Office

SUMMIT, N.J. — Cranbury, N.J.-based Sweetwater Construction Corp. has begun the redevelopment of the former Risk Building, located at 535 Springfield Ave. in Summit. The historic building will be redeveloped into Claremont Corporate Center, a two-story, Class A office building located above two levels of underground parking. The original brownstone and granite building will be preserved as much as possible, and a new addition will be added to it. While preserving the original stone façade, Sweetwater plans to add exterior limestone panels and a glass curtain wall. Inside, the building will include a two-story main lobby with a glass façade, and an atrium with glass and wood railing, as well as new elevators and a slate tile floor. The project owner is Claremont Corporate LLC, and Wesketch Architecture is serving as the architect of record. CB Richard Ellis is the exclusive leasing agent.

NEW YORK CITY — New York City-based SL Green Realty Corp. is undertaking a $160 million renovation of 1515 Broadway, a 54-story office tower located on Times Square in Manhattan, New York City. The most notable improvements to the approximately 2 million-square-foot tower include a 42-foot vertical extension of the building’s curtain wall, as well as the re-cladding of all of the exterior limestone surfaces with brushed aluminum panels. Other renovations include a redesign of the lobby with 5,000 square feet of custom art glass wrapping the walls; new elevator cabs; new common corridors and bathrooms; increased electrical capacity; HVAC upgrades; plumbing and fire protection improvements; and the addition of a new freight elevator. The project is applying for LEED-Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. SL Green is aiming to upgrade the building to “best in class” status with the project. Completion is expected in late 2009.