While glass is one of the most economical, versatile and beautiful building materials, collisions with glass remain a major cause of bird mortality in North America. This has led to a surge in legislation for bird-safe building materials in North America and beyond.
Last year, the Bird-Safe Buildings Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the National Glass Association (NGA) leads a bird-safe glazings advocacy effort. Some municipalities, such as New York City, even require bird-safe glass on certain building types.
Saving Birds Lives While Saving Energy
Industry standards are emerging in relation to bird-friendly glass. Glasses today are often evaluated against the 2″ x 4″ rule, based on the idea that birds will not attempt to fly into spaces they detect as being less than 2 inches high and 4 inches wide. Glasses can be assigned “threat factors,” which measures the potential risks a glass can pose to bird populations.
![The National Aviary in Pittsburgh showcases acid-etched, solar control low-e glass to provide views, bird safety and energy performance. Photo courtesy of Vitro Architectural Glass](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Specifying%20Responsibly%20to%20Save%20Birds%E2%80%99%20Lives%20VIT_BirdFriendly1.jpg)
In coming years, bird-safe glass is expected to gain in preference and find its way into more local building codes and architect demand is expected to accelerate.
Meanwhile, increasingly stringent energy codes and a global drive for sustainability demand excellent energy performance in glass products.
A Sustainable, Bird-Safe Solution
The partnership between Walker Glass and Vitro provides a bird-safe glazing solution while saving energy. AviProtek® E bird-safe low-e glass helps architects and building owners satisfy new regulations for bird-friendly building design, achieve their environmental goals, earn LEED® credits and meet solar-performance targets.
AviProtek® E glass has received numerous accolades over the years and is the only bird-safe glass product available with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). This allows architects to secure an additional LEED point for their projects using Pilot Credit 55 related to bird deterrence. It also meets California building legislation requirement (AB262) enacted in 2020. AviProtek® E also has a Health Product Declaration (HPD), which contributes to LEED points in the Materials & Resources (MR) Category.
An Alternative to Ceramic Frit
While ceramic frit is commonly used to satisfy bird-safe glass requirements, acid-etched visual markers — such as those used in AviProtek® E bird-friendly glass — are generally more effective when optimized for energy efficiency. By placing acid-etched visual markers on the first surface of an insulating glass unit (IGU), which is preferred to prevent bird collisions, a solar control, low-e coating can be applied to the second surface—which is ideal for optimizing performance.
Ceramic frit is not optimized for the first surface of IGUs. When ceramic frit is placed on the first surface, the low-e coating must be placed on the third surface, potentially compromising energy performance.
To learn more about bird-friendly glass from Vitro Architectural Glass and Walker Glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com/birds.
Related Stories
| Jul 23, 2013
Clearly Protective: Glazing for Life Safety at Seidman Cancer Center
Design team turns to fire-rated glazing for interior doors to give access to natural light, patient privacy and clear wayfinding throughout the building.
| Jul 12, 2013
Statue of Liberty Monument bolstered by Vetrotech Saint-Gobain’s fire-rated glass
The Statue of Liberty National Monument reopened to the public featuring two new fire stairwells and an elevator that will allow visitors with reduced mobility to look into the Statue’s interior structure.
| May 17, 2013
5 things AEC pros need to know about low-e glass
Low-emissivity glasses are critical to making today’s buildings brighter, more energy-efficient, and more sustainable. Here are five tips to help AEC professionals understand the differences among low-e glasses and their impact on building performance.
| May 8, 2013
Preventable curtain wall failures - AIA/CES course
In many cases, curtain wall failures are caused by fairly simple errors that occur during the fabrication and installation process. This presentation will highlight common errors and when they typically occur.
| May 8, 2013
Guardian’s Scott Thomsen headlines Glass Performance Days Finland Conference, June 11-15
Scott Thomsen, president of Guardian Industries Global Flat Glass Group, will engage the global glass technorati in an opening speech at Glass Performance Days Finland June 11-15 in Tampere. In addition, Guardian technologists and scientists will present a wide variety of technical papers and glass industry innovations.
| May 6, 2013
SAFTI FIRST announces 3D Autodesk Revit models for fire rated wall, window, and door systems
SAFTI FIRST, leading USA-manufacturer of fire rated glass and faming systems, is proud to announce that Autodesk Revit models are now available for its fire rated walls, window and door systems via www.safti.com and Autodesk Seek.
| Apr 30, 2013
Tips for designing with fire rated glass - AIA/CES course
Kate Steel of Steel Consulting Services offers tips and advice for choosing the correct code-compliant glazing product for every fire-rated application. This BD+C University class is worth 1.0 AIA LU/HSW.
| Apr 10, 2013
23 things you need to know about charter schools
Charter schools are growing like Topsy. But don’t jump on board unless you know what you’re getting into.
| Apr 8, 2013
Oldcastle Architectural acquires Expocrete Concrete Products
Oldcastle® Architectural has acquired Expocrete Concrete Products Ltd., giving North America’s largest producer of concrete masonry and hardscape products an increased presence in the high-growth region of western Canada.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.