Becoming an architect in the prairies\u00a0<\/p>\n
The accolade marks a step in a career that Penner worked hard to build.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that, for him, the education\u00a0\u2014\u00a0which included a\u00a0Master’s\u00a0degree and supplemental learning \u2014 was \u201ctough,\u201d since he says he never really applied himself as a student earlier in life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through determination, he completed\u00a0his education, and along the way, he said he also\u00a0benefited\u00a0from the mentorship of Verne Reimer, with whom he is now a partner at his practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all watched him as\u00a0sort of younger\u00a0architects,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Becoming a RAIC fellow\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for\u00a0becoming an RAIC fellow, Penner\u00a0said he will join\u00a0\u201ca national body that helps [architects]\u00a0learn\u00a0and make better architecture in Canada.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued that he was nominated for the role by six\u00a0fellow experts in the field with whom he has previously worked, including\u00a0Verne Reimer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penner said that as a part of the role, he will also be presented with an award in Vancouver in May.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Recognition for rural architecture\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Penner,\u00a0who is the only professional from Manitoba to become a fellow this\u00a0year, receiving recognition for his work is \u201chumbling,\u201d especially because of what he stands for as an architect: championing the architectural work that happens outside large city\u00a0centres.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0recognition for the purpose that I chose in my life\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to serve communities, and I will always stand behind that,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRural\u00a0communities\u00a0and\u00a0remote communities deserve everything that the urban guys do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jeff Penner at Frobisher Bay. Submitted photo.\u00a0
\nThe buildings that help make the community\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penner, who has been an architect since 1997, chose to remain in the prairies, where his work has become a recognizable part of the region through the buildings he has helped create.<\/p>\n
He was\u00a0involved in projects such as the Winkler Fire Hall and the recently completed Meridian Exhibition Centre, for which he participated in the initial funding application process and the building assessment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said one of his earlier projects, his first hospital, was\u00a0the Boundary\u00a0Health Centre\u2019s\u00a0original building.<\/p>\n
Related stories:<\/p>\n
It\u2019s\u00a0a project that stands out for him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0kind of dated, but at the end of the day, it was a proud moment for me.\u00a0I was\u00a0very young\u00a0and worked\u00a0very hard\u00a0at that,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The architect was also involved in the renovation of Winkler Centennial Arena, which reflects his focus on projects that help create the fabric of rural communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a team. There are a bunch of people working, a bunch of firms, a\u00a0bunch of different companies.\u00a0I’m\u00a0so happy that\u00a0it’s\u00a0completed and done, and\u00a0it’s\u00a0really nice,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s about value, and the value it will bring to the community will be huge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jeff Penner with his team. Submitted photo.
\nMoving forward as a fellow of the RAIC\u00a0<\/p>\n
Penner\u2019s work outside the community includes the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach, Stride Place in Portage La Prairie, and other projects that he said have taken him to \u201cevery region in Canada.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he prepares to accept his award for becoming a fellow of the RAIC in May, he is also working on projects in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, including an arena he said will be the only one at its latitude, which he described as a\u00a0\u201chighly technical project.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wherever his career takes him, however, helping shape Winkler and the Pembina Valley will always have a special place in his heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love\u00a0southern\u00a0Manitoba,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
With files from Ty Hildebrand and Jayme Giesbrecht\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jeff Penner of Winkler says his love of architecture was there from the beginning, rooted in early memories…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":566946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-566945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=566945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/566946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=566945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=566945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=566945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}