Sentinel
Towering, iconic and animated, Sentinel is a piece of functional sculpture. It is at once a roadside landmark, town gateway, local attraction and viewing platform, while providing a well-resolved public toilet facility designed in response to flood measures, site access, gravity fed plumbing, structural efficiency, cost considerations and durability.
Halfway along the road south from Eumundi to Maleny you come across a huge figure in the landscape, his outstretched arm pointing the way into Kenilworth. As you round the bend, the monolith reveals itself to be a teetering stack of steelwork, tanks and timber battens, perhaps an agricultural or industrial installation of some kind. Within this lofty structure is a large window that promises a spectacular view of distant hills and countryside. You stop at Isaac Moore Park and ascend a ramp towards the most dramatic toilet block you have ever seen.
Sentinel is a piece of functional sculpture designed in response to flood measures, site access, gravity fed plumbing, structural efficiency, cost considerations and durability. Its towering form derives from the need to elevate the toilet block four metres above ground, and the decision to place water tank and holding tank above and below, respectively, to enable gravity-fed plumbing. The expressively opposed cantilever of these elements achieves equilibrium, minimising the size of structural elements and building footprint. Culminating in an elevated lookout, the sweeping ramp meets accessibility standards without impeding movement across the park.
Sentinel is architecture without a concept or an overriding idea. It is devoid of metaphor, symbolism, narrative, process and historical references. At once a public toilet, roadside landmark, town gateway, local attraction and viewing platform, Sentinel is an iconic object created by a set of purely pragmatic decisions.
