital craft with architectural intent.
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"We craft spaces people feel connected to and return to."
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Together, Leo and Ariadna lead blng studio as creative partners, guiding a multi-disciplinary team working across architecture, environments, and objects. Their shared belief in design as inquiry defines the studio’s ethos—creating human-centred spaces that balance function and delight, and evolve through care, curiosity, and collaboration.
Design Approach:
Function and Delight
A design process that moves from concept to craft.
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Our work begins with clear ideas—shaped through dialogue, context, and intent. Each project is distilled to its essence, balancing function and delight in equal measure.
We explore the sensory and spatial qualities of material, light, and proportion, ensuring that every detail contributes to the overall experience. Architecture is one expression of what we do—an outcome of design thinking applied across scales and disciplines.
As creative partners, we collaborate closely with clients, makers, and consultants, bringing together technical precision and human insight to deliver environments that endure and resonate.
Studio Culture:
A Shared Ethos
Collaboration, curiosity, and craft across disciplines.
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​blng studio operates as an open studio—where architects and designers share ideas, processes, and perspectives. Our culture values curiosity, precision, and care in equal measure.
Each project is approached as a collective inquiry: how can design create meaning, foster connection, and elevate daily experience? This spirit of collaboration extends to our network of craftspeople, engineers, artists, and researchers—people who share our belief in design as a process of making with intent.
Teaching & Collaboration:
Beyond the Studio
Extending design through teaching, dialogue, and community.
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​We believe that design thrives through exchange—between practice, education, and community.
Leo Bieling has led design and fabrication workshops at ETH Zurich, Tsinghua University Beijing, and UCL Bartlett, exploring the intersection of craft, computation, and construction. This engagement complements the studio’s ongoing research into new materials and fabrication methods.
Beyond academia, blng studio contributes to the wider community through initiatives that promote design awareness and local collaboration. Leo’s involvement with the Rotary Club of London connects the studio to charitable and outreach efforts—rooted in the same values of connection and care that define our practice.
Roots
blng studio builds on the legacy of a family practice founded in 1955 in Kassel, Germany. Across three generations, the Bieling name has stood for rigour, craftsmanship, and precise delivery—values that continue to ground the studio today.
This ongoing story forms part of a 70-year dialogue on how design can endure, connect, and elevate daily life—each generation interpreting these principles through their own time, scale, and vision.
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Prof. Thomas Bieling
Succeeding his father in 1988, Prof. Thomas Bieling led the practice through a period of prolific expansion and design transformation, extending its reach across Germany and Central Europe. His work was marked by a distinct architectural sensibility—refined, contextual, and expressive—positioning the studio at the forefront of design dialogue in Germany.
Through both practice and academia, as Professor of Design and Construction at the University of Kassel, Thomas championed the integration of creative inquiry and technical precision, shaping a generation of architects and influencing the evolution of contemporary design expression. His sensibility placed the studio at the forefront of architectural expression in Germany, bridging craft, discipline, and innovation in a body of work that continues to influence the practice today.
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Josef Bieling (1919–1981)
Founder of the family practice in 1955, Josef Bieling established a reputation for craft, faith, and clarity of construction, pioneering the aesthetic of post-war modernism in Germany. His work responded to the spiritual and social rebuilding of the time, designing more than 40 churches, community, and residential buildings distinguished by their material honesty and spatial calm.
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In close intellectual exchange with Pritzker Prize laureate Gottfried Böhm, his approach combined human dignity with architectural precision—laying the foundation for a practice rooted in care, purpose, and enduring craft.