At CHRISTUS Health headquarters in Irving, Texas, art is intentionally woven into the fabric of the workplace to reflect the organization’s mission, history, and culture. In a year-long collaboration with CHRISTUS, art consultants from Art + Artisans curated 15 floors of custom artwork and prints for the building. This video takes viewers on a visual journey through the spectacular interiors of the 15-story, state-of-the-art office tower designed by BOKA Powell. More than just a building; the 456,000 square-foot headquarters is built to suit. It’s a stunning example of how art and design foster a sense of community and connection for its occupants.
We sat down with project leaders from CHRISTUS and BOKA Powell to discuss how art works with the design of this space to reflect the mission and legacy of CHRISTUS Health. As well as to inspire employees and elicit a sense of community. (Click here to read a transcript of the video.)
Bolstering Connection to Each Other and the Mission
CHRISTUS is a Catholic health ministry that operates hospitals, clinics and other medical care programs across the southern US and Latin America, supported by 2000 associates in North Texas. During a time of expansive growth, with 50,000 employees in four different countries, CHRISTUS decided to build a new office tower in Irving, Texas that could house their support staff under one roof. It was a move designed to bolster their connection to each other and their mission.
In 2021, they broke ground on a 15-story office tower designed by architectural firm BOKA Powell. Every detail is designed to make associates feel cared for and inspired to fulfill CHRISTUS’s mission. From the step-out balconies on every floor, to the on-site medical clinic, indoor fitness center, outdoor fitness lawn and dining room with revolving menu.
“When you build a building of this caliber and with the thoughtfulness behind it, you have to do the same thing with the interior,” says Mary Margetts, Executive Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer at CHRISTUS Health.
CHRISTUS commissioned 15 floors of custom, original art and prints curated by the art consultants at Art + Artisans. Each piece reflects the mission and culture of the organization.
This artwork depicting hands holding a heart is constructed from scraps of uniform material sent in from CHRISTUS employees across their international network. Art consulting by Art + Artisans.
One work of art, constructed from scraps of uniform donated by staff from around the world, depicts hands holding a heart. The collaborative approach to its creation fosters a strong sense of shared identity within the organization. “For me, it’s just a representation of the hands that take care of our patients every single day,” Margetts says.
A Serene Space that Becomes a Blank Canvas
Emily Martinez, an Interiors Project Designer at BOKA Powell, shared insights into the design philosophy behind the building. Utilizing the themes of “sacred ground,” “poetic humility,” and “threads of light” helped designers create a serene space that sets the stage for more colorful art and furnishings.
“As designers we often think about the space or the overall materiality of the space to be bright and neutral. We do this, kind of anticipating that the building will become a blank canvas for the color to be placed in through art and furnishings and accessories,” Martinez says.
“What was really important to CHRISTUS is to bring in those Latin American influences into the building, considering that they have a lot of hospitals and clinics in Latin America,” BOKA Powell Interiors Project Designer Emily Martinez says. This piece takes inspiration from the traditional Mexican sarape. Art consulting: Art + Artisans.
One installation that brings vibrant color into the space takes inspiration from the traditional Mexican sarape. It was important to CHRISTUS to have Latin America represented in recognition of their substantial presence and mission in that region. The organization operates medical facilities and programs in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia.
Another fascinating piece of art in this project is designed to encourage employees to take the stairs in a nod to the organization’s commitment to physical health care. It’s a dimensional installation expanding 14-floors up the wall of the internal, monumental stairwell. Comprised of photography from all of CHRISTUS’s locations, the abstract piece moves diagonally up the stairwell creating an immersive experience.
Using art to encourage taking the stairs: This installation uses photography from across CHRISTUS’s many locations and stretches diagonally up 14 floors along the office’s internal monumental staircase. Art consulting: Art + Artisans.
BOKA Powell Founder & Principal Don Powell spoke to us about a standout piece of art in the lobby of the building. The installation called, “Celestial Beams of Unity,” by artist Ender Martos, consists of three, 19-foot columns of monofilament that symbolize the three congregations that came together to form CHRISTUS Health.
“The concepts that we used to design the building were ‘sacred ground,’ ‘poetic humility,’ and ‘threads of light,'” BOKA Powell Interiors Project Designer Emily Martinez says. This art installation in the lobby of CHRISTUS headquarters uses monofilament to create three columns representing the three congregations that formed the organization. Art consulting: Art + Artisans.
“The way Ender works with fishing line, of all things, and then the organization of a top and bottom grid— a cylinder that allows a moiré effect to be achieved simply by rotating those two plates against one another— is phenomenal. And it’s great in daylight. And at night, it just illuminates the room,” Powell says.
The Feeling of Welcome: Applying Stanford Business School Research
In the video, Art + Artisans Founder and CEO Jennifer Seay explains that research from Stanford Business School shows the profound subconscious influence feelings have on decision-making. Specifically, 90 to 95% of our decisions happen subconsciously and are heavily influenced by our emotions. This research underscores that emotions are a dominant driver in most significant life decisions. Positive feelings, such as warmth, happiness, and engagement, play a crucial role in determining the places where individuals choose to spend their time and to which they desire to return.
Professor Baba Shiv’s work at Stanford has explored the interplay between emotion and reason in decision-making, suggesting that the emotional part of the brain often leads, with the rational mind subsequently providing justification. This understanding emphasizes the importance of creating environments that evoke positive emotional responses.
