Audubon Society - Comments on Vallco Notice of Preparation part 2Final
BIRD SAFE BUILDING DESIGN GUIDELINES
There are two types of design guidelines to address bird safe building. The first option
is for projects within 300 feet of a body of water or projects adjacent to a landscaped
or open space area larger than one acre in size. The second option is criteria to be
used in reviewing new projects located in all other areas of the city.
Option 1: If within 300 feet of a body of water larger than one acre in size or located
immediately adiacent to a landscaped area, open space or park larger than one acre in
size.
If the project meets any of the prior criteria, projects should include specific bird safe
design elements into the building and site design and operation. These would include:
1. Avoid the use of multi -floor expanse of reflective or transparent glass in the first
60 feet of the building design, specifically in these area facing the water or open
space;
2. Building glass shall be limited to low reflectivity levels such as 25% or less;
3. Limit the amount of glass on ground level stories, especially in areas adjacent
to landscaping;
4. Add architectural devices, such as louvers, awnings, sunshades or light shelves
to building design to reduce massing of glass;
5. Consider use of opaque, fritted or etched glass on ground floor in areas
adjacent to landscaped areas;
6. If site is near water features, use soil berms, furniture, landscaping or other
features to prevent reflection of water in glass building facades;
7. Consider using angled glass (20-40 degrees) from vertical to reflect ground
instead of adjacent habitat or sky buildings with an expanse of glass near water
or landscaping areas
8. Avoid placing tall landscaping in front of highly reflective glass and the use of
green roofs and water features near glass;
9. Avoid the funneling of open space towards a building face;
10. Avoid glass skyways or freestanding glass walls;
11. No up lighting or spot lights on site;
12. Ensure all site lighting uses shielded fixtures;
13. Turn building lights off at night or incorporate blinds into window treatment to
use when lights are on at night;
14. Create smaller zones in internal lighting layouts to discourage wholesale area
illumination;
15. Place signs at several locations near building with the telephone number an
authorized bird conservation organization or museum to aid in species
identification and to benefit scientific study;
16. Monitoring efforts shall include a bird -safe program developed by the project
owner of the methods to ensure necessary steps are taken to reduce bird
strikes. These efforts would include how each dead bird will be handled and
donated to scientific study, providing a yearly inventory to the City of the
number of birds found and locations, and the steps necessary to resolve any
consistent location's bird deaths. Options include shades to reduce
transparency and night lighting, fritted glass, netting, stickers, etc.
Option 2: All other locations in city
Efforts should be taken to reduce bird strikes in all locations of the city. The following
items should be included regardless of location. These guidelines could be used as
part of a project's review. Staff could include a discussion relative to the guidelines in
staff reports in order to give decision -makers information necessary to review this
aspect of a project's impact.
1. Avoid large expanse of glass near open areas, especially when tall landscaping
is immediately adjacent to the glass walls;
2. Avoid the funneling of open space towards a building face;
3. Prohibit glass skyways or freestanding glass walls;
4. Avoid transparent glass walls coming together at building corners to avoid
birds trying to fly through glass;
5. Reduce glass at top of building, especially when incorporating a green roof into
the design;
6. Prohibit up lighting or spotlights;
7. Shield lighting to cast light down onto the area to be illuminated;
8. Turn commercial building lights off at night or incorporate blinds into window
treatment to use when lights are on at night;
9. Create smaller zones in internal lighting layouts to discourage wholesale area
illumination;
Monitoring efforts
The following options should be considered by each project owner for all locations in
order to learn more about the subject and to avoid further issues:
1. Reduce the use of night lighting in the building without incorporating blinds
into the window design;
2. Donation of discovered dead birds to an authorized bird conservation
organization or museum;
3. Consider placing signs in several locations around the building with the
telephone number an authorized bird conservation organization or museum to
aid in species identification and to benefit scientific study.