What’s the ideal bird friendly solution? The answer to this question is different for every project. That’s because bird collision deterrence is just one consideration in a complex network of design considerations. In this article, we’ll study two projects where transparency, daylighting and views were high on the list of priorities, along with sustainability and bird friendly design. The projects were vastly different in nature, but they both leveraged the clarity of AviProtek® T transparent bird friendly glass to meet their design goals, ensure a positive experience for occupants, and protect local wildlife.
Our thanks to Jim Witter, Program Manager at Wood County Park District; Kurt Young Binter, Senior Project Manager at Marquette University; and Dan Kalkman, Senior Associate / Senior Project Architect at HGA Architects for their generous input into these case studies.
Marquette University: College of Nursing in David A. Straz, Jr., Hall
Milwaukee, WI
Image credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
In 2024, Marquette reimagined the university’s David A. Straz Jr. Hall to house the College of Nursing, which had outgrown its original home in the campus’ Clarke Hall. The newly renovated space builds on the original 1950s building and 1980s renovation with a 40,000 sq. ft. addition, bringing the structure up to 103,274 sq. ft. spread over five storeys. The newly imagined building includes offices, classrooms, SIM labs and student lounges, with views to the campus chapel and a variety of green spaces.
The latest renovations incorporate AviProtek® T transparent bird friendly glass with pattern 717 on surface one. This is a pattern of 5mm dots spaced 2” apart on a UV-reflective background. The transparent bird friendly glass was used in the atrium, student lounges, and main entrance of the building.
Image and diagram courtesy of HGA
W.W. Knight Nature Center
Perrysburg, OH
In 2018, the Wood County Park District renovated this nature center with new bird friendly glass. While the building’s original windows were already bird friendly, the treatment used to deter bird strikes was obstructive and interfered with visitor experience. Wood County sought a new solution that would be as effective as the original glass, but less distracting to humans. They selected AviProtek® T pattern 701, a dense “spiderweb” design applied to surface one. This glass is now installed in all the building’s windows.
Why use bird safe glass?
Neither one of the buildings in this case study was legally required to be bird friendly. There is no municipal ruling in Milwaukee or Perrysburg for bird safe design, nor do Wisconsin or Ohio have state-level rulings. So what made Marquette University and the Wood County Park District opt for bird friendly glass?
At W.W. Knight, it was simple: a building in a nature preserve shouldn’t kill birds. Wildlife centers and conservation organizations have been early adopters of bird friendly glass since it first entered the market, for precisely this reason.
There are a few more factors at play at Marquette University. Bird friendly glass made sense from an enrollment perspective, because students were already raising concerns about bird strikes at other buildings on campus. Problem sites include a glass walkway between two library buildings and the university’s new Business building. The Business building has a frit pattern on the interior surface of its windows, doing little to prevent bird strikes. Students spoke to the university, demonstrating that this was an issue that mattered to them, and Marquette took action by incorporating AviProtek® T transparent bird friendly windows throughout the College of Nursing.
Image credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
This glass corner creates a “fly-through” effect, which can increase the risk of bird strikes. However, since the glazing uses AviProtek® T transparent bird friendly glass, birds can see the UV-reflective surface and avoid hitting the glass.
It helped that HGA was already on board with bird safe building design, and that they make a point of having a sustainability lead for every project. Furthermore, the lead architect for this renovation, Dan Kalkman, was already familiar with the bird safe building ordinance in Madison, WI, and anticipated similar developments in Milwaukee. As he put it, “If it’s happening in Madison, we might have a zoning ordinance happening in Milwaukee, and we want to be on the front end of that.” HGA has a number of bird friendly projects in their portfolio already, so they were well prepared to advise the university on bird safe design and other sustainable strategies in this project. Fortunately, Marquette was receptive to the idea. According to Dan, “Kurt was phenomenal to work with because it was one of those opportunities where, when we brought it to the owner they were willing to hear us and understand why we’re making the recommendation.”
Transparent Bird Friendly Glass vs. Other Bird Safe Alternatives
Once they’d established that the projects needed to be bird safe, what made the teams choose UV-reflective bird safe glass instead of alternatives like screens, frit, or even acid-etched markers? For both projects, it came down to the importance of occupant experience and a visual connection to the natural world.