The relevance of this research on the design of CHRISTUS Health headquarters is significant. The intentional focus on curating artwork and creating an overall aesthetic that feels welcoming and engaging directly aligns with these findings. By fostering positive feelings in employees and visitors, the design aims to create a stronger connection to the organization and its mission. A well-designed workspace with attention to emotional well-being can contribute to a more positive and productive work environment, increasing job satisfaction and overall happiness.
In the video, Mary Margetts confirms that the positive feedback received from CHRISTUS employees, who appreciate the beauty of the artwork and feel it helps them connect with the culture, underscores the effectiveness of this intentional integration.
Conclusion: An Integrated Tapestry of Art and Purpose
The strategies employed on the CHRISTUS headquarters project offer valuable insights for other organizations seeking to create spaces that align with their values and support the well-being of their communities.
The thoughtful integration of art and design exemplifies a humanistic approach to creating the work environment. BOKA Powell’s design concepts like “sacred ground,” “poetic humility” and “threads of light” resonate with the faith-based mission and service-oriented culture at CHRISTUS. They also provide the perfect canvas for an art program curated to act as a visual narrative, connecting employees to the organization’s mission, history, and culture on a daily basis. The positive feedback from employees highlights the success of this approach in creating a space that’s not only functional but inspiring and reflective of the art of healing.
Learn More About the Art of Connection at CHRISTUS HEALTH Headquarters
- CHRISTUS Project Page [Art + Artisans]
- Why Art is Crucial for RTO Success [Art + Artisans]
- CHRISTUS Health Headquarters [BOKA Powell]
- Global Healthcare System’s Move To North Texas Solidifies Region As HQ Epicenter: Commercial Development of the Year for Dallas-Fort Worth [CoStar]
- The CHRISTUS Health Office Transformation Journey [Furniture Marketing Group, Inc on YouTube]
Video Transcript
VOICEOVER (MARTY MARGETTS): When you build a building of this caliber and with the thoughtfulness behind it, you have to do the same thing with the interior.
MARTY MARGETTS, EVP AND CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER, CHRISTUS: We’re a big company in, you know, 50,000 employees in four different countries, and the art really helped us display that connection to the mission of the organization.
EMILY MARTINEZ, INTERIORS PROJECT DESIGNER, BOKA POWELL: Christus’ mission really is about health care and healing. The concepts that we used to design the building were sacred ground, poetic humility and threads of light. As designers we often think about the space or the overall materiality of the space to be bright and neutral. We do this kind of anticipating that the building will become a blank canvas for the color to be placed in through art and furnishings and accessories.
DON POWELL, FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL, BOKA POWELL: The first time I saw Ender’s work, I fell in love with it. The way this artist works with fishing line of all things and then the organization of a top and bottom grid, a cylinder that allows a moiré effect to be achieved simply by rotating those two plates against one another is phenomenal. And it’s great in daylight and at night it just illuminates the room.
DON POWELL: So the three columns that we have in this lobby represent three congregations that made CHRISTUS Health happen.
EMILY MARTINEZ: As you move through the space, there’s this sense of like purity in the design and the poetry and the abstraction of the work. Another really interesting piece in this project is by Shane Albertin and this piece is a very large two -dimensional installation that runs up the wall through the connecting monumental stair of this building. The artist used photography from all the different locations around the world where CHRISTUS has hospitals, clinics, and offices and did a kind of abstract interpretation that moves diagonally up the stair. It becomes more like an art gallery experience. As you move up and down that stair.
EMILY MARTINEZ: CHRISTUS wanted to portray the artwork in this building to be more future facing than to look back in the past. There’s two portraits of the founders of CHRISTUS on the 15th floor of this building. They’re done in a traditional portrait fashion, but they’re painted in a more contemporary way in which lots palette knife texture is added into both the portraits, and they really tell the story about the origins of this organization. There’s a few works that deal with the traditional sarape, and this is bringing vibrant color into the space. And what was really important to CHRISTUS is to really bring in those Latin American influences into the building, considering that they have a lot of hospitals and clinics in Latin America.
MARTY MARGETTS: One that I absolutely love, it’s a depiction of hands holding the heart and the cloth came from lab coats, scrubs, EBS workers, uniforms, old t-shirts, things that all of our ministry sent in and we created this piece with all those pieces of cloth. And so for me, it’s just a representation of the hands that take care of our patients every single day.
JENNIFER SEAY, FOUNDER & CEO, ART + ARTISANS: Every piece of art throughout this project has been specially curated to reflect the rich history and narrative that is specific to CHRISTUS. These pieces fill the entire space with authentic storytelling moments and opportunities for human connection. Research from Stanford Business School shows that 90 to 95 percent of our decisions happen subconsciously and are very heavily influenced by our feelings. So places where we feel welcomed that evoke warmth and happiness and engagement those are the places that we choose to spend our time and return again and again.
MARTY MARGETTS: There’s just many, many ways in which the associates can connect with the artwork, even, you know, walking through every morning they can connect with it. So we’ve gotten just amazing feedback. People just love it. They think it’s beautiful. It gives them something to look at all the time, and it helps them connect with our culture. And for that, I’m just very grateful.
