Minnesota and Oakland, Calif. Adopt Bird-Friendly Building Requirements
Adoption Follows Trend in San Francisco, Ontario, and Other Locations
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Contact: Robert Johns, 202-234-7181 ext.210, Email click here
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| The U.S. Census Complex, in Suitland, MD, illustrates a strategy that controls heat and light but also makes glass safe for birds. Windows are fronted by a 'brise soleil' or sunshade, that also makes the building very handsome. Photo by Esther Langan. |
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Washington, D.C., June 26, 2013) The state of Minnesota and the city of Oakland, Calif., are the latest local or state governments to approve bird-friendly building design requirements. Oakland has adopted requirements similar to those established in neighboring San Francisco, Calif. in 2011, while Minnesota followed LEED's (Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design) "Reducing Bird Collisions" program. In Illinois, several jurisdictions—Cook County, Highland Park, Lake County, and Evansville—have existing or pending guidelines while national legislation has been proposed in Congress.
"There is a growing awareness of and alarm about the very significant bird mortality that is occurring across the United States as a result of bird collisions with buildings," said Dr. Christine Sheppard, Bird Collisions Campaign Manager at American Bird Conservancy. "Studies suggest that as many as one billion birds die from such collisions each year. As ABC and other groups have raised awareness of the problem, we are seeing increasing interest among local governments, architects, and developers regarding bird-friendly building design and how to foster it through mandatory and voluntary regulatory processes."
Dr. Sheppard worked extensively with officials in San Francisco, along with Noreen Weedon from Golden Gate Audubon, to develop the city's bird-friendly requirements. Sheppard has been presenting continuing education classes on the issue to architecture firms across the country upon request, and authored the only national publication on the issue: American Bird Conservancy's Bird-Friendly Building Design.
Minnesota's bird-safe building guidelines address eight major areas, including: pre-design site selection; schematic design; design development; construction documents; construction administration; construction; correction period; and ongoing occupancy. The guidelines specifically recommend such things as planning deterrent facades for areas that are bird attractants; reducing bird collision "traps"; monitoring of bird impacts during the building's first year; and incorporating Lights Out program concepts.
Full article in the link below.
http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/130626.html
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