Candu Energy has donated $1.5 million toward the creation of a new learning space for engineering students at McMaster University.

The investment will fund the renovation of a former manufacturing hub into the Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects Studio, a state-of-the-art facility designed to enhance the educational experience for first-year engineering students.

The studio, combined with associated renovated spaces, will be the most significant update to the John Hodgins Engineering building in several years.

Candu Energy is the original equipment manufacturer of CANDU nuclear technology and a subsidiary of AtkinsRéalis.

“We are proud to support the development of a space where the best and the brightest in our industry can learn and thrive,” said Cande President and CEO Gary Rose. “Ontario faces a pressing talent shortage across engineering, project management, and skilled trades. This poses a risk to the vast expansion of the province’s clean power grid so critical to servicing the growing demand for power.”

The proposed Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects Studio will be a 5,000 square foot hub where first-year students can collaborate, create and flex their ingenuity to tackle real-world problems through meaningful engineering solutions.

It will feature leading-edge equipment such as laser cutters and 3D printers, a prototyping area and designated areas for group collaboration. A teaching area with large LED screens and floor-to-ceiling windows will provide a bright, open learning environment. A second-floor mezzanine will offer flexible space for students, aligning with the renovation’s goal of establishing a collaborative “collision space” for interdisciplinary teamwork.

McMaster is known as Canada’s nuclear university. It is home to the country’s largest research reactor, and many researchers at the institution focused on clean energy.

Construction of the Integrated Cornerstone Design Projects Studio is scheduled to begin in early 2025 and slated to open in the fall 2026 semester.