Animal protection leagues are gearing up to protest the annual slaughtering of turkeys (over 45 million turkeys are cooked and eaten in the US every Thanksgiving). While the Tofurky may save some turkeys from an oven stuffed demise, soy beans molded into the shape of a bird don’t do it for everyone. While Thanksgiving does contribute to an over killing of birds, there is a silent killer that is the second leading cause of avian death – the building industry.

Ornilux glass.

Over 100 million birds are killed annually from collisions with buildings. The issue is that birds see the reflections and not the glass. Methods to prevent this have included gluing symbols of hawks, using patterned glass, and exterior screening systems. Ornilux glass, made in Merkendorf, Germany by Arnold Glas, has patterning of UV-reflective coating that is nearly transparent to humans but clearly visible to birds. Birds are able to see a broader spectrum of UV light than humans, according to the Arnold Glas website.

Unlike many methods of building/bird protection, Ornilux glass is more subtle because of the UV pattern. In 2009, Mikado was released, which is a random pattern named after “pick-up-sticks.” The product has undergone third party testing and been proven 76% effective. Sad for the 26% of birds who made the wrong choice, but a great step for the future of glass architecture.

via BuildingGreen