[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/MIPbuilding.jpg” caption=”Larger windows will be installed in the currently windowless part of the building. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Move-in day is approaching for the first tenants of the McMaster Innovation Park located at 175 Longwood Road South. The UN University's Institute for Water, Environment and Health, which is currently located in McMaster's Downtown Centre, will move in within the next week. The Institute will occupy 6,000 square feet on the second floor of the building.

Built in 1951, the former Camco building served as office space for the appliance-manufacturing company. Once the renovations are complete, the McMaster Innovation Park will house 1.7 million square feet of space for up to 3,000 employees. The Park will promote commercial research between the University and its public and private partners.

The renovations to the building are more than cosmetic. Four floors of old offices are being modernized with energy-efficient lighting, heating and air conditioning systems, making the building more environmentally-friendly.

Larger windows will be installed in the currently windowless part of the building and the central atrium will feature a skylight. The building will also house labs, offices and conference rooms, which are scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

Construction of the Park's new building for the CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory will begin in November.