Company will highlight bird collision research and bird-friendly design
PITTSBURGH, May 8, 2019 – 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.
Kevin Ramus, manager, architectural quality, Vitro Architectural Glass (center), works with staff from American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Powdermill Avian Research Center in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania, to arrange an experiment for bird-friendly glass development. Birds captured at the research center are tested for their ability to see patterned-glass prototypes with the goal of helping birds of every type avoid collisions with glass windows and walls.
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 highperformance 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 cosponsor 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.
An expansive new glass dome comprising 19,600-square-feet of laminated Starphire Ultra-Clear® glass by Vitro Glass with bird-friendly acid etching was installed in the National Aviary’s Tropical Rainforest exhibit, which reopened last summer after a four-month-long renovation. The custom glass specification, which incorporates acid-etching on the exterior (#1) surface of the ultra-transparent glass dome, was designed to reduce the chances of bird-glass collisions by preventing birds of prey living outside the habitat 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. Photography by Jim Cunningham
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.
About American Bird Conservancy
American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. With an emphasis on achieving results and working in partnership, we take on the greatest problems facing birds today, innovating and building on rapid advancements in science to halt extinctions, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity for bird conservation. Find us on abcbirds.org, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@ABCbirds).
About Vitro Architectural Glass
Vitro Architectural Glass, part of Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:VITROA), the largest company of its kind in the Americas, manufactures a range of industry-leading, energy-efficient products such as Solarban®, Sungate® and Starphire Ultra-Clear® glasses at U.S. plants in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Fresno, California; Salem, Oregon; and Wichita Falls, Texas. Committed to sustainable manufacturing processes and products, the company also operates one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh and four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada. Upholding the values of “Together, We See Further” across the architectural, automotive and containers markets, Vitro strives to realize the power of partnership to ensure that projects meet or exceed ever-evolving sustainability expectations as well as glass requirements. For more information, please visit www.VitroGlassHub.com.
Solarban, Sungate, and Starphire Ultra-Clear are registered trademarks owned by Vitro.
