Dive Brief:
- Falls Church, Virginia-based HITT Contracting is relocating to a new office and plans to focus on sustainability and tech research there, according to a Nov. 15 announcement.
- The new headquarters, also in Falls Church, will be six stories and 270,000 square feet, per its release. The site, which will house the firm’s 900 local employees, will also feature a 100,000-square-foot photovoltaic solar canopy. HITT claims the structure will generate all the energy the building needs.
- In addition to HITT’s occupancy, the builder also leased 40,000 square feet of ground floor space to Virginia Tech for the Blacksburg-based university’s Coalition for Smart Construction. HITT said the collaboration will establish a nationally recognized innovation hub focused on advancing the building industry.
Dive Insight:
Designed by San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler, the office will feature collaborative work zones, wellness facilities and a 1-acre outdoor terrace. The ground floor will include a full-service conference center and a café, with access to more than 55,000 square feet of urban parks, including a 1,400-square-foot interactive digital experience pavilion designed to be a community area for Falls Church residents.
The second floor will hold collaboration spaces and access to the roof deck. Four additional floors of offices will offer dynamic workspaces, designed with neurodivergence in mind, to support a variety of working styles, according to the release. The builder plans to complete its new headquarters in late 2026.
In addition to the established space, HITT also plans to use its new facility as a research and pilot location for new technologies. The contractor said that it will carry out more than 20 research projects at the new headquarters, such as a newly patented prefabricated building skin that reduces weight and boosts efficiency, and the first use of the Caracol Heron AM robotic arm installed in the U.S. for 3D printing.
“Traditionally, less than 1% of the construction industry’s revenue is directed at advancing R&D. If we’re going to overcome future challenges, we need to start now and work together across the entire industry,” said Megan Lantz, HITT’s vice president of research and development, in the release.
