Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
Architects Gabriel Poole and Tim Bennton take on a challenging beach house project (with a few surprises!)
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
The Lake Weyba House was designed by the Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company as a home for Gabriel and his artist wife Elizabeth in 1996. The sub-tropical context of the Sunshine Coast allowed Poole to exercise his capabilities as an architect of “lightweight housing attuned to the environment.” (Walker, 1998). A House as an Environmental Filter The design of the house aims to harness the natural attributes of light, wind and rain and utilise them in a controlled way within the building. The house is orientated to the North-West to achieve the best possible sun path and natural lighting, while still providing effecient shading. “The rear sides from which the prevailing south-easterly weather originates were protected by largely solid walls and the roof lines sloped downward into the wind”(Walker, 1998), while the northern face is exposed to the outside, though still shaded from direct sun. There are large openings and windows to produce optimal air flow/ventilation and capture the prevailing breezes (though screens can be used to ‘filter’ mosquitoes). However these openings can also be controlled and moderated using the roll down doors which span the front of the entire living building. This results in a house which can be opened up to its environment and closed off from it as desired, and the external influences of light, wind, weather and temperature can be mediated between absolute and minimal exposure. In winter the lower angle of the sun allows the metal roller doors to act as solar heat collectors as well. A small gap between the roof and the ceiling allowed for ventilation and heat dissipation. The house is lightweight and is elevated off the ground in order to reduce the impact on the natural surroundings which are left untouched around the building. A House as a Container of Human Activities The most prominent feature of the Lake Weyba house is its division of space. The house is divided into 3 buildings with each one representing a specific set of activities; sleeping, bathing and living. Notably the room for bathing is placed in the middle of the 3 and contains a large bath - a plunge pool - as well as toilets, shower , laundry wardrobes and storage. Rather than designating these elements as functional, ‘servant’ spaces, they are afforded a central role and even celebrated. This bath, according to Poole, was crucial for cooling off in the hot summer months on the Sunshine Coast. The living building contains a lounge area, kitchen, studio and long deck. A House as a Delightful Experience Perhaps the most delightful element of the Lake Weyba House is its relationship with its surroundings. The design seems to be in tune with the environment, and the form and materiality of the building appear natural and appropriate to the context, though still evocative. The sloped roofs (at an angle of 27°) allow for rain collection in the water tanks at the bottom, but also create a clearstory which allows a view of the sky from each building. The intention behind this was that regardless of what eventually happens on the vacant neighboring properties the users will always have an unobstructed view of the sky. A large iron wood heater is a distinctive feature of the living area. Here Poole has once again turned a functional element into a focal point of the interior. The bedroom and living room both have cantilevered bay windows in which people can sit, walled by a window, and an inbuilt steel bench runs the entire length of the veranda References Architecture Australia. (2010) Gabriel Goes Gold. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199801&article=11&typeon=2 Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) lakeweyba. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/lakeweyba.html Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) Philosophy. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/philosophy.html Hyatt, P. (2000). Local heroes: architects of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast, Australia: Craftsman House Walker, B. (1998). Gabriel Poole. Noosa, Australia: Visionary Press
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
The Lake Weyba House was designed by the Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company as a home for Gabriel and his artist wife Elizabeth in 1996. The sub-tropical context of the Sunshine Coast allowed Poole to exercise his capabilities as an architect of “lightweight housing attuned to the environment.” (Walker, 1998). A House as an Environmental Filter The design of the house aims to harness the natural attributes of light, wind and rain and utilise them in a controlled way within the building. The house is orientated to the North-West to achieve the best possible sun path and natural lighting, while still providing effecient shading. “The rear sides from which the prevailing south-easterly weather originates were protected by largely solid walls and the roof lines sloped downward into the wind”(Walker, 1998), while the northern face is exposed to the outside, though still shaded from direct sun. There are large openings and windows to produce optimal air flow/ventilation and capture the prevailing breezes (though screens can be used to ‘filter’ mosquitoes). However these openings can also be controlled and moderated using the roll down doors which span the front of the entire living building. This results in a house which can be opened up to its environment and closed off from it as desired, and the external influences of light, wind, weather and temperature can be mediated between absolute and minimal exposure. In winter the lower angle of the sun allows the metal roller doors to act as solar heat collectors as well. A small gap between the roof and the ceiling allowed for ventilation and heat dissipation. The house is lightweight and is elevated off the ground in order to reduce the impact on the natural surroundings which are left untouched around the building. A House as a Container of Human Activities The most prominent feature of the Lake Weyba house is its division of space. The house is divided into 3 buildings with each one representing a specific set of activities; sleeping, bathing