HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Jan 4, 2020, 10:32 AM
IMBY IMBY is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 1,161
Bird Killings And Glass Buildings

In a recent article in the New Republic magazine I was quite shocked by how many birds are killed every year with birds crashing into Glass buildings. The article concentrated on the new glass stadium in downtown Minneapolis which has killed 700 birds since it opened in the last year or 2. Which makes me wonder how many others are killed every years due to glass buildings.

Anyone know? And is there any alternatives?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Jan 6, 2020, 4:35 PM
(four 0 four)'s Avatar
(four 0 four) (four 0 four) is offline
i ain't no bubba
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 1,669
According to a certain politician, wind mills are a much larger threat to the bird population. If you were to risk the threat of cancer by standing at the base of a wind mill, you'd find yourself knee-deep in dead birds including several dozen bald eagles. Wind mills are a national disgrace.

As an alternative, I suppose birds could be asked to walk when traversing areas with glass towers.
__________________
"I hate small towns because once you've seen the cannon in the park, there's nothing else to do." Lenny Bruce

Last edited by (four 0 four); Jan 6, 2020 at 7:56 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Feb 4, 2020, 5:31 PM
Mykhaylo Mykhaylo is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 100
I thought about it and now I wonder will they recognize as the sky mirror glass, that is toned in non-blue color, e. g. Mercury City Tower from Moscow?
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2021, 10:57 PM
dchan's Avatar
dchan dchan is offline
No grabbing my banana!
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 10021
Posts: 2,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by IMBY View Post
In a recent article in the New Republic magazine I was quite shocked by how many birds are killed every year with birds crashing into Glass buildings. The article concentrated on the new glass stadium in downtown Minneapolis which has killed 700 birds since it opened in the last year or 2. Which makes me wonder how many others are killed every years due to glass buildings.

Anyone know? And is there any alternatives?
I work at a window manufacturer, and much of our business is in the NYC metro area. NYC recently passed "Local Law 15 of 2020", and I have been tasked with interpreting and coming up with materials and methods to comply with the law:

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/building...b_2020-022.pdf

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/building...e_document.pdf

How many birds are killed? According to the American Bird Conservancy, up to 1 billion birds are killed per year due to collisions with glass:

https://abcbirds.org/glass-collisions/

Most of these collisions occur at heights of 75 feet or lower. Birds mainly collide with glass not because it is see-through (though that is also a major factor), but because it reflects its surroundings around it. It reflects the sky, the trees, and other natural surroundings. The reason why NYC's law stipulates "75 feet or lower" for new glass installations is because that's the height of most trees. Birds often fly into glass because they see reflections of an adjacent tree branch or other resting place.

There are many ways to prevent bird collisions. Most of them involve putting a pattern on or over the glass to make them less reflective, less transparent, and more like an obstacle instead of a fly-through space. Solutions include:

- Insect screens, though these don't provide great indoor occupant views.

- Hanging cords spaced at 4" intervals over windows

- Glass frit patterns. These are "bird friendly" patterns made from ceramic printed directly on the exterior glass.

- Exterior or interior glass films with "bird friendly" patterns. Exterior films are far more effective because they reduce reflections.

- Glass etch patterns. These are "bird friendly" patterns etched on exterior glass using acid or sandblasting.

- Glass laminated patterns. These are "bird friendly" patterns on the inside film of laminated glass.

- Glass UV patterns. These are almost invisible to human eyes except at some angles or when wet. They take advantage of the fact that birds see at the UV spectrum, and can detect "bird friendly" UV patterns on the exterior glass.

By far the cheapest method to reduce bird strikes is either insect screens or hanging cords (only about $1-3 per SF). By far the most expensive method is the Glass UV patterns ($40-50+ per SF).
__________________
I take the high road because it's the only route on my GPS nowadays. #selfsatisfied
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2021, 3:32 PM
hkskyline's Avatar
hkskyline hkskyline is offline
Hong Kong
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,516
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Apr 14, 2021, 6:33 PM
photoLith's Avatar
photoLith photoLith is offline
Ex Houstonian
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Pittsburgh n’ at
Posts: 15,476
Back when I lived in Houston, I belonged to the Houston Audubon Society. And every weekend during migration, we would walk around downtown and count all of the dead migratory birds that smacked into the skyscrapers. We counted thousands every time we went. We even found endangered species sometimes, so that really sucks.
__________________
There’s no greater abomination to mankind and nature than Ryan Home developments.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Apr 15, 2021, 2:29 PM
dchan's Avatar
dchan dchan is offline
No grabbing my banana!
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: 10021
Posts: 2,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by hkskyline View Post
Indeed! Office lights and beacons can disorient birds, who often use stars for navigation.
__________________
I take the high road because it's the only route on my GPS nowadays. #selfsatisfied
Reply With Quote
     
     
End
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:04 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.