General Fusion recently opened its new headquarters, which serves as the company’s main office and laboratory space at its state-of-the-art fusion campus, which spans three buildings in Richmond, British Columbia. The new, expanded space supports General Fusion’s goal to deliver clean fusion energy to the grid by the early to mid-2030s using the company’s practical Magnetized Target Fusion technology.

A global leader in sustainable design, Stantec provided multi-discipline design, architecture, and engineering services for the project. 

Inspired design with a nod to history and technology 

The emphasis for this project was centered around creating a sustainable design for an energy-efficient future, including the facility’s research and development laboratories. Keeping in line with the brand’s marquee colour palette that uses strong Pantone reds and greys, the design celebrates General Fusion’s advanced technology and the history of the company’s technology evolution.

The 56,000-square-foot facility, designed by Stantec, includes new offices, staff amenities, a visitor reception area, washrooms, laboratories, shops, and warehouse spaces to support operations. A new second-floor infill space provides additional office and meeting rooms. Electrical and mechanical upgrades provide energy savings through heat recovery units.

The new interior features custom wood finishes with glass accents to provide visibility and line-of-sight through the offices. In the lab and industrial spaces, non-slip finishes for material handling operations, high bay lighting, and effective equipment layouts ensure safety and operational efficiency.

Shared commitment to reducing carbon 

Aligned with Stantec’s sustainability commitment, General Fusion is developing transformative fusion energy technology to meet the growing global energy demand and achieve a net-zero transition. General Fusion is fast-tracking its technical progress to provide commercial fusion energy to the grid in the next decade by building a new Magnetized Target Fusion demonstration machine at the Richmond site. The machine, called Lawson Machine 26, is designed to achieve fusion conditions of over 100 million degrees Celsius at large scale by 2025 and progress towards scientific breakeven equivalent by 2026.

When these milestones are reached, General Fusion will have achieved the major technical requirements to advance to the commercialization phase of practical fusion energy.

“With extensive investment in efficient energy generation, this transformative new space will bring pioneering technology and innovation to the energy industry,” said Sy Selick, operations leader for Stantec in British Columbia. “We understand the increasing urgency for carbon-free energy and are proud to support General Fusion’s ambitious commitment to science and a sustainable future.”

Learn more about how Stantec provides practical and deliverable sustainability solutions that ensure regulatory compliance and adds value to the projects it designs.