5 Parkedge Road, Sunshine Beach QLD 4567

This Gabriel Poole masterpiece has stood the test of time. Located along a high ridge in Parkedge Road connecting to Enterprise Street in Sunshine Beach, this is a highly sought after address.

Built initially as a holiday house, the client's brief was for a quadropod built as high as possible with large glass walls to maximize the view south and putting the deck northfacing overlooking Noosa National Park However the glass walls above the handrail height and at floor level in the living area were designed to maximize openings with the intention of creating the feeling or character of a verandah on days when they could be opened. A small shelter deck faced north towards the Noosa National Park. As a result of these requests Poole designed a free standing quadropod house where an internal stair was incorporated between the separated towers. A walkway connected to the entrance at street level.

A fifth pod on the living room section supported the deck facing north. For the first time Poole designed the stairs with glass risers so that upon entering the house the vista was into green foliage underneath. His intention was for thick foliage to be planted underneath the building so that the house would appear to float above the shrubbery. The glass riser was a feature learnt from his student days designing hair salons with Robin Gibson. The living area which formed one half of the house was, with the exception of a kitchen wall, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

To achieve these expansive spaces, a complex steel structure had to be designed. The floor girders ran through to form exposed steel posts on the exterior walls which supported the steel beams for the roof. The posts were braced by horizontal bands of steel between the glazing. Thus there was no load bearing on any of the glass or the timber framing. Cool clad Custom Orb lined the ceiling of the living area.

Gabriel Poole is known as the godfather of architecture in Noosa and this minimal example of his work, is arguably one of his best. The house has not been offered to the market in 16 years and the current owners have maintained the property in immaculate condition in keeping with the integrity of the design.

The house backs onto the Noosa National Park and is also 500m to a Patrolled beach, the Sunshine Beach Surf Club and the Sunshine Beach village with all its great restaurants & cafes.