Queensland architect Gabriel Poole has passed away leaving a lasting legacy on contemporary home design

Tributes have flowed after the death of one of Queensland’s most renowned architects described as the Godfather of contemporary design.

Architect Gabriel Poole and his long-term engineer Rod Bligh at Castaways house belonging to artist Tracy Moffat which they worked on together.

ONE of Queensland’s most renowned architects Gabriel Poole has been described as a design visionary.

Over a long career, Poole, who passed away on Wednesday aged 85, was a leader in what was known was the Sunshine Coast School of architecture which was based on the exploration of modernism combined with an understanding of Queensland housing traditions.

Hassell principal Mark Damant described Poole as “one of the godfathers of contemporary Queensland architecture”.

“He was renown for his economic use of material. From a sustainability and environment point of view he was one of the early pioneers of trying to do more with less,” he said.

“He was part of the whole new way of thinking about what shelter meant. If there was one war of describing him it would be around the examination of what it meant to be sheltered by architecture”

Queensland architect Gabriel Poole designs home to house three generations of one family

Poole won numerous awards including both the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture and the 1998 Royal Australian Institute of Architecture Gold Medal for his lifetime contribution to Australian architecture.

Liam Proberts, managing director of bureau proberts, said Poole made a massive contribution to Queensland architecture.

“He helped define our Queensland identity in the 20th century through architecture,” he said.

“He was an adventurer and experimenter and he kept pushing the boundaries of what the Queensland condition meant.

“There was always a great connection between his architecture and the spaces and the landscape and he encouraged all of us to think that way.”

Born in Ipswich, Poole studied architecture at the Queensland Technical College and the University of Queensland.

In the mid-70s, Poole teamed up with architect John Mainwaring to establish Atelier-Two-Designs. The work of their practice is acknowledged as having helped to establish Noosa as a resort destination.

In the early ‘80s, Poole returned to private practice and went on to design game-changing flatpack prefabrication systems for units and residential homes. Affordability and sustainability remained the key motivators that drove his enduring ingenuity.

Well known architect Gabriel Poole.

Managing director and CEO of the NRA Collaborative Noel Robinson said Poole was highly influential.

“He was part of the Sunshine Coast school of architecture which developed a regional approach to architecture that responded to the climatic conditions,” he said.

“It was a way of putting together beautifully delicate, light, tactile buildings and he was one of the pioneers of that.

“It was designing for Queensland, it was designing for its region and designing for its climate.”

Gabriel Poole's Container House (granny flat).

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad has praised Poole’s contribution to Queensland architecture.

“We have lost a true design visionary,” she said.

“Poole’s extensive contribution to our built environment includes delivering Queensland homeowners affordable and environmentally responsible architecture.

Driving that agenda and guiding colleagues and emerging architects to be equally impassioned, shapes much of Poole’s invaluable legacy.”

Coolum Beach Library, Park St, Coolum Beach. The award-winning building was designed by Gabriel Poole in his trademark tropical style.

Queensland Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects president Michael Lavery said Poole’s passing has deeply saddened all at the organisation.

“Gabriel’s work is defined for me by a unique combination of craft, minimal means and significant innovation, built around an intimate understanding of climate and place,” he said.

Poole died of natural causes on March 25. He is survived by his wife, collaborator and artist Elizabeth Poole, and his four children and two grandchildren.