About BB Partnership Limited

Residential specialists with over 30 years of learning and experience, our design and technical expertise combined with financial acumen make your project aspirations a buildable reality.

Creative, efficient design

We are problem solvers and value creators who revel in challenging sites and complicated briefs. With decades of experience, we see things others don’t, revealing opportunities to optimise the design and add value. Whether it’s a tricky plot, complex planning issues or working with listed buildings, our up-to-date knowledge of legislation and compliance combined with technical know-how means we understand what’s possible and what’s not.

Building partnerships

Our clients enjoy working with us, that’s why so many of them keep coming back. We’re always direct, open and honest with you, working hard to realise your vision while keeping you (and us) grounded in financial and design realities. At every stage, we provide clear, sensible advice so you can make the best decisions. Like any good conversation, communication flows both ways.

Tailor-made approach

Because every client, project and site is unique, our response is always tailor-made and never one-size-fits-all. We work closely with you, listening carefully to understand your needs and ambitions to get aligned with your goals. Then we dive in, collaborating with the consultant team and drawing on our experience to explore options and interrogate ideas, developing viable, robust designs that deliver long-term value.

An employee-owned architectural practice

Since 2016 BB Partnership has been an Employee-Owned Architectural Practice and as a member of the Employee Ownership Association we are vocal advocates for employee ownership.

The employee-owned model creates stability, promotes team retention and also creates a clear pathway for progression in the practice. Our clients benefit from a dedicated team who are invested in a successful outcome for every project and the development of the practice.

RIBA Chartered Practice
Architects Registration Board

Our Directors

Julian Williams

BA (Hons), Dip Arch, RIBA

Director

Principled, practical and straightforward, Julian combines technical skills with big-picture thinking to design and deliver well-thought-out residential schemes that optimise sites and budgets. His hands-on approach makes him a great mentor, supporting our team to develop their skills and get the practical experience they need to thrive.

Julian recognises that the best solutions are borne out of positive, collaborative environments and works hard to build and maintain strong relationships with consultants and stakeholders. At the Island Site in Woolwich, he worked closely with the planning team, , TFL and the GLA, listening to and overcoming concerns to secure planning approval and listed building consent for an ambitious 485-unit co-living scheme.

He’s experienced across the residential sector working on new-build developments of all shapes and sizes and the refurbishment and adaptation of listed buildings to meet today’s living standards. A Certified Passive House Designer, his passion and knowledge of sustainable design feeds into all our work.

Julian studied at Cardiff University and qualified as an architect in 1999, the same year he joined BB Partnership.

Manuela Barale

BA (Hons), Dip Arch, RIBA

Director

A multi-skilled architect who relishes complexity, Manuela combines commercial acumen with a creative mindset to resolve knotty issues and move projects forward. Trusted by clients and design teams, she leads residential schemes through all development phases, ensuring design principles are accurately translated into detailing and documentation.

Manuela is committed to securing the best possible outcomes for our clients. At Sailmakers, one of the first co-living developments in London, she helped the team to secure planning and listed building consent for our client and liaised with stakeholders on the evolving design. The mixed-use scheme transforms a derelict canal-side site with three new buildings alongside the sensitive restoration and conversion of a Grade II Victorian sailmaking loft on the Buildings at Risk Register.

Manuela’s approach is grounded over 20 years of residential experience, from prime residential developments to co-living schemes. She is experienced working within historic settings, often involving the refurbishment and extension of listed buildings in conservation areas.

Manuela studied at Politecnico Di Milano and qualified as an architect in 2006. From 2004 to 2007, she worked in Dublin and Milano on several private residential and commercial projects. She joined BB Partnership in 2007.

Susan Price

BA (Hons), Dip Arch, RIBA

Director

Detail-oriented and rigorous, Sue is known for interrogating complex briefs and sites to reveal opportunities and efficiencies others miss. Residential developers and private clients return to her again and again, recognising her ability to deftly balance the complex variables of brief, budget, context and site constraints while consistently delivering design integrity.

At Barker Buildings, Sue was brought on board by a family-run, regeneration-focussed property developer to deliver more than the site’s existing consent. Despite the many challenges of the site, Sue optimised the potential of the three-storey shoe factory in Northampton with 54 industrial-style apartments and obtained planning for a new apartment block providing 14 new homes. The scheme was well-received, with many flats sold off-plan.

With over two decades of residential experience, she’s led multi-disciplinary teams on new one-off homes, large-scale housing developments, hotels and the refurbishment and conversion of existing buildings.

Sue studied at Brighton University and qualified as an architect in 2003. She joined BB Partnership in 2011.

Our Team

Leonard Appleby

BSc., Dip Arch, RIBA

Associate

A hugely experienced architect and consummate all-rounder, Len’s balance of design skills and technical know-how ensures each project meets the highest standards of quality and efficiency, from drawing board to delivery.

Len is involved in many of our most challenging projects, including Avenue Road, where we remodelled and refurbished an 1832 Grade II listed property in St John’s Wood, extending the building and adding a basement to create a high-end family home. He also led Bishop’s Road, securing planning permission for a garden reception room and underground leisure complex that links to the listed 1920s 7-bedroom home.

He works across residential types and scales and is passionate about adapting existing buildings, calling on his technical expertise to navigate planning and conservation requirements to give them new life.

Len studied at the University of East London (UEL) and qualified as an architect in 2002. He joined BB Partnership in 2010.

Rorie Ash

BSc (Hons), PG Dip RIBA

Project Architect

Joined 2024

Eli-Anne Gjos

BA (Hons), MSc

Part 2 Architectural Assistant

Joined 2025

Nenneh Kamara

Part Qualified ACCA

Office and Finance Administrator

Joined 2024

Melody Lee

BA, MArch

Architect

Joined 2024

Pedro Nunes

MArch, RIBA

Senior Architect

Joined 2017

Reuben Paradise

BA (Hons), MArch

Part 2 Architectural Assistant

Joined 2025

Astrid Rehwald

Dip Arch, RIBA

Associate

Passionate and proactive, Astrid’s technical understanding and construction knowledge add value for our clients at every stage of a project, whether it’s grounding concept ideas in a deliverable reality or resolving details on site.

A leader and team player, she builds trust with consultants, skilfully coordinating design teams and stakeholders to successfully realise client and project aspirations. She’s worked on several of our hotel projects, including the refurbishment of the Ibis Hotel in Earl’s Court and the design to transform the Grade II* listed Fulham Town Hall into a 90-bed hotel.

Highly experienced in residential refurbishment and conversion projects, Astrid’s ambition is to protect and enhance the historic integrity of buildings while delivering pragmatic and functional designs fit for the future.

Astrid studied at Hannover Technical University and qualified as an architect in 20xx. She joined BB Partnership in 2020, bringing a wealth of experience from previous roles, most notably at CZWG, where she worked on Islington Square, a mixed-use project transforming a historic Edwardian postal site into a vibrant development with luxury residences and amenities.

Helen Sakyi

Office Adminstrator

Joined 2025

Amir Shahkamrani

Dip Arch, RIBA, MSc CPM

Senior Architect

Joined 2018

Will White-Howe

BA(Hons), PGDip, MA

Architect

Joined 2024