Johnson Controls, the global front-runner for smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, announced it has signed a joint development agreement with Phylagen, a leading biotechnology company in the field of microbiome optimization of indoor environments.
Through this agreement, which includes a strategic investment in Phylagen, the companies are developing cutting-edge technology that leverages the science of building microbiomes to advance the future of healthy buildings.
Indoor health and safety
Johnson Controls and Phylagen believe that future improvements to indoor health and safety require a deep understanding of the unique indoor microbiomes of individual buildings.
Microbial life such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi are all around us, including in every building and every surface. These microbes not only impact overall health and wellness, but they also share meaningful data about whether or not indoor environments are safe and optimized.
Making buildings safer and smarter
Partnership with Johnson Controls will advance the understanding of the indoor microbiome "Phylagen's work provides practical and effective alignment with the Johnson Controls focus on a future committed to healthy people, healthy places and a healthy planet," said George Oliver, Chairman and CEO of Johnson Controls.
"Phylagen's ability to understand the untapped potential of the indoor microbiome is critically important as we not only respond to our new normal for managing indoor environments but prepare to make buildings safer, smarter and more responsive long-term."
Indoor Air Quality
"The pandemic has reaffirmed what indoor microbiologists have long believed - the biology of indoor air is critical to our health and must be better understood and managed," said Dr. Jessica Green, CEO and Co-Founder, Phylagen.
"Our partnership with Johnson Controls will exponentially advance our understanding of the indoor microbiome, reshaping how we design and operate new and existing buildings. We spend 90% of our lives indoors – this work is vital to the future of public health."
