With an anticipated opening in 2026, the new LuxWall facility is expected to bring 277 new jobs to Detroit’s Delray District.
For Immediate Release, December 5, 2024, Detroit, Mich. – LuxWall, a leader in glass-based insulation solutions that reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, will build its second facility in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood with Bedrock serving as developer and landlord.
The new 276,000-square-foot facility will be located on Fort Street at the former Sakthi Industrial Campus, owned by Bedrock. The new building will model LuxWall’s first production operation, which opened earlier this year in Litchfield, Mich. The clean-energy manufacturing facility is the world’s first high-volume, vacuum-insulating glass (VIG) production facility.
“The growing demand for our products is exciting, and so is the opportunity to work with Bedrock and be part of Detroit’s transformation,” said LuxWall Co-Founder and CEO Scott Thomsen. “This project will support the city, brings jobs to Detroit and Michigan, and help our customers improve the environment.”
More than 30 percent of the world’s energy is consumed by buildings and windows are the single-largest source of energy loss in the built environment. To counter this, LuxWall has developed technologies to manufacture vacuum-insulating glass that performs like a wall. LuxWall Enthermal™ VIG is five times more insulating than double-paned glass and reduces the energy loss of homes and buildings by up to 45 percent. Enthermal is ideal for retrofitting buildings as its thin profile allows it to be easily installed in existing window frames, reducing re-glazing costs by up to 50 percent for end users. In addition, the payback for most projects is three times faster than other available glass products.
LuxWall joins LM Manufacturing and Diversified Synergies LLC on the site in Detroit, emphasizing the demand for local, modern industrial facilities. LuxWall’s announcement signals accelerating revitalization efforts throughout the Delray District with the addition of 277 local, sustainable jobs. Oliver Hatcher, based in Novi, will oversee construction of the facility.
“LuxWall’s investment in Detroit is a win for both the economy and the environment. Their innovative products will help reduce retrofitting costs and promote sustainable construction. This investment will add hundreds of jobs, stimulate local growth, and reinforce Detroit’s position as the go-to industrial hub, all while contributing to the revitalization of the Delray Industrial area. Bedrock is proud to have recruited and partnered with LuxWall to bring them to Detroit,” said Kofi Bonner, chief executive officer at Bedrock.
“LuxWall’s new facility in Detroit’s Delray District will create 277 good-paying, high-skill jobs and help Michigan continue leading the future of advanced manufacturing,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I am proud that our comprehensive economic development strategy to help more companies ‘make it’ in Michigan is paying off, as we continue attracting new investments across the state to grow our economy. LuxWall’s cutting-edge glass technology will save families and businesses money on their energy bills while making interiors more comfortable. Let’s keep working together to bring home projects that create economic opportunity, drive down costs, and move Michigan forward.”
Adds Quentin Messer, Jr., CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation: “Congratulations to LuxWall on reaching this important milestone! The MEDC is grateful LuxWall continues to ‘Make It’ in Michigan by investing in our People and Places. Today’s announcement would not be possible without an aligned Team Michigan approach from Governor Whitmer, bipartisan legislative leadership, and the City of Detroit, among others, who created the environment that enabled the company to reach this milestone. We anticipate more success and prosperity for the company in Detroit in the years to come.”
“The next-generation products LuxWall will be manufacturing at the Bedrock Industrial Campus have the potential to revolutionize how homes and commercial buildings reduce heat loss and energy consumption,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “LuxWall could have located anywhere, but chose Detroit because they see it as a place where their innovation can flourish.”
In November 2023, LuxWall received a $31.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to support the Detroit project as part of the DOE’s program to strengthen clean energy supply chains and accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing. Last month, the company announced it had secured its Series B funding round led by Climate Investment and Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital. Other prominent climate-focused investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Prelude Ventures, 2150, Khosla Ventures, Baruch Future Ventures, and Carbon Equity.
For more information, visit LuxWall.com.
Media Contact:
Amy Hennes
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About LuxWall
Located in Ypsilanti, MI, USA, LuxWall is focused on product development, scaling, and commercialization of innovative energy-efficient glass products and solutions for the built environment. LuxWall’s transparent insulation technology, Enthermal™, provides a step change in energy performance by significantly reducing convective, conductive, and radiative heat gain and heat loss in buildings. Acting as a transparent Thermos® bottle for buildings, LuxWall has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by more than 0.5 gigatons per year with mass adoption. LuxWall is well poised to penetrate the $35B glazing market. Enthermal will forever change how buildings are designed and constructed for the future sustainability of our planet.
