Hamilton Chapter Trip to McMaster Innovation Park

It was a cold and rainy day on March 31, 2017, but despite the inclement weather, over 20 members of the AEE Hamilton Chapter came together and met at the McMaster Innovation Park (MIP).  MIP is an award winning, premier research and innovation park located in Hamilton, Ontario. The facility plays an important part within the innovative ecosystem in Hamilton by supporting business and startups through providing collaborative spaces for each sector to co-locate, connect and commercialize; a place to transform ideas from vision to commercial reality. MIP is committed to using sustainable design principles, transforming former brownfields into a premier research park at a LEED silver or higher level. Zach Douglas, CEO of MIP and Ron Harten from HCE Energy Inc., the facility operators of MIP, provided a joint presentation on the sustainable design features throughout the facility which include:

• Solar Thermal Panels
• Solar Wall
• Rain Water Harvesting
• Energy Recovering Units
• Infloor Air Systems
• Geo-Exchange

Following the presentation, the chapter members were given a guided tour of the various building systems which allowed the membership to gain a first-hand look and ask in-depth questions.

Closing out the meeting, updates on the newly formed Chapter were presented and a round table discussion was held to gather input from the Chapter membership regarding how they wanted to see the Chapter continue to grow.