and living. Notably the room for bathing is placed in the middle of the 3 and contains a large bath - a plunge pool - as well as toilets, shower , laundry wardrobes and storage. Rather than designating these elements as functional, ‘servant’ spaces, they are afforded a central role and even celebrated. This bath, according to Poole, was crucial for cooling off in the hot summer months on the Sunshine Coast. The living building contains a lounge area, kitchen, studio and long deck. A House as a Delightful Experience Perhaps the most delightful element of the Lake Weyba House is its relationship with its surroundings. The design seems to be in tune with the environment, and the form and materiality of the building appear natural and appropriate to the context, though still evocative. The sloped roofs (at an angle of 27°) allow for rain collection in the water tanks at the bottom, but also create a clearstory which allows a view of the sky from each building. The intention behind this was that regardless of what eventually happens on the vacant neighboring properties the users will always have an unobstructed view of the sky. A large iron wood heater is a distinctive feature of the living area. Here Poole has once again turned a functional element into a focal point of the interior. The bedroom and living room both have cantilevered bay windows in which people can sit, walled by a window, and an inbuilt steel bench runs the entire length of the veranda References Architecture Australia. (2010) Gabriel Goes Gold. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199801&article=11&typeon=2 Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) lakeweyba. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/lakeweyba.html Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) Philosophy. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/philosophy.html Hyatt, P. (2000). Local heroes: architects of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast, Australia: Craftsman House Walker, B. (1998). Gabriel Poole. Noosa, Australia: Visionary Press
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
The Lake Weyba House was designed by the Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company as a home for Gabriel and his artist wife Elizabeth in 1996. The sub-tropical context of the Sunshine Coast allowed Poole to exercise his capabilities as an architect of “lightweight housing attuned to the environment.” (Walker, 1998). A House as an Environmental Filter The design of the house aims to harness the natural attributes of light, wind and rain and utilise them in a controlled way within the building. The house is orientated to the North-West to achieve the best possible sun path and natural lighting, while still providing effecient shading. “The rear sides from which the prevailing south-easterly weather originates were protected by largely solid walls and the roof lines sloped downward into the wind”(Walker, 1998), while the northern face is exposed to the outside, though still shaded from direct sun. There are large openings and windows to produce optimal air flow/ventilation and capture the prevailing breezes (though screens can be used to ‘filter’ mosquitoes). However these openings can also be controlled and moderated using the roll down doors which span the front of the entire living building. This results in a house which can be opened up to its environment and closed off from it as desired, and the external influences of light, wind, weather and temperature can be mediated between absolute and minimal exposure. In winter the lower angle of the sun allows the metal roller doors to act as solar heat collectors as well. A small gap between the roof and the ceiling allowed for ventilation and heat dissipation. The house is lightweight and is elevated off the ground in order to reduce the impact on the natural surroundings which are left untouched around the building. A House as a Container of Human Activities The most prominent feature of the Lake Weyba house is its division of space. The house is divided into 3 buildings with each one representing a specific set of activities; sleeping, bathing and living. Notably the room for bathing is placed in the middle of the 3 and contains a large bath - a plunge pool - as well as toilets, shower , laundry wardrobes and storage. Rather than designating these elements as functional, ‘servant’ spaces, they are afforded a central role and even celebrated. This bath, according to Poole, was crucial for cooling off in the hot summer months on the Sunshine Coast. The living building contains a lounge area, kitchen, studio and long deck. A House as a Delightful Experience Perhaps the most delightful element of the Lake Weyba House is its relationship with its surroundings. The design seems to be in tune with the environment, and the form and materiality of the building appear natural and appropriate to the context, though still evocative. The sloped roofs (at an angle of 27°) allow for rain collection in the water tanks at the bottom, but also create a clearstory which allows a view of the sky from each building. The intention behind this was that regardless of what eventually happens on the vacant neighboring properties the users will always have an unobstructed view of the sky. A large iron wood heater is a distinctive feature of the living area. Here Poole has once again turned a functional element into a focal point of the interior. The bedroom and living room both have cantilevered bay windows in which people can sit, walled by a window, and an inbuilt steel bench runs the entire length of the veranda References Architecture Australia. (2010) Gabriel Goes Gold. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199801&article=11&typeon=2 Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) lakeweyba. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/lakeweyba.html Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) Philosophy. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/philosophy.html Hyatt, P. (2000). Local heroes: architects of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast, Australia: Craftsman House Walker, B. (1998). Gabriel Poole. Noosa, Australia: Visionary Press
It was made for a grandmother who wanted her children, grandchildren and descendants into the future ’to experience uncomplicated but comfortable camping’.
