BIRD FRIENDLY GLASS
Architects are keen to use large glazing in the design of houses, public buildings or multi-story commercial buildings. At the same time, buildings with large glazing have been shown to pose a threat to birds. Birds are often unable to recognize glass as an obstacle, leading to collisions. It is estimated that millions of birds die each year as a result of hitting glass.
To improve bird safety in the urban glass jungle, products known as Bird-Friendly Glass have been developed. Products in such category (e.g. printed glass, films with reflective elements, special coatings) represent a safe compromise between increasing urbanisation with large façade glazing and bird protection. Bird-Friendly Glass has special features that are recognisable to birds and at the same time blend in with the architectural elements without disturbing the aesthetics.
PROTECTING BIRDS
FROM COLLISION
Regulations governing the use of bird-safe glass may vary from country to country, region to region or city to city.
| Application Process | Description | Supplier(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Laser | The pattern offerings are undergoing certification with ABC. The patterns are almost invisible to the human eye and do not alter the surface of the glass. | Press Glass Inc. BirdShield |
| Digital Print | ABC approved dots or line patterns printed directly on the glass. | Press Glass Inc. |
| Acid Etch | Dots or line patterns etched into the glass prior to arriving at Press Glass for fabrication. | Guardian Bird1st Etch™ Walker AviProtek® Walker AviProtek® E |
| UV | The UV coating is applied to the glass prior to arriving to Press Glass for fabrication. | Guardian Bird1st UV™ Walker AviProtek® T |
The bird friendly pattern is laser-printed on surface #1 after the fabrication of the insulated glass unit. The laser uses glass-friendly material to ensure no damage to the glass surface occurs. It creates an almost imperceptible pattern and there is no additional glass waste for this process due to optimization of the pattern.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian: SunGuard® SN68 SunGuard® SNX51/23 SunGuard® SNX70 Vitro: | 126″ x 236″ | 6mm | #1 | Testing in progress |
Click to view PRESS GLASS BirdShield brochure.
Press Glass Digital Print
Digitally printed glass can be used for both decorative and functional purposes. The partially opaque glass allows a controlled flow of light into the interior and the visible pattern acts as a barrier to birds, preventing them from hitting the glass.
Patterns of digitally printed glass should be specified by the Customer.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full range of coatings from current vendors | 126″ x 236″ | 5mm,6mm,8mm,
10mm,12mm | #2 with low-e on #3 or if laminated low-e on #4 | 2 x 2 Dot Pattern: 20 2 x 2 Diamond Dot Pattern: 20 2 x 4 Dot Pattern: 25 |
Click to view additional Digital Print details.
Walker AviProtek® T is a monolithic glass that combines AviProtek® bird friendly acid etched glass markers with pyrolytic coatings from Pilkington. It uses transparent UV markers on the outside surface 1 of the glass It can be integrated in an IGU with a low-e coating on surface #3. It can also be laminated to low-e glass where the low-e is on surface #4.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear | 94″ x 128″ | 6mm | #1 | Pattern 701: N/A Pattern 714: N/A Pattern 717: N/A |
Acid etch glass is a translucent acid-etched pattern intended to prevent birds from colliding with it. This product combines acid-etched visual indicators (dots or lines) on the glass’s first surface with a selection of a high-performance low-e coatings on the second surface.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solarban® 60 Solarban® 67 Solarban® 70 Solarban® 90 | 94″ x 128″ | 6mm, 8mm, 10mm | #1 | AviProtek® pattern 211:23 AviProtek® pattern 214:21 AviProtek® pattern215:25 AviProtek® pattern 216: N/A AviProtek® pattern 217:15 AviProtek® pattern 221:25 AviProtek® pattern 226:25 AviProtek® pattern 227:25 |
Acid etch glass is a translucent acid-etched pattern intended to prevent birds from colliding with it. This product combines acid-etched visual indicators (dots or lines) on the glass’s first surface with a selection of a high-performance low-e coatings on the second surface.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunGard® SN68 SunGuard® SNX62/27 SunGuard® SNX51/23 SunGuard® SN54 SunGuard SNX70+ | 100″ x 142″ | 6mm, other thicknesses may be available by request | #1 | Bird1st Etch DX22:25
Bird1st Etch DV24: 23 Bird1st Etch SqX22: 20 Bird1st Etch SqX24: 25 |
Guardian Bird1st™ UV is glass with a special patterned coating that enhances the reflection of UV radiation, disrupting light reflections and thus making the glass visible to birds while remaining almost invisible to the human eye. For Bird1st™ UV glass to fulfill its function of protecting against bird collisions, it should be used in the first position in a glazed unit.
| Available Coatings | Maximum Size | Thicknesses | Surface in IGU | Threat Factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SunGard® NU 78/65 SunGard® SN 68 SunGard® SNX 51/23 SunGard® SNX 62/27 SunGard® SNX 70+ | 100″ x 142″ | 6mm, other thicknesses may be available by request | #1 with laminated outboard required | UV with NU 78/65: 20 UV with SN 68: 18 UV with SNX 51/23: 23 UV with SNX 62/27: 25 UV with SNX 70+: 17 |
