by Center for Architecture
The Arbour Group’s innovative Liquid Wall project has been selected to receive a FuzeHub Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund Manufacturing Grant, with Center for Architecture having collaborated with Peter Arbour, Founder of Arbour Group, as awardee on the grant application. This $65,000 award is part of FuzeHub’s second round of grant funding for 2024, dedicated to supporting advanced manufacturing technologies and solutions.
FuzeHub, a non-profit organization providing small-to-medium-sized manufacturers with expert resources, programs, and support, recently awarded seven collaborative projects across New York State through its Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.
The Liquid Wall represents a significant advancement in architectural design and sustainable building materials. This resilient, low-carbon, high-performance curtain wall system introduces innovations that are poised to transform the way we design, build, and maintain building enclosures. By replacing traditional aluminum with ultra-high-performance concrete, the Liquid Wall creates a durable, adaptable building envelope that not only reduces the carbon footprint but also lowers the cost and energy required to operate buildings.
“In communities across New York State, forward-thinking innovators are creating industry-shaping, potentially world-changing technologies,” said Elena Garuc, Executive Director of FuzeHub. “With their daily focus dedicated to advancing new breakthroughs, they occasionally fly under the radar—but every time we award Manufacturing Grants through FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, I’m reminded there is truly no limit to the ingenuity of New Yorkers.”
The Center for Architecture and the Liquid Wall façade have a relationship that dates back to 2010 when the Liquid Wall was awarded first prize in the Curtain Wall Innovation Competition held by the Center for Architecture and AIA New York. The first Liquid Wall prototype was manufactured with the support and contributions of the Center for Architecture and its community of sponsors, which included Sciame Construction and their specialty subcontractors, Holcim-Lafarge, Oldcastle Building Envelope, Coreslab Structures, Polytek Inc., and many others. The prototype was the highlight of the Center for Architecture’s exhibition Innovate:Integrate — Building Better Together which was on view through 2011.
The grant will be crucial in accelerating the development of the Liquid Wall. It will help scale up the manufacturing process, enable extensive testing and refining, and ultimately, facilitate broader adoption of the technology.
FuzeHub’s Innovation Fund, consisting of more than $1 million annually, supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York State and is made possible through funding and support from Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).