Water Story is a pair of artworks by artist Lucy Simpson located in the St George Hospital Acute Services building in Kogarah, NSW. Partridge provided structural engineering services for the project from initial design through to site installation. Working within a sterile hospital environment, Partridge balanced strict maintenance and safety requirements with the artist’s organic design. For the glazed wall artwork, a discrete series of steel frame members supports 31 unique panels using structural silicone. This design resists wind loading while allowing individual panels to be easily removed and replaced for cleaning. For the suspended copper fabric artwork, Partridge engineered an organically shaped primary steel frame supported by four discrete hanging points. This system integrates an electric hoist hidden within a circular ceiling structure, allowing the artwork to be lowered for maintenance. The engineering team carefully coordinated the ceiling components and hoist around existing services and post-tensioned slab strands.
