American Bird Conservancy (ABC), working with Washington College in Maryland, says it has doubled its capacity to test and rate glass and other materials for their ability to deter bird collisions. “The move will help ABC meet high demand for testing from glass manufacturers—a vital component of the organization’s work to reduce the threat of window collisions for birds,” according to a news release.
A glass testing tunnel at Washington College’s Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory in Chestertown, Maryland began operations last fall. The new tunnel is one of just two facilities in North America that can test glass and issue a “bird-friendly” rating, called a Material Threat Factor.
This rating system makes it easier for governments to enact bird-friendly policies and for architects to design buildings that are safer for birds. Windows are among the deadliest threats that migratory birds meet on their journeys, killing up to a billion in the U.S. each year.
Glass can be made safer for birds by adding visible markers that birds can see. “The challenge is finding a balance between human aesthetic preferences and birds’ need for a visual hint that glass is solid—a challenge made more difficult because humans’ forward vision is superior to that of most birds,” ABC says. “The good news is that most bird-friendly patterns are barely noticeable to people.”
Related Stories
| Mar 1, 2012
California bill aims to cut costs for commercial building energy retrofits
A bill in the California Assembly would allow the state to pool together property owners’ energy-retrofit loans.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal agencies fixed on leasing LEED-certified space
The federal government is especially focused on renting LEED-certified spaces.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.
| Feb 23, 2012
New Virginia statewide building code goes into effect March 1
After March 1, all building plans in Virginia must adhere to the 2009 code that was adopted a year ago.
| Feb 17, 2012
AGC advocates for federal procurement reform
Ensure that small business goals take into consideration actual small business capacity in relevant specialty markets.
| Feb 17, 2012
Codes not to blame for Anchorage roof collapses following heavy snows
Design or construction problems likely contributed to the collapses, according to city officials.
| Feb 17, 2012
OSHA training videos on proper respirator use available online
17 short videos to help workers learn about the proper use of respirators on the job.
| Feb 17, 2012
Union/employer collaboration on the rise aimed at exceeding OSHA safety standards
Unions have learned to help employers win contracts with bids made competitive through good safety practices.
| Feb 15, 2012
Code allowance offers retailers and commercial building owners increased energy savings and reduced construction costs
Specifying air curtains as energy-saving, cost-cutting alternatives to vestibules in 3,000-square-foot buildings and larger has been a recent trend among consulting engineers and architects.
