OMAHAMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER · JANUARY | 15
giant ‘3801’ sign—the one hanging off the sleek new headquarters of Omaha’s Women’s Center for Advancement at 38th and Harney streets—stands out against the gray brick backdrop of this recently renovated property. Bold, rounded numbers point to the nonprofit’s updated building, where they provide aid to victims of domestic abuse.
The boutique at the WCA
The roundness of the numbers’ font is one of the organization’s many ways of telling the public there is an ongoing cycle of violence, while the size screams “We’re here.” The oversized loops of text were so large, the WCA needed to convince the city council that the sign’s height is appropriate, despite city codes restricting its placement. “They have to know where it is!” CEO Amy Richardson explains, referring to clients and WCA supporters alike. “It’s really important that we’re identifiable. We’re not hiding this problem.”
WAVES AND ARCHES LOOP INTO THE CEILING OF THE FIRST-FLOOR, GUIDING VISITORS PAST WALL EMBELLISHMENTS MADE FROM RECLAIMED WOOD AND THROUGH A MODERN NEUTRAL PALETTE COMBINED WITH POPS OF COLOR. Walls of rectangular glass panels wrap around the eastern corner of the building, reflecting that sense of transparency as sunlight passes though them and into the curved lobby. “Light is very healing,” Richardson says, and cites a need for it as the incentive behind a custom window film used throughout the building. Patterns of opaque dots, rings, and circles balance brightness with a sense of privacy, providing a oneway mirror effect for meeting rooms. That circular theme is built into the very heart of the WCA’s home, where a cylindrical beam sprouts from the center of the building and through the middle of the client lobby, Richardson’s favorite addition to the new digs. Halos of light hang from a curved ceiling above various seating options arranged with intention—it’s almost impossible to look at one another while sitting in them—another piece of privacy in the clients-only space. CONT. PAGE 16
Chairs purposely face away from each other in this waiting area to avoid awkward conversations.