Capital One Tower

The Capital One Tower is a Contemporary skyscraper designed by HKS Inc., in association with Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, and built between 2014 and 2018 in Tysons , VA.

Its precise street address is 1600 Capital One Drive, Tysons , VA. You can also find it on the map here.

The Capital One Tower has received multiple architecture awards for its architectural design since 2018. The following is a list of such prizes and awards:

• Skyline Luminary Award for the Corner Chamber of Commerce in 2018
• CREBA Project of the Year, Bisnow Real Estate Washington DC in 2019
• Award of Excellence, Best Build-to-Suit Non-Institutional Facility, NAIOP Northern Virginia Chapter in 2019
• Juror’s Citation Award, Commercial Architecture Category, AIA Northern Virginia Chapter in 2019

Capital One Tower represents the first phase of a 25-year master plan, featuring performance halls, mixed-use towers, offices, retail spaces, housing, venues for the performing arts, and much more..

HKS Inc. was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Capital One Tower a reality:

• Thornton Tomasetti in charge of Structural Engineering
• James G. Davis Construction as the Main Contractor
• Enclos Corp. in charge of Facade Consultancy
• CallisonRTKL in charge of Interior Design

The Capital One Tower can be categorized as a Contemporary building.

The Capital One Tower uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and beams.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a highly reflective, blue-gray glass curtain wall that extends into a setback enclosing the mechanical penthouse and creating a luminous crown at the top of the tower.

Horizontal metal lines highlight the various floor levels and complement the facade as it curves, where a prominent canopy marks the entrance to the main lobby.