Large windows at the LEED-certified Fitzpatrick Center at Duke University have been blamed for killing 85 birds in nine weeks. This is more than any other building on campus.
More birds die from colliding with buildings at Duke than on any other campus in a 45-school survey conducted by Augustana College. Duke is located along the Atlantic Flyway, a bird migration route.
A representative for Duke’s Bird Window Collision Project says that LEED and other green building programs encourage designs that invite natural light to reduce energy use.
The large windows that enable natural light are a bird hazard. Some one billion birds die each year when they collide with windows, the American Bird Conservancy has estimated.
The Bird Window Collision Project is discussing with the university about ways to retrofit the glass windows on the Fitzpatrick Center. Options include covering the glass with UV-reflective films, which birds can see, or etching a pattern into the glass.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2019
Oslo, Norway’s downtown goes virtually car-free
Parking spots converted to bike lanes, transit is fast and easy.
Codes and Standards | Feb 7, 2019
New North Carolina energy code has extensive lighting control requirements
Includes automatic shut offs for buildings of all sizes.
Codes and Standards | Feb 6, 2019
Solar carports can help with California’s Title 24 mandates
Can be combined with virtual net-metering software and tax-enabled financing.
Codes and Standards | Feb 5, 2019
Milwaukee board approves rezoning for Western Hemisphere’s tallest mass timber building
Mixed-use tower would rise 21 stories high.
Codes and Standards | Feb 1, 2019
Mass. governor proposes real estate transfer fee hike for climate resiliency projects
Opposed by real estate and trade groups, plan could generate $1 billion in next decade.
Codes and Standards | Jan 31, 2019
New York City will reform construction bid process
Streamlined process intended to improve efficiency, reduce hassle for bidders.
Codes and Standards | Jan 30, 2019
New AGC program aims to diversify construction workforce
More diversity needed to keep pace with demand for workers.
Codes and Standards | Jan 29, 2019
Registration now open for LEED v4.1 for New Construction and Interior Spaces
Emphasizes human health and integrative building design.
Codes and Standards | Jan 25, 2019
AEC professionals should push for net zero projects
Educate and lead clients to more sustainable choices, says LEED fellow.
Codes and Standards | Jan 24, 2019
OSHA unaffected by federal government shutdown
Agency fully funded for first nine months of 2019.