Lauder College House
The large windows that surround the Lauder College House courtyard were originally a prime target for bird-window collisions, with dozens of birds being collected on some days during previous spring and fall migrations. In a collaboration between Lauder House, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, FRES, and Residential Services, the largest bird-friendly retrofit on campus to date was implemented at the ground-level courtyard windows. The bird-friendly film was installed, improving window visibility to birds that has dramatically decreased the frequency of collisions. Going beyond the “2 x 4 rule”, these dots are spaced 2” apart horizontally and vertically. Ongoing monitoring of the site, including documentation of bird strike frequency, location, species, and time of day, helps to ensure the effectiveness of the retrofit, as well as inform future bird-friendly efforts. Additional bird-friendly strategies are being explored for courtyard windows above the ground level that have not been treated yet.
Hill Pavilion
In 2014, Joe Durrance began to track bird strikes around Penn School of Medicine and Penn Vet buildings as part of his Penn Masters of Environmental Studies capstone. Using a Penn Green Fund Grant, Durrance and FRES led a pilot program in partnership with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Mid Atlantic Audubon to apply bird friendly film to windows on the Johnson Pavilion and the glass walls of pedestrian walkways at the Hill Pavilion, drastically decreasing the number of deadly bird strikes.
Johnson Pavilion
In 2014, Joe Durrance began to track bird strikes around Penn School of Medicine and Penn Vet buildings as part of his Penn Masters of Environmental Studies capstone. Using a Penn Green Fund Grant, Durrance and FRES led a pilot program in partnership with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Mid Atlantic Audubon to apply bird friendly film to windows on the Johnson Pavilion and the glass walls of pedestrian walkways at the Hill Pavilion, drastically decreasing the number of deadly bird strikes.
Singh Center for Nanotechnology
The Singh Center for Nanotechnology incorporates effective bird-friendly measures by using an acid-etched glass vertical stripe pattern that interrupts the otherwise continuous glass surface. This interruption improves window visibility for birds, decreasing the frequency of bird strikes.
Levin & Behavioral Sciences Building
This building reduces light reflection and increases the visibility of windows for birds by incorporating an external durable fabric scrim woven in a unique, amorphous pattern. It is an example of the variety of window treatments that are available on the market for increasing the bird-friendliness of buildings.
Left Bank Building
Bird-friendly window markers were applied to the front of the glass entrance tower at the Left Bank Building. White dots applied 2” x 2” apart are visible to birds and help to reduce bird-strikes.
Ringe Squash Center
When this building was renovated, the design consultant and FRES prioritized improving the building's overall sustainability footprint. Large glass windows containing horizontal fritting were installed in an effort to minimize heat gain and bird collisions.
Gutmann College House
A number of different glazing, etching, and silk-screening methods were evaluated by the design consultant in partnership with FRES for bird-friendliness, solar performance, and aesthetics. Ultimately, glass with a UV coating only visible to birds was installed at the one-story glass passageway on the south side of the building. While continued monitoring of future bird strikes is still necessary to evaluate the performance of this glass on Penn’s campus, this bird-friendly installation sets a precedent for bird-friendly measures in future buildings and further demonstrates Penn’s commitment to balancing the needs of the natural and built environment.
Graduate School of Education
A 2023 building addition to the Graduate School of Education (GSE) includes a bird deterrent ceramic frit on both sides of the entrance connector building and the ground floor at the east addition. The upper floor at the courtyard has a ceramic frit pattern in between deep mullion extensions.
Franklin Field
A massive 2024 renovation at Penn's historic Franklin Field prioritized using bird-friendly glass. The glazing along the south east arcade of the building contains fritted glass with grey dots spaced 2" x 4" apart.
Lauder College House
The large windows that surround the Lauder College House courtyard were originally a prime target for bird-window collisions, with dozens of birds being collected on some days during previous spring and fall migrations. In a collaboration between Lauder House, Audubon Mid-Atlantic, FRES, and Residential Services, the largest bird-friendly retrofit on campus to date was implemented at the ground-level courtyard windows. The bird-friendly film was installed, improving window visibility to birds that has dramatically decreased the frequency of collisions. Going beyond the “2 x 4 rule”, these dots are spaced 2” apart horizontally and vertically. Ongoing monitoring of the site, including documentation of bird strike frequency, location, species, and time of day, helps to ensure the effectiveness of the retrofit, as well as inform future bird-friendly efforts. Additional bird-friendly strategies are being explored for courtyard windows above the ground level that have not been treated yet.
Hill Pavilion
In 2014, Joe Durrance began to track bird strikes around Penn School of Medicine and Penn Vet buildings as part of his Penn Masters of Environmental Studies capstone. Using a Penn Green Fund Grant, Durrance and FRES led a pilot program in partnership with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Mid Atlantic Audubon to apply bird friendly film to windows on the Johnson Pavilion and the glass walls of pedestrian walkways at the Hill Pavilion, drastically decreasing the number of deadly bird strikes.
Johnson Pavilion
In 2014, Joe Durrance began to track bird strikes around Penn School of Medicine and Penn Vet buildings as part of his Penn Masters of Environmental Studies capstone. Using a Penn Green Fund Grant, Durrance and FRES led a pilot program in partnership with Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Mid Atlantic Audubon to apply bird friendly film to windows on the Johnson Pavilion and the glass walls of pedestrian walkways at the Hill Pavilion, drastically decreasing the number of deadly bird strikes.
Singh Center for Nanotechnology
The Singh Center for Nanotechnology incorporates effective bird-friendly measures by using an acid-etched glass vertical stripe pattern that interrupts the otherwise continuous glass surface. This interruption improves window visibility for birds, decreasing the frequency of bird strikes.
Levin & Behavioral Sciences Building
This building reduces light reflection and increases the visibility of windows for birds by incorporating an external durable fabric scrim woven in a unique, amorphous pattern. It is an example of the variety of window treatments that are available on the market for increasing the bird-friendliness of buildings.
Left Bank Building
Bird-friendly window markers were applied to the front of the glass entrance tower at the Left Bank Building. White dots applied 2” x 2” apart are visible to birds and help to reduce bird-strikes.
Ringe Squash Center
When this building was renovated, the design consultant and FRES prioritized improving the building's overall sustainability footprint. Large glass windows containing horizontal fritting were installed in an effort to minimize heat gain and bird collisions.
Gutmann College House
A number of different glazing, etching, and silk-screening methods were evaluated by the design consultant in partnership with FRES for bird-friendliness, solar performance, and aesthetics. Ultimately, glass with a UV coating only visible to birds was installed at the one-story glass passageway on the south side of the building. While continued monitoring of future bird strikes is still necessary to evaluate the performance of this glass on Penn’s campus, this bird-friendly installation sets a precedent for bird-friendly measures in future buildings and further demonstrates Penn’s commitment to balancing the needs of the natural and built environment.
Graduate School of Education
A 2023 building addition to the Graduate School of Education (GSE) includes a bird deterrent ceramic frit on both sides of the entrance connector building and the ground floor at the east addition. The upper floor at the courtyard has a ceramic frit pattern in between deep mullion extensions.
Franklin Field
A massive 2024 renovation at Penn's historic Franklin Field prioritized using bird-friendly glass. The glazing along the south east arcade of the building contains fritted glass with grey dots spaced 2" x 4" apart.