The turmoil that has wounded other parts of Hamilton's economy has so far barely touched McMaster's new research park.

"Generally speaking, we're still quite optimistic about where we'll be at the end of the year," said Zach Douglas, president of McMaster Innovation Park at the former Camco appliance plant site on Longwood Road South.

With the site now prepared for a 156,000- square-foot federal materials research laboratory, construction tenders are due. Building could start as soon as the end of April if the bids come in on budget.

The building, which would be owned by McMaster and leased to the federal government, is expected to be open by late next year.

Crews were recently working around the clock compacting engineered landfill to support the foundation at the rear of the site. They were going non-stop so the material didn't freeze while they were working.

Around the same time that construction starts on the CANMET lab, $17.5 million in renovation work will be wrapping up next door at the McMaster Innovation Park's headquarters building. Trivaris, a Burlington firm that matches financing with innovation to create new businesses, has taken possession of the fourth floor.

The private hotel project to be built on the site has become a victim of the recession, Douglas explained, and will be delayed.

The 15-year master plan for the park calls for 14 buildings with a total of 1.7 million square feet of space and a total of 3,000 occupants. Douglas believes the balance of private, government and university tenants makes the park attractive even in a downturn.

"It's unique space that's quite attractive, because we're providing more than space," he said in an interview. "We're trying to create this environment in which innovation can happen."

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