Profile
We are a multi award-winning architecture studio that offers a personal and collaborative approach to our services. We specialise in residential alterations, new houses and small commercial projects that are creatively tailored to client needs.
Our studios elemental and uncluttered approach to design forges spaces with a refined sense of ease and clarity that sets our work apart. We have a passion for design, art and the environment, inspiring buildings that have a natural elegance and authenticity.
Our residential designs are articulated to subtly enhance the domestic experience, creating environments that are calm, responsive and inspire well-being. Our inherent appreciation for sustainable design means our buildings carefully respond to the seasons, blending inside and out with an abundance of natural light and ventilation, and materials selected for low environmental impact and longevity. Experience has shown us that careful management of resources is a key catalyst of our creative approach.
We believe in a highly consultative approach to architecture, ensuring our projects carefully respond to our clients needs. This collaborative process carries through to our approach in working with consultants and builders - to successfully navigate planning approvals and deliver reliable construction outcomes.
Approach
Our process is rigorous and iterative, resulting in the highest quality design, continually improved as the project progresses. Through the design process, we use a number of tools to communicate our thinking, including 3D visualisations, model-making, diagrams and hand sketches. We see architecture as a process of continual progress towards mastery, thriving on challenges such as difficult sites, complex briefs and planning restrictions.
Our practice is led by Director Andrew Benn, our firm's nominated Architect (reg. no. 8381), who works with an experienced team of professionals in our Pyrmont office, along with an alternative home office in Sydney’s northern beaches. Core staff members include directors Mabel Chow and Rachel Allsop who are each involved across the offices entire portfolio of work.
As an architect, Andrew draws his inspiration not just from architecture, but also from the abstract paintings of Fred Williams and Mark Rothko, and from ceramicist Gwyn Hanssen Pigott’s soft, sculptural forms. His architectural inspirations include local heroes Jorn Utzon and Hugh Buhrich, along with the serene lines and calm, solid foundations of the internationally recognised architects John Pawson and Eduardo Souto de Moura.
Working with the support of his team, Andrew is able to apply his own architectural sensibilities to each project, subtly balancing form, proportion and materials, whilst intimately incorporating the needs of his clients.
Awards|Publications
Our studio thrives on creativity and momentum, consistently recognised as a leader in the architectural field. We've earned multiple design awards and garnered widespread acclaim from both industry peers and the broader community.
In 2020 and 2014, we received top honours in the NSW Architecture Awards for residential design, and in 2019, we were highly commended in the heritage category—each representing the highest distinction in architectural excellence within the State.
Our achievements extend to other prestigious accolades: in 2024, we were awarded Gold at the Australian Good Design Awards; in 2020, we won the Horbury Hunt Award; and in 2015, Houses Magazine named us one of Australia’s most promising emerging practices.
Our work continues to attract attention, with exhibitions at the Sydney Architecture Festival and frequent features in leading books and magazines. Reflecting his esteemed reputation, director Andrew Benn has served on the jury for the NSW Architecture Awards twice, including as jury chair in 2021.
Our Team
Andrew Benn
Director
Andrew Benn is a NSW registered architect and the Director of Benn + Penna Architecture. Andrew graduated from UNSW in 2001 with first class honours, and after numerous years working within some of the most highly regarded architectural offices in Australia and abroad, including the renowned Dutch office of UN Studio in Amsterdam, and the Sydney offices of Engelen Moore and BVN, he began his own practice in 2012.
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.
NSW Architect Registration Number: 8381
Mabel Chow
Associate Director
Mabel has been involved in all aspects of the construction process from initial concept through to completion. She is committed to integrating interior design with the broader framework of architecture, and believes that architects have a responsibility to deliver spaces of enduring quality to the community.
As a registered architect with over 20 years of experience, Mabel has worked across a broad spectrum of projects - including single dwellings, multi residential, commercial, hospitality, and adaptive reuse. She has also worked at a senior management level and is adept at various aspects of practice management.
NSW Architect Registration Number: 11365
Rachel Allsop
Associate Director
Rachel completed her undergraduate studies in Architecture in New Zealand. After moving permanently to Australia she graduated from the University of Sydney with a Masters of Architecture in 2010.
Prior to joining Benn + Penna, Rachel worked for over seven years at Vitale Architecture and Design. Rachel has a particularly strong eye for detail, with a holistic approach in combining architecture and interior design. Through her career Rachel has guided a wide range of highly detailed residential projects through all stages of building procurement, having a sound understanding of the design, documentation and communication required to complete projects.
NSW Architect Registration Number: 9681
Tim Hauptman
Graduate Architect
Tim graduated from the University of New South Wales with Distinction in a Bachelor of Architectural Studies.
Passionate and meticulous by nature, his ethos is underpinned by an individually-tailored approach which focuses on mindful material selection and fine construction detailing in order to create spaces of enduring relevance and quality.
His extensive professional experience has bridged architectural and interior design disciplines and has consistently delivered projects of the highest calibre whilst maintaining resourcefulness, responsibility and respect.
Arri Roumeliotis
Graduate Architect
In 2025 Arri will graduate with his Master’s in Architecture from UTS having been awarded a high distinction for his final project and nominated for the AIA student award.
Arri’s appreciation for Architecture was born on the building site. He became aware of the potential for spaces to affect our spirit while working for the family construction business. Every now and then he returns to the building site “When the boys need to push.”
Prior to joining Benn+Penna, Arri worked at CO-AP Architects. In 2020, Arri competed in the BioDesign competition where he was selected from a pool of competitors to represent UTS at the related conference in New York City.