How bird protection glass works

01/21/2021 | Print view

Bird protection glass from Isolar's Ornilux family has already proven its worth in many projects, such as here in the Karwendel Nature Information Centre in Berchtesgaden in the German Alps. - © Isolar — © Isolar

Bird protection glass from Isolar's Ornilux family has already proven its worth in many projects, such as here in the Karwendel Nature Information Centre in Berchtesgaden in the German Alps.

The transparency and reflection of glass makes windows and facades dangerous for birds. Vegetation and sky are reflected in the glass or birds do not see the glass surfaces, in both cases they fly towards it and collide with it. The result: millions of dead birds. Find out how complex glass facades and bird protection can be optimally combined with Ornilux glass.

In order to reduce bird strikes on building facades, there have been legal requirements since 2017 that oblige cities and municipalities to check and reduce the risk of bird strikes within the framework of nature conservation regulations.

With the Ornilux product family, Isolar offers various certified solutions that enable both transparent and clearly visible architectural room and facade concepts and have been proven to reduce bird strike. Architects and planners can seek advice on the design of an optimal facade solution from Isolar, which has access to a unique data pool thanks to the many projects it has realised worldwide.

Experts estimate that around one billion birds die every year in the US alone because they are unable to recognise glass panes as such and fly into building facades. And the problem is an issue all over the world. Therefore, since 2017, there have been legal requirements for urban land use planning by cities and municipalities in Germany. These are obliged to check for and reduce the risk of bird strikes on buildings within the framework of nature conservation regulations. Accordingly, architects and building planners have to develop their projects in a bird-friendly way.

Isolar was the pioneer in bird protection glass

In 2006, Isolar was the first company in the world to introduce a glass that can help significantly reduce bird strikes without compromising the aesthetics of a facade. According to Ornilux, the coating took more than six years to develop.

Since then, comprehensive tests, the realisation of more than 250 projects worldwide as well as the corresponding monitoring of individual projects have resulted in an enormous pool of data and experience, into which scientific findings have flowed to this day due to worldwide cooperation with institutes and nature conservation organisations.

People can hardly see the fine net structure of Ornilux mikado (l.). Birds and animals that perceive UV radiation, however, see the pattern very clearly (r.).

These include renowned organisations such as the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), the Vienna Environmental Ombudsman's Office (WUA) and, among others, the Bird Protection Institute in Radolfzell, which was the first to investigate the behaviour of birds in flight tunnels with different glass coatings. The results from more than 20,000 approaches by 50 different bird species are unique worldwide.

In addition, Isolar has investigated the effectiveness of Ornilux as part of a monitoring project in Utah in the US. Based on the results of this broad-based research, Isolar has further developed its portfolio in recent years. Now the group offers its customers two different categories of Ornilux that meet a wide variety of requirements for certified bird protection: Ornilux mikado and Ornilux design.

Transparent protection with Ornilux mikado

With the Ornilux mikado coatings, the developers have succeeded in creating a grid structure on the glass that is barely visible to the human eye. The idea was inspired by nature - also known as biomimicry: In this process, researchers transfer observations from nature to technology.

For Ornilux mikado, spider webs were the model. They reflect UV light, which is recognised by most bird species. That is why they fly safely around the filigree webs. Ornilux mikado takes up precisely this principle. Transparent architectural space and facade concepts are thus visually preserved without this being at the expense of the environment and the preservation of species. Ornilux mikado can be used in all windows and facades just like conventional insulating glass or laminated safety glass.

Combination with other functions is possible

The combination with other functions, such as solar control or thermal insulation in insulating glass, is possible without any problems. Especially in the US, where bird-friendly facade design has been codified by law for some time, Ornilux mikado has proven its high protective effect. This bionic technology is also used in Ornilux mikado one.

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One aim of this new development was to modify the coating in such a way that it is resistant to weathering and thus ideal for use on the outside glass surface (level 1). The barely visible mesh also effectively breaks through reflections on the surfaces, which also helps to reduce bird strike.

Another advantage: by using it on level 1, further functional coatings can be added on the following level 2. At the same time, Ornilux mikado one meets the legal requirements that Canada, for example, places on bird protection for facade surfaces.

Bird protection with Ornilux design glass

The latest addition to the Ornilux product family is Ornilux design. With this bird protection glass, the developers pursued a different path by providing the panes with a visible metallic coating. Ornilux design is used whenever a visible marking is desired or required as a design element of a facade. Until now, the market only offered visible screen-printed surfaces. The high effectiveness of Ornilux design marking for bird protection has also been confirmed by tests in flight tunnels.

Ornilux design creates maximum contrast in both reflection and transmission. Thus, for the first time, the new coating makes it possible to combine highly effective bird protection at level 1 with an attractive and exclusive design. Ornilux design can be used as float glass or toughened safety glass. Pre-stressing is not necessary.

Advice based on practical data

Which bird protection glass is ideal for which facade depends not only on building regulations and nature conservation laws, but also on the economic specifications of the building owner, architect and planner. Isolar provides them with its unique knowledge, its experience from numerous projects in different countries and, above all, its own data pool as a basis for consultation and decision-making.

The approach test checks which birds take the path towards control pane K - and thus recognise the Ornilux glass as an obstacle. A special net (N) stops the birds in time and ensures that they do not injure themselves during the test.

Practical experience shows that for every type of building there are certain facade areas that are significantly more susceptible to bird strike than others. For all others, a colour-matched standard insulating glass could be used. Of course, many other insights are incorporated into the consultations by Isolar's glass experts at an early design stage of a building. In the course of this design assist, Isolar also takes into account geographical, architectural and vegetative aspects, among other things, in order to make building as bird-friendly as possible.