Construction is in full swing on 1800 Tysons Blvd., a state-of-the-art office building on the corner of Galleria Drive and Tysons Boulevard. Lerner Enterprises, which is building the space, has conceived of a modern building that will tie in with the other commercial spaces in the area.
Chuck Green, with Lerner, said, “In order to provide a more urban setting at the corner of Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive, the building has been located closely to street level. Also, the building has been ‘lifted’ off the ground on silver columns, which opens a series of exciting pedestrian spaces which will link the office, retail, restaurant, and cafe spaces.”
Green said, “It is the first building of a new master plan for Tysons II that establishes the Downtown of not just Tysons and Fairfax County, but for Northern Virginia.”
Gary Powers, the president of the Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce said, “With regards to the Lerner development, we think it’s indicitive of the business cycle going on in the area.” Powers said that growth in and around Tysons Corner is solid and supporting new developments, such as this. “Along with the housing sales that are going strong, commercial sales are high too,” said Powers.
The office tower, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox in New York, will have 13 levels and offer 320,000 square feet of available space. When complete, the building will look different from others in the area because of the materials used on the exterior. It is going to primarily be composed of dark green granite and will have a folded plate of sculptured concrete. Horizontally striated glass and silver aluminum window frames will be used on the building.
The orientation of 1800 Tysons Boulevard will have the tall tower elevation facing Galleria Drive with an elongated presentation along Tysons Boulevard.
TO DATE ONLY Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP, has signed a long-term lease in the building. It’s not expected to be complete before the fall of 2005. Lerner has designed a special space within the multistory building for a restaurant. It is building in an iconographic 35-foot cantilevered glass bar that protrudes over the plaza on the Tysons Boulevard side.
Green said, “The 35-foot oriel is an extended portion of the first floor.”
Linda Smyth, the Providence District Supervisor, said, “What this says is that Tysons is still a good office market. We’re turning it around. Besides that, I think they’re going to have some very nice restaurants and shops in there.”
The building is being linked to Tysons Galleria to enable cross traffic between these two commercial buildings. There are even plans to build on-site retail shops, to be called “The Boulevard Shops,” that may include their own restaurants, cafe and fitness center.
“The pedestrian links are a series of [air] conditioned walkways that enable tenants to access one building to another, as well as Tysons Galleria, without going outdoors. The enclosed pedestrian link for 1800 Tysons begins at the lobby level and continues along the perimeter of the parking garage at 1750 Tysons Blvd. The link engages the concourse level at 1750 Tysons Blvd. and ultimately connects to the second level of the Galleria Mall,” said Green.
The building will eventually link with future Metrorail stations in Tysons through shuttle service. “That’s the thing that’s going to make a difference in people working here rather than commuting downtown. Tysons will never be the employer that D.C. is, but when Metro is here, and there is bussing back and forth, we’re going to have new [employment] choices,” said Ben Miller, who lives in Tysons.
The building designers incorporated a plaza into the design that is a meeting place for the entrances to the office tower, restaurant and parking facilities. This is expected to be a formal entry court with landscaping, sculptures and architectural paving.