Federal Funding
US Energy Dept. Reverses Course on Funds for LuxWall Detroit Manufacturing Expansion
276,000-sq-ft vacuum-insulated glass plant aims for 2027 production under negotiated agreement to restore $31.7M grant rescinded last year
Glassmaker LuxWall says the building shell is complete at its 276,000-sq-ft Detroit manufacturing plant, with equipment installation and commissioning underway ahead of planned 2027 production.
The U.S. Dept. of Energy will continue supporting vacuum-insulated glass manufacturer LuxWall's Detroit expansion under a negotiated cost-share agreement, the company announced Sept. 10, continuing federal backing for a 276,000-sq-ft manufacturing plant.
The agency did not immediately respond to ENR questions about the current federal cost share, how the agreement relates to the $31.7 million grant originally awarded to the project under the Biden administration and rescinded by the Trump administration last year, or how much funding has been disbursed to LuxWall.
Company CEO Scott Thomsen said in written responses to ENR that the agreement is “a continuation of the existing project” rather than a new federal award. The company declined to disclose how much federal funding the agreement provides.
Luxwall said the building’s shell is complete, with equipment installation and commissioning underway. Serial production is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2027, with first commercial shipments expected during the second half of the year.
Novi, Mich.-based Oliver/Hatcher is design-build general contractor for the plant and Detroit Architectural Group is the architect of record. LuxWall said the facility would have up to 277 employees at capacity. A Detroit building permit issued April 7, 2025, lists a contractor-estimated construction cost of about $14.3 million for a 275,000-sq-ft high-impact manufacturing facility at the site.
Federal Funding Takes a Round Trip
DOE selected LuxWall in November 2023 for a $31.7 million federal cost share through the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grants Program, which supports eligible manufacturing projects in communities affected by coal mine or coal-fired power plant closures. The agency classified LuxWall's vacuum-insulated glass as an energy-conservation technology.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said LuxWall's funding was terminated in fall 2025 and the company appealed the decision to DOE.
On Oct. 1, 2025, DOE announced it was terminating 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects worth about $7.56 billion, although the department did not identify LuxWall. ENR later reported that two West Coast hydrogen hubs also appealed funding terminations.
Dingell said she intervened with DOE after LuxWall notified her of the termination. “When I heard this administration was trying to revoke federal funding for Michigan manufacturing, I knew I had to act,” she said in an April 8 statement. “Working with LuxWall, we were able to get the $31.7 million federal grant reinstated.”
Asked what changed during negotiations, LuxWall said DOE and the company “aligned on an updated path forward” that maintains the project's core objectives while incorporating lessons from LuxWall's first manufacturing plant in Litchfield, Mich. The company said the revisions are intended to improve manufacturing and capital efficiency and optimize equipment and processes.
Detroit Plant Moves Toward Production
Equipment installation and commissioning are underway inside LuxWall’s 276,000-sq-ft Detroit manufacturing plant ahead of planned serial production in 2027.
Image courtesy Detroit Architectural Group
Michigan also approved a $6-million performance-based grant in 2023 for a broader LuxWall expansion projected to involve $165.6 million in capital investment and create 453 jobs across the company's Michigan operations.
LuxWall raised another $51 million from private investors in 2024. The company said the financing would support production at its Litchfield factory, construction and expansion of the Detroit plant and research and development operations in Ypsilanti.
When federal funding was terminated in October 2025, the company said the Detroit factory was set to open in late 2026. It now expects serial production to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591