David Penner

David Penner was one of the founders of Storefront Manitoba in 2011, a non-profit organization that advocates for architects, designers, engineers, and landscapers to raise awareness and appreciation of architecture, design and the built environment in Manitoba.[13] He wanted the public to engage with architecture so as to understand the influence of design over development.[5] Storefront MB is best known for hosting initiatives such as the annual Winnipeg Design Festival, Cool Gardens, Benchmark Design Contest, and TableFor1200. In the past, StorefrontMB has organized a Little Free Libraries design competition. The annual Architecture and Design Film Festival Winnipeg was originally created by StorefrontMB.[13]

David Penner was the curator for TableFor1200 which was initiated in 2014 in collaboration with 5468796 Architecture Inc. The annual pop-up dining event takes place in Winnipeg's emerging design areas to stimulate conversations on architecture, design, and culinary arts.[14] The project aims to "gain a deeper understanding of the catalysts that have built a strong commitment to architecture," according to 5468796 Architecture Inc.[15] Penner was also the co-curator for Cool Gardens from 2013 to 2019. Storefront Manitoba is the publisher of books documenting regional work, including the MB ARCH book series, Re/Imagining Winnipeg, and River City 2050. David Penner edited Cool Gardens: A Collection of Temporary Installations, published by Storefront MB, which features the installations created in the first five years (2013-2019) of the competition.[16] He also contributed to Re/imagining Winnipeg, where he proposed an idea to redesign downtown Winnipeg's street parking,[17] as well as River City 2050 with his solutions to future urban design around level-controlled rivers.[18]

David Penner was a member of the Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA), in which he served 10 years on the Council. Penner was a part of the Public Affairs Committee, in which he served three terms on the Executive Committee as Second Vice President and Treasurer during his tenure. In 2004, he co-founded the City of Winnipeg's Urban Design Advisory Committee.[2] Penner also co-founded The Prairie Design Awards, a bi-annual program established in 2000 to recognize design excellence in architecture, interior design and landscape architecture in central Canada. This was done on behalf of Manitoba Association of Architects (MAA) in conjunction with the Alberta Association of Architects (AAA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Architects (SAA).[2] He was a continuing chair since the founding date (2000-2020).

Penner was one of the three jurors for the 51st Canadian Architect Award of Excellence in 2018.[19] He also mentored many students as a guest critic[20] and as a professor for the Faculty of Architecture in University of Manitoba, one of them being Sasa Radulovic of 5468796 Architects.[21]

The Penner Residence best showcases Penner's appreciation for post-modernist architecture. Located on 120 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg, Penner designed it to be his personal residence. It adapted the Shingle-Style that was found in Winnipeg's neighbourhood at the time, creating a complex ensemble of prairie building inspired forms such as silos, barns, and greenhouses.[22] The most notable feature of the project is the dramatic 500 square foot stainless steel-clad pyramid shaped studio derived from the primitive huts and tipis of Indigenous vernacular architecture. Penner Residence demonstrated his passion for processing ideas from the past, paying homage to forms and styles that are often forgotten.[7] The Penner Residence won the Manitoba Wood Design Award of Merit and the Grand Prize in the Search for Living category of prizes at Western Living magazine.

The Little Red Library was constructed for the Winnipeg Warming Huts Competition in 2014,[23] and is one of the best-known installations by David Penner. For Penner, installation projects were an opportunity to break away from the constraints of his daily architectural works and release his design philosophies in a purer format.[23] The Little Red Library successfully achieves his hopes of allowing the public to be intrigued by the bold structure, questioning the ideologies of architectures in the physical environment.[23] It also participates in the Little Free Library movement. It won the Premier's Award of Excellence in 2015 and the Prairie Design Award in 2016, praised for its immersiveness and versatility as a warming hut, free library, art gallery and a public landmark.[24] The installation is a steel-framed cube wrapped with a translucent red welding curtain that is thermally stretched to enclose the structures.[23] First erected on the frozen Assiniboine River, the iconic installation currently roams around Winnipeg in the warmer seasons and is open to the public. In the summer of 2014, the installation was renamed to become the Little Red Art Gallery, and hosted four art shows across from Peanut Park in Winnipeg.[23] It can be found on Wellington Crescent today.

Designed with h5 architecture in Winnipeg, Windsor Park Library is one of the most recent works completed by David Penner. Located on Archibal Street, it was part of the Winnipeg Public Library's redevelopment strategy, replacing the old Windsor Park Library (1961) on Cottonwood Road.[25] Penner designed the library to be fully accessible and barrier-free by locating all programs in a single storey building.[25] The odd-shaped site is accommodated with the 30/60 triangular geometry of the plan. The facade is mostly composed of full-storey height curtain wall glass that allow views into the surrounding landscape. Due to limited budget, Penner and h5 architecture used off-the-shelf cladding with standard sections. A mosaic mural by local artist, Simon Hughes, can be found inside.[26] The library meets LEED silver requirements, with hollow-core slabs, outer wall integrated heating systems, automated HVAC and lighting, and daylight responsive blinds.[26] Windsor Park Library was awarded the Judge's Choice Award of Excellence by Manitoba Masonry in 2018.[27]

• Buhler Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2010
• Mere Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2014
• Fountain Springs Housing, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 2016