Cleveland State University
IN-47: Innovation A

The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Library at Cleveland State University installed a dot pattern film on entryway glass in August 2019 to prevent bird fatalities.

Collisions with buildings are a leading cause of bird fatalities in North America. A combination of light pollution and reflective building materials confuse migratory birds leading to collisions with buildings. The reflections of trees or clouds can cause birds to misinterpret windows as safe landing spots or open areas.

The CSU Department of Sustainability, Lights Out Cleveland, and the American Bird Conservancy worked to custom design a retrofit window film to address this problem.

Before the installation of the bird-deterrent pattern, the CSU Grounds team found that the east entry of the Law Library was one of the most frequent spots for bird collisions. The retrofit, which put 3/8” white vinyl dots spaced 2 inches apart on the glass, reduced fall 2019 collisions to zero!

Tim Jasinski, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center said, “So basically YES, it has been a 100 percent success and no more birds have been found there! Those films truly work wonders!”

Additionally, CSU’s design standards have been updated to encourage design and material selection that mitigates bird-building collisions. The following language was inserted into the campus A/E standards:

088000.5
When designing exterior facades and specifying glazing products for exterior applications, mitigating measures to avoid bird strikes must be factored into design decisions and materials selected accordingly. For useful information about bird friendly design solutions and cost effective products, see: https://abcbirds.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bird-friendly-Building-Guide_LINKS.pdf

Additional media:

CSU Law Library Installs “Bird Friendly” Film on Entryway Glass
September 2019 - ENGAGED, CSU Tumblr
https://clevelandstate.tumblr.com/post/187907745902/csu-law-library-installs-bird-friendly-film-on

Law Library Installs Bird Friendly Film on Entryway Glass
October 02, 2019
https://www.csuohio.edu/news/law-library-installs-bird-friendly-film-entryway-glass

Effective And Attractive Ways To Make Building Windows Safe For Birds
February 4, 2020 - Bryan Lenz, American Bird Conservancy
https://abcbirds.org/blog20/make-windows-safe

Cleveland State University Finds Great Success in Sustainable, “Bird-Friendly” Film
April 20, 2020 - ENGAGED, CSU Tumblr
https://clevelandstate.tumblr.com/post/615935369618276352/cleveland-state-university-finds-great-success-in