Feasibility Study and Vision for a McMaster Downtown Campus

When its current location became unavailable, McMaster University issued a call for proposals to find alternative space for its downtown Hamilton campus. Civicplan was retained by First Real Properties Limited, owners of Jackson Square, to prepare a feasibility study and campus vision demonstrating how McMaster’s requirements could be accommodated at the iconic 1 James Street North location. An integrated approach combining demographics, design, planning policy and renewal potential was used to illustrate how the location would provide the ideal solution to McMaster’s long-term needs. Jackson Square was selected as the winning proposal and McMaster University moved into their new downtown campus in 2015.