1. Scope

Keywords

Rationale

Green buildings promote a closer and healthier relationship with the natural environment. Building occupants choose to be close to nature because they feel and perform better. Glazing technologies continue to satisfy that desire with increasing effectiveness, thanks to ongoing material, structural and thermal improvements. Glazing properties that inform designers and code enforcement officials today almost exclusively focus on structural integrity and thermal performance. However, over the past several years, consumers, designers and manufacturers have become increasingly aware of another important load that is imposed upon the glass in our homes and cities namely, bird collisions. Estimates vary, but the numbers are astounding. Some communities have already taken steps to enact laws that require better performance in protecting birds from collisions with our buildings. Thanks to research conducted by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), USBGC has introduced LEED Pilot Credit 55 which provides a framework within which to creatively design buildings that also deter bird collisions. A key component of the LEED compliance path is the requirement to document material threat factors (MTF) for the exterior building envelope.