More Than “Just” Office Space ...

Taking pride in who we are and what we do was the motivation behind the recent “sprucing up” of the offices of the National Soil Survey Center (NSSC). The NSSC is an important part of NRCS, the federal agency committed to soil and conservation. Jon Hempel, the Center’s director, wanted that commitment to become a clear message for anyone who spends time at the Center. With that goal in mind, Hempel turned NSSC gathering places into museum-like spaces designed to inform, inspire, and motivate all who work or visit the Center.

The largest area to be transformed was the open space that once greeted everyone who entered the Center’s main door on the 3rd floor of the Federal Building in Lincoln, Nebraska. Previously, that open space was filled with random bookcases, some filing cabinets, and a few chairs available for waiting visitors. The space now offers a historical perspective of the agency attractively displayed on the walls and in glass cases. Photos, artifacts, and narratives highlight the historic milestones of the each decade starting with the 1900s. This design concept creates a timeline that helps the visitor understand the establishment, evolution, and growth of the agency from its infancy to the present, with reference to the future and work yet to come. To further interest the viewer, the historic information is anchored visually by the Center’s most relevant symbol―the soil monolith. Twenty-four state soil monoliths line the bottom half of the walls like an honor guard, providing one constant element to all the historic information—the element of soil.

To further improve and inform, the Center’s five divisions are prominently displayed on the main entrance wall. Each division is listed by name and a photo that illustrates its work, along with a short narrative explaining the division’s mission. Anyone visiting for the first time will know what the Center does by seeing or reading what appears on the entrance wall. Also, the Center incorporated “official” signage that tells anyone looking for the Center’s offices exactly which door to enter. Before the new signage, visitors or new employees would find themselves wandering the halls looking for the National Soil Survey Center. Now the name is proudly displayed along with the agency name and logo directly adjacent to the main entry door.

The historical perspective and office signage are not the only improvements. Art also has an important place with the creation of an art-gallery-type of display devoted to famous Lewis and Clark soil paintings. Jan Lang, a Center employee, created the paintings using soil as the base element for her paints. This gives the paintings a very special look and feel that brought national attention to both her and the paintings.

Jan Lang also painted three murals, one on each of the office’s main structural columns. Each mural depicts a different area of the country―the East with a focus on forest soils, the Heartland with a focus on agricultural soils, and the West with a focus on desert soils.

The Center’s Research and Laboratory Divisions, located on the 4th floor, received the same special attention. Their main entrance had similar signage installed, including the agency name and logo, and displayed the various divisions within Laboratory and Research. The division names were accompanied by an appropriate photo and a short narrative indicating the division’s mission.

While a lot of changes have been made, the effort continues to be a work-in-progress. The final goal is that the Center not only be an outstanding workplace, but also will become a destination for visitors, schools, science classes and others interested in learning more about the Center, NRCS, soil, and the valuable work being done on a daily basis at the NSSC.