He holds a BArch from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. He received second place at the Architecture Annual in the “Habitat” category for his BA graduation project, and has previously worked with Delacarreracabanzo and Simón Vélez. Balen co-founded his own practice, Estudio BA.U Architects (2014). In 2013, he was offered accolades for his school projects by the Colombian president.