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Work Begins On New HITT Contracting HQ at Va. Tech's Complex in Fairfax County

HITT Contracting breaks ground on new HQ at Virginia Tech's Northern VA Center. Features smart construction hub, sustainability focus, and partnership with Virginia Tech. Project aims to drive innovation and workforce development in the region.

Wed January 29, 2025 - Northeast Edition
HITT Contracting & FFXNow


Shutterstock photo/J.Robert Williams

HITT Contracting, one of the largest commercial builders in the United States, broke ground Jan. 23 on its new headquarters at Virginia Tech's Northern Virginia Center in the Fairfax County community of Idylwood, due west of Washington, D.C.

In development since 2019, the six-story, 270,000-sq.-ft. building will serve as the centerpiece of a $100 million project aimed at transforming the campus into a hub for innovation and sustainable growth. Construction is set to begin this year, with the headquarters slated to open in early 2027.

FFXNow noted that a standout feature of the new headquarters will be a 40,000-sq.-ft. Coalition for Smart Construction hub, a collaborative initiative between HITT and Virginia Tech designed to bridge academia and the construction industry.

The space will house advanced research facilities focused on addressing critical challenges in construction, including labor shortages, sustainability and technological advancements, according to HITT CEO Kim Roy.

"As we break ground on our new headquarters, we're laying the foundation for innovation, progress, and collaboration," Roy said at the event. "This building is so much more than an office — it's a beacon of what's possible when curiosity, ingenuity and determination fuse to create a new vision."

Founded 88 years ago as a small, family-owned business in Arlington County, HITT has since grown into a national leader in construction services, employing nearly 1,900 people nationwide.

The firm is currently based just a 10-minute drive away on Fairview Park Drive near I-495 in West Falls Church.

HITT Contracting's new headquarters will house more than 900 employees and feature a wellness center, café, conference space and a one-acre outdoor terrace.

Gensler designed the building to hit net-zero energy and carbon goals, due in part to a 100,000-sq.-ft. photovoltaic solar canopy set to be installed on its roof, as well as nearby wind turbines, which together offset all its energy needs.

Other sustainable features include an advanced Power over Ethernet (PoE) system for lighting, electrical power, and data, in addition to office furniture produced from recycled materials by HITT's 3D printing farm. A HyperWall building envelope system, developed with Building Composites, also will debut at the facility to offer a lighter, stronger and more efficient construction solution, HITT noted.

Julie Ross, Virginia Tech's dean of engineering, highlighted the project's broader educational goals, emphasizing the university and contractor's shared focus on developing innovative technologies and training the next generation of construction leaders.

"We're not just building a space together, we're building an ecosystem to drive systemic and sustainable change to be successful," she explained. "We're going to need all of you, and all of the creative thinkers from academia, government and industry to work together. When we put all of those people in the same room and identify the big problems, we can imagine the future of the construction industry and help develop the technology and the talent to get there."

‘Another Feather' in Virginia Tech's Cap

The 7.41-acre site, located near the West Falls Church Metro Station, is part of a broader revitalization of the Falls Church area, both in Fairfax County and the city.

In addition to the Virginia Tech campus changes, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors revised its comprehensive plan for the transit station area in 2021 to allow mixed-use development on the Metro station's parking lots.

With plans also calling for a 13-story, 440-unit apartment building that will have up to 18,000 sq. ft. of retail and 55,000 sq. ft. set aside for urban parks, the Northern Virginia Center project aims to enhance transit-oriented development and align with the county's climate action goals.

Local and state officials, including Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th District, praised the initiative for its community impact and alignment with the region's strategies for managing future growth.

Bierman called the project a testament to Fairfax County's ability to foster innovation and sustainable development.

"They are trying to figure out how we build things more efficiently, how we run them more efficiently, how we are innovating every single day, and they're putting their money where their [mouths are]," he said at the groundbreaking.

In his remarks, Beyer celebrated the longstanding ties between HITT and Virginia Tech, noting that the company's new headquarters will enhance Northern Virginia's growing reputation as a hub for technological progress and education.

He also praised Virginia Tech, which operates its main campus far to the south in Blacksburg, for its role in attracting Amazon's HQ2 to the region just outside Washington.

"This can be yet another feather in the cap of Virginia Tech, and another reason why companies around the world want to come to Northern Virginia to locate and to grow our database, which is good for everybody," added Beyer.




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