Bird Safe Glass Inspired by Spider Webs
Collision-detering glass design
We are quite accustomed to designing for human safety, but what about designing for the safety of other species?
This was taken into account in the design of Ornliux, a bird safe glass inspired by the reflectivity of spider webs. Birds, unlike humans, have the ability to see UV light. It was thought that spider webs reflected UV light as a strategy to avoid birds crashing through their webs and thus increasing the spiders' workload. This insight inspired the team at Arnold Glas to approach their product from the perspective of a bird and incorporate UV reflective aspects as a way to deter collision.
Ornilux incorporates UV reflectivity, visible to birds and virtually unnoticeable to humans
a real NEED FOR BIRD SAFETY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Architectural glass has become one of the fastest growing markets in the construction industry, but this growth comes with a price. Ornithologists have demonstrated that glass facades, like windows, are responsible for millions of bird deaths worldwide. These fatalities are caused by the birds’ inability to recognize the glass, or, the glass not being able to alert the birds of its presence. The problem of bird collisions has caught the attention of advocacy groups and local governments, as well as some manufacturing companies. A group of manufacturers in the industry have launched projects to design, manufacture, and produce glass that protects birds by using varying technological innovations, such as patterned, UV reflective, transparent glass.
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ornilux
by arnold glas
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Biomimicry Advisory Services (BAS) is an independent financial market research and advisory organization that provides strategic advice and ongoing intelligence on emerging biomimicry technologies. BAS is a project initiative of Biomimicry Switzerland.
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