Artist: Nicole Monks
Designers: mili mili
Location: Sydney, NSW
The Sydney Metro Waterloo Station, a new three-storey facility designed by John McAslan and Partners, opened in late 2024 as part of the Sydney Metro City line. A key feature of the station is the collaborative artwork Footprints on Gadigal Nura, developed with the Gadigal community and led by artist Nicole Monks. The artwork, consisting of three wall-mounted sculptural pieces, honours the legacy of First Nations people, with Botany Road being an important historical route.
Partridge was responsible for the structural engineering design and consultation for the artwork. One of the main challenges we faced was the shallow embedment depth of 30mm for the artwork fixings, which did not meet standard code requirements. To address this, onsite pull-out tests were conducted to verify the actual capacity of the fixings and ensure the installation’s structural integrity.
Another key aspect was ensuring the artwork could withstand blast loading, which required larger steel frames and more robust fixings to meet heightened safety standards. Partridge also designed the steel framework and fixings for the mirrored triangle wall façade.
Despite these challenges, our team delivered a design that balanced the artistic vision with the engineering requirements, contributing to a visually striking and structurally sound installation at Waterloo Station.
https://www.milimili.com.au/portfolio-2/footprints-on-gadigal-nura