Sands Capital | Arlington, Virginia

The Project

Systematic Art worked with Sands Capital to create and install an extensive professional picture hanging system for its sophisticated corporate environment in Arlington, Virginia. What began as a requirement for flexible art display developed into a large-scale installation involving more than 5,000 linear feet of picture rail and the placement and hanging of more than 100 works of art.

Sands Capital is an independent, staff-owned investment firm founded in 1992. Today, the firm manages approximately $50 billion in client assets and maintains offices in the United States and internationally.

A Challenging Architectural Environment

The Sands Capital interiors presented installation challenges far beyond those of a conventional office. High-end architectural finishes including stone, marble and wood created spaces where repeatedly fastening artwork directly to finished surfaces was neither practical nor desirable.

Some installation areas also featured ceilings reaching approximately 25 feet, requiring the Systematic Art installation team from New York to work at significant heights and under demanding site conditions. The objective was to create an extensive hanging infrastructure while preserving the architectural finishes and keeping the hardware as visually discreet as possible.

More Than 5,000 Linear Feet of Picture Rail

Systematic Art installed more than 5,000 linear feet of picture rail throughout the project, creating a flexible infrastructure from which artwork could be suspended, positioned and subsequently rearranged without repeatedly altering finished wall surfaces.

The scale of the installation required careful planning throughout the space. Rail locations, hanging points and hardware configurations had to respond to different ceiling heights, wall conditions, artwork dimensions and architectural details while maintaining a consistent appearance.

Custom Finishes for Gensler-Designed Interiors

The sophisticated interiors were designed by Gensler, a global architecture, design and planning firm. The quality of the surrounding materials and finishes made integration of the picture hanging system especially important.

Where required, Systematic Art custom-painted picture rails to coordinate with the surrounding architectural finishes. This allowed the hanging infrastructure to become a discreet part of the interior rather than compete visually with the architecture or artwork.

The project demonstrates an important advantage of an architectural picture hanging system: the rail can be incorporated into the design of a space and remain largely unobtrusive while providing considerable flexibility for future art installations.

White-Glove Art Installation & Placement

Systematic Art's involvement extended beyond supplying and installing the picture hanging hardware. Our team also provided white-glove installation and placement for more than 100 works of art throughout the Sands Capital offices.

Artwork was positioned with consideration for scale, sightlines, spacing, architectural features and the relationship between individual works and their surrounding environment. The combination of an adjustable hanging system and professional art placement allowed the collection to be integrated throughout the workplace while preserving flexibility for future changes.

Designed for a Changing Corporate Art Collection

Unlike conventional wall mounting, a rail-based hanging system provides a permanent infrastructure that can adapt as a corporate art collection evolves. Artwork can be repositioned horizontally along the rail and vertically using compatible hanging cables and adjustable picture hooks.

This allows individual works to be moved, replaced or regrouped without creating a new set of mounting holes every time the display changes. In a large corporate environment with valuable architectural finishes and an extensive art collection, that flexibility can become an important part of the building itself.

The Result

The completed Sands Capital project combined more than 5,000 linear feet of picture rail, specialized installation at heights reaching approximately 25 feet, custom-finished rail where required, and white-glove placement of more than 100 works of art.

Rather than simply supplying picture hanging hardware, Systematic Art provided an integrated solution encompassing the hanging infrastructure, customization, installation and final presentation of the artwork.

The result is a professional art display system designed to work with the architecture while giving Sands Capital the flexibility to reposition and evolve its collection over time.

For corporate offices, galleries, museums and other architecturally demanding spaces, explore Systematic Art's gallery, museum and commercial picture hanging systems.