Building Or Remodeling? Or Just Installing New Windows?

​

If so, here’s some good news and an opportunity to prevent bird fatalities due to collisions with windows—a hazard that kills up to 1 billion birds annually in the U.S.

​

The non-profit Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) has recently modified its project standards to include certification points for bird-friendly design features in all five project categories: commercial, high-rise, green home, land development, and local government.

​

The modifications were at the request of Audubon of Southwest Florida, who worked with FGBC Executive Director C.J. Davila and collaborated on a short video to introduce the new standards.

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out the bird-friendly standards at https://floridagreenbuilding.org/

 

Audubon of Southwest Florida also sends a huge "Thank You" to the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers for its effort to save birds.

 

After finding dead birds on her morning walks around the building, CEO Sarah Owens recalled chapter president Gerri Reaves inquiring whether the architect for the Collaboratory had incorporated bird-friendly design features. After all, the innovative building has LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which offers a Pilot Credit 55 for such design. The answer was no, thus the glass hazard, but Owen set out to find a solution. The result is the dynamic micro-dot window film seen in the photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve probably seen micro-dot film in windows (signage, energy savings) or on buses and other vehicles. Choices range from virtually invisible to decorative—and it doesn’t block the view from the interior.  

​

For more on the bird-friendly pilot credit, go to https://www.usgbc.org/credits/new-construction-core-and-shell-schools-new-construction-retail-new-construction-data-75