BNPD // BNPD // BNPD //
BNPD stands for Benjamin Nelson Pennell Design, a practice which began in 2017 with the commission of a small residence in Northern California. We provide ordinary architectural services for additions, remodels, ground-up construction, and feasibility studies. When the occasion calls for it, we involve ourselves in construction as well; physically making custom-built furniture, ornamental applique, fiberglass sculpture, and structural steelwork. Read More
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RESIDENTIAL
300 John Lemley Ln. 2025
1011 2nd st. (pt 2) 2021
Samson’s Lair 2021
1011 2nd st. (pt 1) 2020
1102 Masonic Ave 2019
210 Semple St. 2017
COMMERCIAL
5278 College Ave. 2020
681 27th St. 2020
4750 Park Blvd. 2020
547 31st St. 2019
Port Tonic 2019
MISCELLANEOUS
Shinto Shed 2020
Ex-Embryo 2014
LA Streetlights 2020
Dragon Temple 2019
Strip Tease 2019
Design Village 2011
Skyhouse 2010
Sweat Lodge 2009
THEORETICAL
Hell High 2019
London Spec Housing 2018
St Patrick’s Cathedral 2018
TEXTS / ARCHIVED WORK SAMPLES
WORK SAMPLE (CURRENT) 2025
“DRAWING ON ARCHITECTURE” 2019
WORK SAMPLE (ARCHIVE) 2017
LECTURES / VIDEOS
Slanted Commune 2024
Territorial Conquest 2023
Strip Tease 2015
Ex-Embryo 2014
WEB ARCHIVE 2024
5278 COLLEGE AVE.DOC 234—34/2
PROGRAM: 5 STORY MIXED USE
CLIENT: JARVIS ARCHITECTS
DATE: MARCH 2020
STATUS: UNBUILT
BUDGET: N/A
The building on 5278 College Avenue (in Oakland, CA) was designed to retrofit an existing small office, and then infill the parking lot beside it. The program consisted of a cafe plus parking on the ground floor; two office suites on the second; and then five apartment units on the third, fourth, and fifth. The three-dimensional, programmatic distribution was highly compact and frankly clever. I attribute its greatness largely to my former collaborators, and therefore do not wish to capitalize on its merit. However, because it was clearly an urban party-wall building, we thought ultimately the facade should be the primary thematic focus in any case.
Like other designs provided in this work sample, it was planned to exemplify my very personal pseudo Art-Nouveau, organic mannerisms: lips, teeth, hands, angel wings, the angel of death, crawling children, a phoenix, a brain -all inscribed in rolled and punched relief across the main elevation.
The various facades of protruding bays peel away in plan like Boromini’s San Carlino, but all of them in tandem with a single meta-gesture that moves diagonally and asymmetrically toward the heavens -where else?