The town of Christiansburg, Virginia, witnesses a contemporary residence rise at John Lemley Lane, standing out with its striking white exposed trusses amidst a cluster of neotraditional American architecture, found commonly in the United States. Built as a speculative house by architectural designer Benjamin Pennell, with the help of a contractor and a few students from the nearby Virginia Tech University—where Pennell is an adjunct instructor—the 300 John Lemley Lane is a design exploration, “a bas**** Frankenstein of things I like,” as Pennell states. Spread across a built area of approximately 2,700 sqft, the home features a four-storey exoskeletal structure, comprising four bedrooms and bathrooms.

Pennell established his design practice Benjamin Nelson Pennell Design (BNPD) in 2017 with a small residential design commission in the northern region of California. The project is one of his early ones, Pennell takes inspiration from the works of renowned architects such as Le Corbusier, Bernard Maybeck and Frank Lloyd Wright. Many facets of the residential building reflect his interests and influences, including Japanese architecture, which he tries to translate into the architecture and interior design of the house through ‘pseudo-oriental motifs’.

Perched on a sloped site, the house overlooks the street, positioned as close to the road as possible, adhering to the strict building regulations. The partially submerged basement level merges with the natural landscape, covered in rocks excavated from the foundation. For the residential architecture, Pennell prioritises an experimental and contemporary design approach for the assemblage of simple materials, defying conventional norms. The facade design utilises smooth board panels made of cement, sand and cellulose fibres, fastened with big hex head screws. Clad in white-stained plywood, the decorative gusset plates, connections and steel bracing make up the intricate details of the facades, making it seem like the house is still under construction. Creating a mechanical aesthetic, layers of structural and decorative components cleverly curate the perception of the building, hiding and revealing architectural elements, evoking curiosity and inviting exploration among the passersby.

The residence utilises a central light shaft to allow natural light to permeate the built environment. Integrating light fixtures, Pennell transforms the shaft into a chandelier using an installation, which is “the polycolonic garbage disposal of eternal bliss and karmic unity” that illuminates the spaces throughout the day. Additionally, the shaft also becomes the defining sculptural design element of the interior spaces, dividing them into zones while facilitating a strong visual and spatial design connection to the entirety of the volume from all corners of the house.

The roof design—inspired by the multi-layered roof profiles found in Oriental architecture—features three layers of sloping roofs made from fibreglass and steel, adding visual depth and complex character. In addition to amounting to 44 ft in height, the layers of the roof extend towards the west and east elevations, accommodating semi-open spaces on the upper level of the building. An acrylic hemisphere, two feet in diameter, crowns the light shaft while using gypsum and paper plasterboards to cover the thin-shell fibreglass inner lining, visually fusing with the ceiling finish.

Benjamin Pennell’s design for 300 John Lemley Lane reminds one of the passion, curiosity and optimism of a young architect. A culmination of Pennell’s ideas, interests and intrigues, the contemporary architecture embodies the beauty of unrefined, unfinished and uncategorised design. With the intent of inspiring and guiding students and young professionals, Pennell designs a residence that encourages people to take up the realisation of their dream homes themselves, working their way around limited budgets and expertise through creative and innovative design solutions.