| Memorial Hermann Heart and Vascular Institute is a 270,000 square freestanding addition on the campus of the flagship Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston's prestigious Texas Medical Center. With world class competition from both nearby Methodist Hospital and The Texas Heart Institute, Memorial Hermann sought to appeal to an upscale demographic that represents the immediate residential area around Rice University and River Oaks, Houston's wealthiest residential community.
The architectural design has created a high-end hospitality environment with tall windows with incredible views of Hermann Park, natural stone finishes, lush gardens and a grand staircase linking the two main public floors. The role of the art was to enhance the hospitality feeling of the space and to provide a sense of tranquility and comfort to patients and families dealing with serious medical conditions.
Each floor has a different theme running through the art that provides positive distraction for viewers who may walk from floor to floor either as a way of passing time or as a part of their cardiac recovery program. Each floor also has a variety of media in order to create a more eclectic feeling as one would find in a five-star hotel. Much of the art was commissioned for the project including a series of photographs capturing twelve of Houston's most important and recognizable public sculptures that are located in gardens around the city.
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