The New York City Council recently passed a law mandating bird-friendly design standards, making New York the largest city in the U.S. to do so. This marks an exciting point in history for bird lovers.

Scientists have found a nearly 30% decline in bird populations in North America since 1970; contributing causes may include climate change, habitat loss and building collisions. Studies suggest collisions may be killing between 365 million and one billion birds in the U.S. each year, with buildings with bright, reflective surfaces, especially at lower heights, posing risks.

Luckily, we have the LEED Bird Collision Deterrence pilot credit, which proves that animal conservation and energy efficiency can go hand in hand. This credit exemplifies how LEED continues to be a market leader in innovative design strategies.

With over 400 registered projects, the bird collision pilot credit is one of the most popular pilot credits.

Birds contribute to balanced ecosystems, making them a clear indicator of a healthy environment. They reduce pests, pollinate plants and spread seeds, thus encouraging the health of vegetation, insects, pollinators and people.

Strategies

Bird-friendly facades, reducing unnecessary lighting, and monitoring progress for three years

These strategies are cost-effective and energy-efficient for the building, even before considering the benefits to birds.

Bird-friendly glass design (e.g., ceramic fritting)

Buildings can see a reduction in heat gain and increased heating and cooling efficiency.
Decreasing light use during nonoperational hours or having synchronized photo-electric sensors also reduces energy consumption.

A number of projects are already embracing this commonsense approach to building design, operation and management.

Projects with positive outcomes

Chicago Botanic Garden | Chicago, Illinois

In April 2019, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology published a study ranking cities with the highest bird collision fatalities. The study found that Chicago, Illinois, tops the list. This is due to Chicago being located in one of the most highly traveled aerial corridors for migratory birds. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, the 26,700-square-foot, LEED Platinum Learning Center on the Regenstein Learning Campus earned the bird collision credit, as well as all six points in the LEED Innovation category.

By installing special low-emissive glass and lighting control systems, the building was able to turn off lights when spaces were unoccupied or had sufficient daylight. These strategies played a large role in deterring bird collisions and reducing energy costs by 48% from a standard education building.

Johnson Space Center | Houston, Texas

The same Cornell study listed Houston and Dallas, Texas, as the other top cities for fatal bird collisions, since they are also located in prime migratory paths. NASA’s Johnson Space Center saw the toll Houston can have firsthand, when a flock of over a dozen indigo buntings fatally struck a window in 2012. The Space Center took inexpensive steps to ensure safety by applying vinyl cutouts to break up reflections on new buildings. This is a great example of how retrofitting can be a solution. The effort did not disturb operations and was highly rewarding, reducing bird strikes by 85%.

The Space Center continued its efforts across the entire campus, certifying 8 LEED buildings and opening their first LEED Platinum office space, Building 20, with bird-friendly egg-crate overhangs that appear as an obstruction to birds. This office is energy-efficient too, operating 57% more efficiently than ASHRAE 90.1-1999 requirements.

Fiserv Forum Arena | Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Sports stadiums have a reputation for intensifying the risk of bird collisions. That is not the case for Wisconsin's Fiserv Forum arena, new home of the Milwaukee Bucks and a stadium situated on a migratory pathway along the Great Lakes. The building was introduced as the “world’s first bird-friendly sports and entertainment arena.” Located in downtown Milwaukee, the 700,000-square-foot Fiserv Forum earned the bird collision pilot credit as part of its LEED Silver certification.

Low-reflectivity ceramic coating, known as “fritting,” was embedded into the stadium glass in a thinly striped pattern with little effect on transparency or quality views, making it nearly invisible to the human eye. However, fritting is visible to birds and signals to them that they cannot fly in between the lines. The pattern also saves energy by reducing heat gain in the building.

The arena’s lighting is also designed to automatically shut off during times of high migration, and light is cast downward so that birds do not become drawn to it. In order to maintain achievement of the pilot credit, the Fiserv Forum must also monitor for bird collisions for three years following construction, which will be done in collaboration with the Wisconsin Humane Society. These bird-friendly design measures did nothing significant to add to the cost of the $524 million arena. The Milwaukee Bucks facility proves even large buildings can make a positive impact.

Actions to make buildings bird-friendly

Bird-friendly strategies help building owners, and there is no incidental operating cost to making a building bird-friendly. On the contrary, the strategies can save on operating and energy costs, especially when these types of strategies are incorporated into the initial design phase rather than after the fact.

Although there has been uptake by states and cities like New York, as well as introduction of a federal bill, there is still more that can be done. Find out if your state legislature is currently engaged on this issue, and consider sharing your support for existing or potential legislation with your representatives. Learn more about getting involved in advocacy efforts.

Register to use the LEED pilot credit.

Learn more about the bird collision pilot credit

LEED projects save energy by saving birds