Nature and the great outdoors are the heroes in the eye-catching Sunshine Coast homes and buildings celebrated in the latest regional architecture awards...
Once described as "an unsung hero," Gabriel Poole is one of the most significant architects to have emerged from Queensland.
The Lake Weyba House was designed by the Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company as a home for Gabriel and his artist wife Elizabeth in 1996. The sub-tropical context of the Sunshine Coast allowed Poole to exercise his capabilities as an architect of “lightweight housing attuned to the environment.” (Walker, 1998). A House as an Environmental Filter The design of the house aims to harness the natural attributes of light, wind and rain and utilise them in a controlled way within the building. The house is orientated to the North-West to achieve the best possible sun path and natural lighting, while still providing effecient shading. “The rear sides from which the prevailing south-easterly weather originates were protected by largely solid walls and the roof lines sloped downward into the wind”(Walker, 1998), while the northern face is exposed to the outside, though still shaded from direct sun. There are large openings and windows to produce optimal air flow/ventilation and capture the prevailing breezes (though screens can be used to ‘filter’ mosquitoes). However these openings can also be controlled and moderated using the roll down doors which span the front of the entire living building. This results in a house which can be opened up to its environment and closed off from it as desired, and the external influences of light, wind, weather and temperature can be mediated between absolute and minimal exposure. In winter the lower angle of the sun allows the metal roller doors to act as solar heat collectors as well. A small gap between the roof and the ceiling allowed for ventilation and heat dissipation. The house is lightweight and is elevated off the ground in order to reduce the impact on the natural surroundings which are left untouched around the building. A House as a Container of Human Activities The most prominent feature of the Lake Weyba house is its division of space. The house is divided into 3 buildings with each one representing a specific set of activities; sleeping, bathing and living. Notably the room for bathing is placed in the middle of the 3 and contains a large bath - a plunge pool - as well as toilets, shower , laundry wardrobes and storage. Rather than designating these elements as functional, ‘servant’ spaces, they are afforded a central role and even celebrated. This bath, according to Poole, was crucial for cooling off in the hot summer months on the Sunshine Coast. The living building contains a lounge area, kitchen, studio and long deck. A House as a Delightful Experience Perhaps the most delightful element of the Lake Weyba House is its relationship with its surroundings. The design seems to be in tune with the environment, and the form and materiality of the building appear natural and appropriate to the context, though still evocative. The sloped roofs (at an angle of 27°) allow for rain collection in the water tanks at the bottom, but also create a clearstory which allows a view of the sky from each building. The intention behind this was that regardless of what eventually happens on the vacant neighboring properties the users will always have an unobstructed view of the sky. A large iron wood heater is a distinctive feature of the living area. Here Poole has once again turned a functional element into a focal point of the interior. The bedroom and living room both have cantilevered bay windows in which people can sit, walled by a window, and an inbuilt steel bench runs the entire length of the veranda References Architecture Australia. (2010) Gabriel Goes Gold. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199801&article=11&typeon=2 Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) lakeweyba. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/lakeweyba.html Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) Philosophy. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/philosophy.html Hyatt, P. (2000). Local heroes: architects of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast, Australia: Craftsman House Walker, B. (1998). Gabriel Poole. Noosa, Australia: Visionary Press
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
In November 2015, the late Gabriel Poole sat down with academic Elizabeth Musgrave and Lindsay Clare for a wide ranging interview. This edited transcript is published for the first time.
In November 2015, the late Gabriel Poole sat down with academic Elizabeth Musgrave and Lindsay Clare for a wide ranging interview. This edited transcript is published for the first time.
Lindsay Clare remembers Gabriel Poole LFRAIA, 1934–2020, “a complex, enigmatic and memorable character.”
