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Vitro Glass to Promote Reducing Bird-Glass Collisions at AIA

Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) will devote its presence at A’19, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference on Architecture, to advocating for and educating architects about the principles of bird-friendly glass and building design. Last year, Vitro Glass provided 3,100 panels of bird-safe laminated STARPHIRE ULTRA-CLEAR glass to renovate the canopy covering the Tropical Rainforest exhibit at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Jim Cunningham.

Vitro Architectural Glass (formerly PPG Glass) announced that it will devote its presence at A’19, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Conference on Architecture, to advocating for and educating architects about the principles of bird-friendly glass and building design.

Representatives of Vitro Glass, North America’s largest glass manufacturer, will provide information and educational materials from American Bird Conservancy (ABC), which estimates that up to one billion birds die in the United States each year in collisions with glass windows and walls. ABC and Vitro Glass had previously worked together to test bird-friendly glass designs at the Powdermill Avian Research Center in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania.

Christine Sheppard, Ph.D., glass collisions program director, ABC, said her organization is excited to partner with Vitro Glass on this initiative. “The best way to build a bird-friendly building is to think about birds at the start of the design process,” she explained. “It is vital to increase the number of glass options that are both bird-friendly and visually appealing so that we make it as easy as possible for talented architects to create a range of bird-friendly buildings, from homes to skyscrapers. This is a chance to show that bird-friendly architecture is not an add-on, but a design strategy that creates beautiful, functional buildings.”

Robert J. Struble, manager, brand and communications, Vitro Architectural Glass, added that protecting birds is an integral part of Vitro’s sustainability efforts. “We’ve worked closely with architects for many years to maximize energy and environmental performance of high-performance glass,” he explained. “We are equally committed to working with the industry and our architectural partners to make glass more bird-friendly, too.”

In addition to advocating for bird-safe research on the show floor at A’19, Vitro Glass will co-sponsor an invitation-only presentation by Daniel Klem, Jr., Ph.D. of Muhlenberg University, a world-renown ornithologist and expert in bird-collision deterrence. Klem will discuss bird-safety legislation across North America and the impact it will have on the architectural community.

Last summer, Vitro Glass supplied 3,100 panels of laminated Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass with bird-friendly acid-etching to restore the popular Tropical Rainforest habitat at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, which houses more than 70 exotic birds. The custom glass specification, which was developed by bird-safety experts from the National Aviary and Vitro Glass, reduces the chances of bird-glass collisions by preventing birds of prey living outside the exhibit from seeing and attempting to reach potential prey living inside it. The glass also maximizes UV and natural light transmittance to support plant growth and wildlife.

For more information about bird-friendly glass, visit Vitro Glass at booth 9340, log on to www.vitroglazings.com or call (855) VTRO-GLS (887-6457). A’19, the AIA Conference on Architecture, will be held June 6-8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.