Johnson Controls recently completed a remodeling project at its operational headquarters in Glendale, welcoming more employees from its downtown Milwaukee campus as the company consolidates staff in Glendale.
The remodeling is part of plans the company announced in 2021 to sell its historic offices in downtown Milwaukee and consolidate staff in Glendale. Johnson Controls sold the offices at 507 E. Michigan St. for $24 million to Kenosha-based Bear Real Estate Group and leased back the space.
There are about 250 employees remaining at the downtown campus, who will move to a new engineering center and laboratory space just north of Johnson Controls’ Glendale headquarters. That project by Weas Development of Milwaukee is scheduled for completion in 2024.
As part of the remodeling project, the company also unveiled an innovation center at the headquarters, located at 5757 N. Green Bay Ave.
The 12,000-square-foot OpenBlue Innovation Center will host customers, prospective customers and other visitors who can learn more about Johnson Controls products and services via interactive demonstrations, virtual reality technology and multimedia sessions.
“This new center will serve as a source of inspiration for our customers, helping improve the design, operation and maintenance of their indoor environments, ultimately driving value for their businesses,” said Julie Brandt, president of Building Solutions North America at Johnson Controls, in a statement. “By engaging with our leading experts and exploring the latest advancements, our customer will gain a comprehensive understanding of how connected, data-driven solutions provide deeper insights into their building’s performance.”
The Glendale offices consist of about 144,000 square feet of floor space. The company didn’t provide a specific figure for employees working there, but the company said it has nearly 1,500 local employees.
The company said the Glendale campus demonstrates how building technology and design can improve a building’s efficiency, reduce environmental impact and improve occupant experiences.
Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue solutions, integrated with the company’s Metasys building automation system and other third-party devices, serves as the centralized control network. The platform offers facility management staff the capability to track performance metrics of building systems such as the energy usage of heating and cooling systems, lighting and shade controls, the company said.
The offices feature reimagined floor plans and contemporary workstations that give employees multiple work-points to utilize, Johnson Controls said. The new lighting system both contributes to energy savings and enhances occupant comfort and productivity, the company said.
Johnson Controls also installed new on-site heat pumps from its York brand that are expected to cut winter heating costs by around 29%.
