Nouvelle at Tyson’s Corner – Hanover Company

Completed in December 2015, Nouvelle at Tyson’s Corner is a $136 million development project of Hanover Company, a Houston-based private real estate company. This 461-unit, 27-story high-rise apartment complex is located in McLean, Virginia, and is the first development to be constructed in the newly zoned area of Tyson’s Corner. Nouvelle features luxury apartment units with high-end community features such as a fully equipped fitness center, on-site concierge and a covered parking garage. Interior luxuries include Leedo kitchen cabinetry, Whirlpool stainless steel appliances with dual oven and Kember vinyl wood-plank flooring.

Hanover was able to incorporate its design-build approach for Nouvelle because the architects and structural engineers on the job were all employees of the company. “It creates a collaborative and creative environment and I really enjoy that about this company,” says Richard Tomaski, project executive for Hanover. “We really had an A-team on this project. Between the subcontractors and our staff, there was an average of 350 to 400 workers on-site every day.”

Nationwide input

The Nouvelle project brought Hanover employees together from numerous markets all over the country. Tomaski, who lives in Philadelphia, would drive to the jobsite at the beginning of the week and then drive home for the weekend. “We had people there from Georgia, Texas and other states,” recalls Tomaski. “It’s great because it brings a wide variety of people together for a period of two years.”

Nouvelle is the largest project completed by Hanover in which the company was the general contractor and owns the land. “We’ve turned the apartments over to another party to manage them,” Tomaski explains. “We took the entire project from design through to completion.”

As a real estate company based in Houston that completes work all over the country, each Hanover project is run as if it were its own company. For Nouvelle, Hanover had approximately 10 employees on-site, including project managers and supervisors. “All the crucial decisions for the job are made right there on-site,” says Tomaski. “We have subcontractor meetings once a week.”

In his 30 years of construction experience, Tomaski has built schools, retail centers and office buildings. “The multifamily residential complex is a totally different ballgame,” he shares. “If you make a mistake in the design of one of these units, it’s multiplied hundreds of times over.”

The mechanical subcontractors that Hanover hires for projects such as Nouvelle are design-build firms as well and are included in the design process. “We have to have top-notch subs to prevent those mistakes,” Tomaski adds.

Other challenges presented in the Nouvelle project included confines of the site on which the building was to be constructed. The harsh winter of 2013 created tough conditions for all aspects, most notably the concrete work. Tomaski says that one of the more notable moments in the construction phase was when the building was finally topped out, which the company celebrated by placing a Christmas tree at the peak.

Going the extra mile

In a sustainability effort, Nouvelle has achieved LEED Silver-certified status. With a LEED consultant on the project, Hanover engineers and architects collaborated starting from the design process to reach more than 50 points and achieve the silver status. “We looked at all aspects of where we could achieve those points,” recalls Tomaski. “We applied it in aspects such as HVAC, mechanical, windows and even trash disposal. In Fairfax County, you have to at least be LEED-certified or put up a large bond. We found that we could possibly achieve silver so we decided to take it that extra step.”

In his 10 years at Hanover, Tomaski says the company is the best construction firm that he has ever been involved with. “It’s just a great place to work,” he shares. “For such a big company it operates like a family business.” With all the travel that is asked of many of the employees, Hanover ensures that its people are happy and satisfied in their work, which results in the continuous completion of successful projects such as Nouvelle at Tyson’s Corner

Hanover stands among the most active private real estate companies in the United States, specializing in the development of high-quality multifamily residential properties nationwide. With more than 30 years’ experience and an award-winning portfolio of residential high-rise, midrise, mixed-use and suburban projects, Hanover Company is focused on strategic growth in major markets across the United States.