Scientists are developing new smart building systems that could help prevent offices, schools and other indoor spaces from spreading illness.
The effort is part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s BREATHE program, which stands for Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health.
The goal is ambitious: create an “immune system for every building.”
Instead of waiting for people to get sick, researchers want buildings to detect airborne threats in real time and automatically respond. That could include identifying viruses, bacteria, mold, allergens or other tiny particles that are invisible to the naked eye.
Once a threat is detected, the building system could adjust ventilation, increase filtration, trigger air cleaning technology or change airflow patterns to reduce risk.
The research is especially important because people spend much of their lives indoors, yet indoor air is often monitored less carefully than outdoor air. Poor indoor air quality can worsen asthma, allergies and respiratory illnesses such as flu and COVID-19.
The program includes multiple teams working on biosensors, software and smart building controls. One project led by Virginia Tech is focused on daycare centers, where children may be more vulnerable to airborne infections and allergens.
Researchers are testing biosensors that can detect particles in the air much faster than traditional lab testing. Instead of waiting days for results, the goal is to provide near-real-time risk information.
That information could then be combined with software that estimates respiratory risk inside a building. The system could decide when extra ventilation or filtration is needed.
Supporters say this type of technology could change how buildings are designed and managed. Offices may one day monitor indoor air health the same way they monitor temperature, lighting and energy use.
The idea is not only about comfort. It is about public health.
Healthier indoor air could mean fewer sick days, fewer respiratory outbreaks and safer environments for workers, students, patients and families.
However, experts also caution that the technology is still being developed. These systems will need testing, validation, affordability and privacy safeguards before they can become common in everyday buildings.
For now, the research shows a major shift in thinking. Buildings are no longer being viewed only as places where people gather. They are being studied as active systems that could help protect human health.
