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Bird Lovers Throw Flag On Vikings Glass Stadium

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Bird Lovers Throw Flag On Vikings Glass Stadium

Bird Lovers Throw Flag On Vikings Glass Stadium

The Minnesota Vikings’ new home is less than a year old, but conservationists are already assessing a penalty on US Bank Stadium for its mirrored glass surface. Avian experts say the building is a deathtrap for birds, and points to at least 60 bird deaths during the NFL season that were attributed to collisions with the building. Bird lovers also collected an additional 14 birds that crashed into the building, but survived.

The new stadium is made of highly reflective glass, which birds cannot distinguish from open sky. The result – birds are crashing into the building at a rate that alarms animal welfare groups. Using the figures collected so far, conservationists say that the stadium will likely cause the deaths of hundreds of birds over the next three years. They also point out that their figures don’t include bird carcasses that the stadium caretakers removed.

Before construction was completed on the stadium, the Audubon Society raised serious concerns about the building’s mirrored glass surface, and warned that the proposed design would result in a high number of bird-building collisions. The Audubon Society proposed coating the building’s glass surface to make it more visible to birds, but the owners declined.

A new study will be conducted over the next two years to re-examine the issue of safety for local birds, but until the study is completed, the owners have no plans to modify the outside of the taxpayer-funded stadium.

Avian experts estimate that collisions with glass buildings account for about 1 billion bird deaths each year worldwide. They propose modifying the surface of glass to make it easier for birds to distinguish structures from open air.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specially engineered glass coating that can help increase the visibility of a building by modifying the surface of glass. Changing the reflectivity of glass through the use of glass paint can make a building more bird-friendly without disturbing a building’s visual aesthetics.

Photo Credit: Paul VanDerWerf, via Flickr

New Viking stadium glass bad for birds?

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New Viking stadium bad for birds?

New Viking stadium bad for birds?

US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is the brand new home of the Minnesota Vikings, but some bird enthusiasts think the stadium could be a death trap. Last month, officials from the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority approved the expenditure of $300,000 to find the answer to that question. Experts are torn, however, on the right course of action, should the stadium’s towering glass wall be found dangerous to flying creatures.

Fritted glass debate will rage until 2019

US Bank Stadium features about 200,000 square feet of glass, which the National Audubon Society believes could be responsible for the deaths of about 1,000 birds per year. Birds don’t see glass and are prone to flying directly into it. In addition, reflections of the sky in the glass can cause disorientation among birds, resulting in an increased number of injuries and bird deaths. Birds also use the nearby Mississippi River as a navigational aid. Aviary experts fear that the stadium’s north and west walls, and its large glass doors will cause significant harm to local species.

The MSFA will begin the study immediately, and will monitor the number of bird deaths that occur as a result of the building through 2018. They are expected to render a decision about the glass in 2019. Since 2012, critics have asked the MSFA to consider using bird-safe glass, which is etched or decorated, to help birds “see” the glass as a solid object. The MSFA, which was responsible for the construction and operation of the stadium cited cost overruns and construction delays as its reason for vetoing “fritted” glass. According to the MSFA, the fritted glass would have inflated the construction costs by $25M-$60M. According to estimates provided by other sources, the addition of fritted glass would have raised the price of the stadium by about $1.1M. The estimated final cost of the stadium exceeds $1 billion.

The decision stands in contrast to the position of the Minneapolis City Council, which voted in 2014 to request that the MSFA include fritted glass in the stadium’s design. According to the MSFA, the glass did not pose any significant issues for birds during construction. The MSFA is also working with Minnesota-based 3M to develop and test films that could be applied to the glass to make the windows more visible to birds.

Paints and coatings like Glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator, when combined with UV inkjet printing, can help make glass more visible to birds, and can help printed inks bond permanently to glass. If you would like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint or Glassprimer™ glass surface molecular activator, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Matthew Paulson, via Flickr.com