News Codes and standards
NGA releases new bird-friendly technical design guide

The National Glass Association (NGA) is pleased to announce the addition of a new technical product category to its publication library. The new Design Guide is intended to fill a targeted need for more in-depth guidance and recommendations related to design and installation best practices for the glazing and glass products industry.

A task group comprised of member volunteers within the Fabricating Committee developed the Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design Guide, which offers a prescriptive approach to implementing bird-friendly glazing constructions that reflect the current developments and guidance available within both the glazing and bird conservancy industries. The design guide is also noted as a point of reference for all projects considering bird-friendly design per the new GSA 2021 Facility Standards, Section 3.6.7 for Bird-Safe Building Design.

“The Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design Guide has been under development since early 2020 and brought together leading minds in the glass industry as well as experts in the bird conservation field,” explains Urmilla Sowell, NGA advocacy & technical director. “As legislation and building codes continued to incorporate measures for bird protection, it became important for our industry to produce a resource which outlines the appropriate uses of glass in construction. It will serve as an educational tool both for our industry counterparts as well as to many other stakeholders pursuing bird deterrence from varying perspectives.”

The Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design Guide is a complementary resource to the existing Glass Technical Paper (GTP), Bird-Friendly Glass Design Strategies. While the GTP provides a general introduction to bird-friendly glazing, the design guide offers 15 pages of content including the evolution of bird-friendly legislation, recommended glazing practices, glass product solutions and other integrated protection measures.

According to task group chair Marc Deschamps, Walker Glass Co., Ltd., “NGA is proud to publish a prescriptive guide on bird-friendly glazing that provides information and clarity on best practices at the design, development and procurement stages of a construction project. The objective of this guide is to facilitate, simplify and accelerate the decision-making process for all stakeholders and fill the void when legislation does not exist or is too vague.”

“I’ve carefully read NGA’s Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Glazing Design Guide and found it especially well done,” shared Daniel Klem, Jr., Ph.D., professor of Biology, Muhlenberg College. “I believe it will be an important tool in saving more bird lives from float glass, and I thank all involved in its preparation and distribution. I continue to find reasons to support NGA in their work with glass worldwide, especially this effort addressing an important conservation issue for birds and people.”

Download the Best Practices for Bird-Friendly Design Guide today, which is available among a host of additional resources in NGA’s Store at glass.org.