The team at W.W. Knight had previous experience with a bird friendly treatment on the Nature Center’s windows. However, the plastic laminate on the original windows was highly visible and made it difficult to see through the glass. Staff found that this impeded visitors’ experience by obstructing the view of the park. They wanted a better solution that would encourage connection with nature, and UV-reflective glass suited their needs perfectly. Jim Witter, the Program Manager for Wood County Park District, remarked, “If you look really closely [at the UV-reflective windows] you can see the spiderweb-type pattern, but it’s definitely something you have to look closely to see. I think it’s a lot better for viewing and for our visitors.”
Even better news: the transparent bird friendly windows are more effective at preventing bird strikes than the old glass. Jim Witter told us that, compared to the old windows, the number of strikes “has definitely decreased. We have just a couple, maybe one handful of birds that we’ve noticed.” Taken over the six years since installation, that’s about one strike per year. In other words, the new AviProtek® T windows aren’t just less obstructive for humans; they’re also doing a better job at protecting strikes.
The Effectiveness of AviProtek® Bird Friendly Glass
We’ve gathered feedback from projects across North America about the results from their bird friendly glass installations. You can find these real-world examples, including the W.W. Knight Nature Canter, in our reference document, The Effectiveness of AviProtek® Bird Friendly Glass.
Biophilic Design at Marquette
Much like the Nature Center, Marquette’s College of Nursing was intended to connect occupants with nature and their surroundings. Most corridors in the building lead to views of the outdoors, and student lounges overlook a newly designed green space adjacent to the building. Visual continuity is established throughout the building through details like wall treatments that continue unbroken between interior and exterior spaces. HGA chose fully transparent UV-reflective glass in order to maintain a seamless visual connection between the interior of the building and the outside world.
Image credit: Corey Gaffer Photography
“Biophilic design was a huge component, bringing nature in as much as we can,” Dan Kalkman explained. Transparent bird friendly glass helped accomplish that goal while protecting against bird strikes, especially in high-risk portions of the building.
Kurt Young Binter notes the unobtrusiveness of the glass. He says, “There are many viewing angles and conditions where you don’t know it’s there. You have to actually look for it.”
Fitwel Certification Anticipated for the College of Nursing
HGA designed the College of Nursing with an eye toward Fitwel certification, and they anticipate a 2-Star rating under Fitwel 2.1 for the project.
This sustainable building certification program rewards the promotion of health and wellness through environmental quality and biophilic design. While it does not have credits specifically linked to bird friendly materials, transparent bird friendly glass like AviProtek® T can contribute to a biophilic design strategy under the Fitwel framework. Dan Kalkman identifies four ways that this glass can work in harmony with a Fitwel design approach.
- Enhanced Access to Nature (Nature Views & Biophilia)
Transparent bird friendly glass can provide views of nature while preventing bird collisions, aligning with Fitwel’s emphasis on biophilic design and access to nature. - Indoor Environmental Quality (Daylight & Views)
Using glazing that allows ample daylight while deterring bird strikes can contribute to occupant well-being and daylight access credits. - Environmental Considerations (Sustainable & Resilient Design)
Fitwel supports strategies that enhance sustainability and resilience, and bird safe glass helps reduce wildlife mortality, aligning with broader sustainability goals. - Exterior Environment (Outdoor Spaces & Landscaping)
Bird friendly glass is often used alongside thoughtful landscaping strategies that Fitwel promotes, such as native plantings that support local wildlife, to avoid causing excessive bird strikes.
Learning from Success
We applaud the Wood County Park District and Marquette University for their willingness to try new approaches to bird safe building, and to learn from their past experiences. At the W.W. Knight Nature Center, that meant searching for a transparent solution to replace the old plastic laminate. At Marquette, on the other hand, HGA helped the Building Management team find a solution to their growing problem of bird strikes against glass.
Each project has its own unique challenges. For these two renovations, AviProtek® T transparent bird friendly glass helped deter bird strikes and maintain a sustainable building envelope, while meeting other priorities like ensuring occupant comfort, providing unobstructed views of nature, and creating a sense of connection with the outside world.
These projects show that effective bird collision deterrence can go hand in hand with functionality, aesthetics and other design goals, and we look forward to seeing more successful projects follow their lead.
