Andrew Benn is the Director of Benn & Penna Architecture, a multi-award winning architecture studio that specialises in residential alterations, new houses and small commercial projects.

From an early age, Andrew had an appreciation for both urban and natural environments, spending his childhood between Sydney’s Balmain, a working farm in the Hunter Valley, and his family’s holiday house in Pittwater. These experiences helped instil a love of natural beauty, the Australian countryside and coastline, combined with a fascination of dense urban environments and a particular interest in the simplicity and beauty of Australia’s early colonial architecture.

Benn & Penna Architecture elemental and uncluttered approach to design forges spaces with a refined sense of ease and clarity that sets their work apart. The studio has a passion for design, art and the environment, inspiring buildings that have a natural elegance and authenticity.

Benn & Penna's sophisticated project, Henley Clays, was the winner of prestigious and highly-competitive Horbury Hunt Residential Award of 2020 Think Brick Awards.

In this episode, your host Elizabeth McIntyre will speak with Andrew Benn to reveal some compelling details of his professional and personal life. This includes Andrew's thoughts on sustainability in architecture, his career development and architectural philosophy.

Listen to this episode to hear more about:

• What influenced Andrew to pick architecture as a profession
• His overseas travel as a scholarship student to Amsterdam at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam
• His overseas experience of working at the internationally acclaimed UN Studio
• His motives for returning to Sydney
• What are the characteristics of Dutch architecture
• The expectations of architecture in the eyes of the public
• The exploration of his first completed project, Balmain Pair
• The challenges, experiences, and inspirations of starting his own architecture firm in 2012, Benn + Penna Architecture
• The challenges and thought process behind his award-winning project, Henley Clays
• The various benefits and qualities of using brick as a building material
• How Dutch architecture inspired by “The Amsterdam School” has influenced his architectural vision
• His outlook on a future architectural approach

Mentioned in this episode:

Glebe Red

Henley Clays

Amsterdam School

Think Brick Awards

Awards Showcase

Benn + Penna Architecture Website & Instagram

 

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