A new LEED Pilot Credit introduced in October as part of the LEED Pilot Credit Library is for the birds—literally. The Credit allows a LEED building project to earn one point if efforts are taken to deter bird collisions. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), an estimated 1 billion birds die annually in the United States as a result of striking buildings, bridges, and other manmade structures. Many factors play a role, including lights, vegetation, and water. But glass is the main culprit. Because birds do not perceive conventionally formulated glass as a solid barrier, they fly into it. They may mistake reflections as continuous space and be attracted to trees or other objects in, or visible through, a glassed-in space.
Have you ever found dead—or even stunned—birds alongside the exterior walls of your property? Chances are it was not a cat that was the culprit.
How can you prevent birds from colliding into your building? The LEED guidelines are a bit complex but they have to do with first identifying the surfaces that create the biggest threat potential. Glass areas that are highly reflective and completely transparent are the worst for birds. Dangerous fly-through conditions are created when windows meet perpendicularly on a corner, or when windows are installed parallel in close proximity such that a clear line of sight is created through the building. Creating “visual noise”— i.e., patterns that birds can register—can reduce bird collisions. Strategies to create patterns on glass include using color, texture, opacity, or ultraviolet materials that are visible to birds. Reducing the quantity of glass on each façade will lower the incidence of bird strikes.
Impact of Lighting
Lighting also comes into play in collision prevention. Birds can be fooled by interior lighting in a building. USGBC requires that, where possible, interior lighting must be turned off by the appropriate nighttime personnel after hours when the space is unoccupied, or at a minimum from midnight until 6 a.m. Granted, this is difficult to do in a hotel with guests controlling their own room lighting but managers of buildings most prone to bird strikes could suggest to guests that they keep curtains or blinds closed at night. And, there are certainly other areas of the hotel not impacted by guests where lighting could be extinguished.
For exterior lighting USGBC requires that one shield all fixtures such that the installed fixture does not directly emit any light at a vertical angle more than 90 degrees from straight down. Exterior building fixtures that are not necessary for safety, building entrances, and circulation should be automatically shut off from midnight until 6 a.m.
To monitor the effectiveness of any bird collision prevention strategy, USGBC requires developing a monitoring plan to routinely monitor the effectiveness of the building design in preventing bird collisions. Include methods to identify and document locations of the building where repeated bird strikes occur, the number of collisions, the date, the approximate time (if known), and features that may be contributing to collisions. The plan should also provide a process for corrective action.
I suspect bird strikes are not what is keeping you up at night but preventing them should be part of your overall plan for greening your lodging establishment.
Have your own suggestions on how to prevent birds from colliding with your properties? Send your comments to editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
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