With the spring migration on its method, Chicago hen security advocates on Wednesday demanded that the town require new developments to make use of bird-friendly building requirements.
When migratory birds go by the town within the fall and spring every year, 1000’s of them are killed once they hit buildings. In just one night last fall, about 1,000 birds flew into McCormick Place Lakeside Center and died.
For the previous 4 years, the Bird Friendly Chicago coalition has labored extensively with the Chicago Department of Planning and Development to create complete pointers to assist builders design buildings to stop birds from hanging them, stated Annette Prince, the director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors.
And till late final 12 months, Prince was hopeful the planning division would make these pointers a requirement for any new tasks within the metropolis. But in January, Prince stated officers determined the rules can be optionally available, and builders would have the ability to “score points” in the event that they integrated bird-friendly options.
“We want to make these measures mandatory, not an option, for developers looking to get permits or other grants from the city,” Prince stated. “Whether something lives and dies should not be optional.”
No suggestions in the city’s current sustainability plan are required. But builders can rating factors for implementing any of the 9 sustainable methods within the plan, together with for hen safety. If a undertaking earns sufficient factors, it’s deemed sustainably compliant by the town.
The metropolis is at present updating and revising its sustainability plan and guidelines for building new developments and rehabbing current buildings. A draft of that up to date coverage will probably be launched on April 15 for public remark.
A spokesperson with the planning division wouldn’t touch upon the main points of the upcoming update till it’s launched, however stated the town is conscious of the hen advocates’ considerations.
The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance in 2020 encouraging, however not requiring, builders to prioritize designing new buildings with bird-safe options.
“We cannot wait any longer in our effort to stop needless bird deaths from occurring in Chicago, bird deaths that are occurring among already dwindling populations of birds,” Bird Friendly Chicago said in a statement final month. The coalition consists of the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, the Chicago Bird Alliance and Chicago Ornithological Society.
How bird-safe glass may forestall deaths
Birds get disoriented by glass as a result of it displays greenery and the sky, making it appear like one thing they will fly into. At night time, glass constructions with their lights on additionally pose a hazard.
Bird-safe building options embrace ornamental grilles and patterned glass, which assist birds see the glass home windows as strong constructions however don’t detract from the building’s total design and look.
“We know that not every building can be completely bird safe and we can’t save every bird,” Prince stated. “We’re not saying you have to go cover Willis Tower with a blanket. But we want the most critical and dangerous areas to be addressed.”
Those harmful areas embrace the building’s facade on the floor degree and decrease flooring as a result of birds looking for meals and shelter are more likely to be flying nearer to the bottom.
“We really focused on making these guidelines comprehensive, but also achievable, useful and easy to understand,” Prince stated.
The Robert Crown Community Center in Evanston is an efficient instance of a bird-safe building that used a variety of patterned glass, Prince stated.
Tim Warren is the gross sales supervisor for Chicago-based glass provider Torstenson Glass. After the mass collision at McCormick Place Lakeside Center final October, Warren stated the corporate determined to start out promoting bird-safe glass to prospects.
“We saw what happened and thought maybe there’s something we can do and offer to the Chicagoland market to make their buildings safer for birds,” Warren stated.
Torstenson Glass sells Pilkington AviSafe glass, which is adorned with a sample that doesn’t impede the view or gentle from the within, however alerts to the birds that they will’t fly into it, Warren stated.
“Glass only continues to grow in popularity for building facades,” Warren stated. “The demand for this bird-safe glass is also going to continue to grow as people really start to understand the negative impact the built environment has on birds.”
There’s a false impression that this glass additionally comes at a big cost, Warren stated. And although there are sorts of bird-safe glass offered at a excessive premium, the glass offered by Torstenson prices 5% to 10% greater than conventional glass, he stated.
“And that price will drop when demand grows,” Warren stated. “And if the city implements a requirement, there will be a much larger market.”