Once described as "an unsung hero," Gabriel Poole is one of the most significant architects to have emerged from Queensland.
Australia has wildly differing topographies and climates, and its best residential architecture draws on those site conditions in inventive ways. This book illustrates the strength of the country’s shift from British-influenced Georgian-style homes to more indigenous structures attuned to the land—a movement led by Australian architects such as Glenn Murcutt, Richard Leplastrier, and Gabriel Poole in the 1970s. Witness a range of new houses that grapple with the locales in which they are built. Up north, down south, and on the coast, from small and low-budget to multimillion-dollar dwellings, the focus is on the use of raw materials, energy efficiency, adaptable spaces, and embrace of the great outdoors for which the country is known. Drawings and interviews with the architects shed light on how they apply their intelligence and creativity to produce striking buildings that are uniquely Australian.
The Lake Weyba House was designed by the Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company as a home for Gabriel and his artist wife Elizabeth in 1996. The sub-tropical context of the Sunshine Coast allowed Poole to exercise his capabilities as an architect of “lightweight housing attuned to the environment.” (Walker, 1998). A House as an Environmental Filter The design of the house aims to harness the natural attributes of light, wind and rain and utilise them in a controlled way within the building. The house is orientated to the North-West to achieve the best possible sun path and natural lighting, while still providing effecient shading. “The rear sides from which the prevailing south-easterly weather originates were protected by largely solid walls and the roof lines sloped downward into the wind”(Walker, 1998), while the northern face is exposed to the outside, though still shaded from direct sun. There are large openings and windows to produce optimal air flow/ventilation and capture the prevailing breezes (though screens can be used to ‘filter’ mosquitoes). However these openings can also be controlled and moderated using the roll down doors which span the front of the entire living building. This results in a house which can be opened up to its environment and closed off from it as desired, and the external influences of light, wind, weather and temperature can be mediated between absolute and minimal exposure. In winter the lower angle of the sun allows the metal roller doors to act as solar heat collectors as well. A small gap between the roof and the ceiling allowed for ventilation and heat dissipation. The house is lightweight and is elevated off the ground in order to reduce the impact on the natural surroundings which are left untouched around the building. A House as a Container of Human Activities The most prominent feature of the Lake Weyba house is its division of space. The house is divided into 3 buildings with each one representing a specific set of activities; sleeping, bathing and living. Notably the room for bathing is placed in the middle of the 3 and contains a large bath - a plunge pool - as well as toilets, shower , laundry wardrobes and storage. Rather than designating these elements as functional, ‘servant’ spaces, they are afforded a central role and even celebrated. This bath, according to Poole, was crucial for cooling off in the hot summer months on the Sunshine Coast. The living building contains a lounge area, kitchen, studio and long deck. A House as a Delightful Experience Perhaps the most delightful element of the Lake Weyba House is its relationship with its surroundings. The design seems to be in tune with the environment, and the form and materiality of the building appear natural and appropriate to the context, though still evocative. The sloped roofs (at an angle of 27°) allow for rain collection in the water tanks at the bottom, but also create a clearstory which allows a view of the sky from each building. The intention behind this was that regardless of what eventually happens on the vacant neighboring properties the users will always have an unobstructed view of the sky. A large iron wood heater is a distinctive feature of the living area. Here Poole has once again turned a functional element into a focal point of the interior. The bedroom and living room both have cantilevered bay windows in which people can sit, walled by a window, and an inbuilt steel bench runs the entire length of the veranda References Architecture Australia. (2010) Gabriel Goes Gold. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.archmedia.com.au/aa/aaissue.php?issueid=199801&article=11&typeon=2 Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) lakeweyba. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/lakeweyba.html Gabriel & Elizabeth Poole Design Company. (n.d.) Philosophy. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.gabrielpoole.com.au/philosophy.html Hyatt, P. (2000). Local heroes: architects of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Sunshine Coast, Australia: Craftsman House Walker, B. (1998). Gabriel Poole. Noosa, Australia: Visionary Press
In November 2015, the late Gabriel Poole sat down with academic Elizabeth Musgrave and Lindsay Clare for a wide ranging interview. This edited transcript is published for the first time.
In November 2015, the late Gabriel Poole sat down with academic Elizabeth Musgrave and Lindsay Clare for a wide ranging interview. This edited transcript is published for the first time.
