Hi, my name is Heidi, and I research birds and how to keep them alive. I can help you make your homes, businesses, and new building designs safer for birds. If you are an architect seeking a helpful primer on the topic of bird strikes, I highly suggest reviewing Toronto's Bird Friendly "Best Practices: Glass" document.
"There are two new [AIA] rules in relation to sustainability. They require architects to inform clients about potential environmental impacts and to consider with clients the environmental effects of design decisions."
Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) | Passive House | Net Zero | High Performance Building
"Sustainable" buildings may kill twice as many birds as conventional designs.
For architects and landscape designers, the bird collision topic is highly relevant: LEED, passive house, net zero, and similar design standards often involve much higher risk designs than conventional construction due to daylighting requirements that call for high window-to-wall ratios. The unintended consequence of this, plus ecologically conscious landscaping, is that "sustainable" buildings often end up killing more than double the birds its conventional counterpart would. This is distressing to building occupants as well as ecologically unsound, and with the AIA's renewed commitment to sustainability as an ethical factor, environmental impact carries more weight than ever before. Design review prior to construction can identify high risk areas and allow for modification prior to construction, preventing the need for mitigation. It's far more cost effective to implement changes in the design phase than to go back and replace or retrofit existing structures (in the case of the Vikings Stadium, approximately 0.1-0.8% vs 6% of total budget).
For information re: services, including commercial, residential, and media, click here.
New construction & retrofit information here.
What I do: Commercial
* Consult with architects, industry, and organizations about bird safe guidelines, site-specific or general.
* Assess risk before or after construction for external glass surfaces.
* Assist with setting up window monitoring programs, including providing data templates and protocol development tailored to fit each project.
* Train monitors, manage projects and data remotely, provide summaries and analysis of results.
* Provide sample data, analysis, and interpretation from case studies.
What I do: Residential
* Bird safe home window assessments - Are my windows safe? Determine risk and mitigation options for external glass surfaces.
* Referrals for product ordering and/or installation.
* Bird safe property assessments - determine risk and mitigation options for yards, landscaping, features.
What I do: Media
* Speak at conferences, meetings, and festivals. Topics include bird safe buildings, Safe Passage, bird safe backyards, Dead Birds (for Science!), case studies, and more.
* Provide sample data, analysis, and interpretation from case studies.
* Image licensing, writing, referrals (re: wind farms, cats, power lines, etc), fact checking, interviews.
What I do not do:
Wildlife rehabilitation, product installation (see referrals), specimen prep, taxidermy.
* Please inquire about consulting rates: NGOs receive discounts.
* Speaking engagements (local) have a $300 cancellation fee if less than one month's notice is given; this does not apply to weather events or Covid related changes if rescheduled or moved to a virtual session.
"There are two new [AIA] rules in relation to sustainability. They require architects to inform clients about potential environmental impacts and to consider with clients the environmental effects of design decisions."
"Sustainable" buildings may kill twice as many birds as conventional designs.
For architects and landscape designers, the bird collision topic is highly relevant: LEED, passive house, net zero, and similar design standards often involve much higher risk designs than conventional construction due to daylighting requirements that call for high window-to-wall ratios. The unintended consequence of this, plus ecologically conscious landscaping, is that "sustainable" buildings often end up killing more than double the birds its conventional counterpart would. This is distressing to building occupants as well as ecologically unsound, and with the AIA's renewed commitment to sustainability as an ethical factor, environmental impact carries more weight than ever before. Design review prior to construction can identify high risk areas and allow for modification prior to construction, preventing the need for mitigation. It's far more cost effective to implement changes in the design phase than to go back and replace or retrofit existing structures (in the case of the Vikings Stadium, approximately 0.1-0.8% vs 6% of total budget).
For information re: services, including commercial, residential, and media, click here.
New construction & retrofit information here.
What I do: Commercial
* Consult with architects, industry, and organizations about bird safe guidelines, site-specific or general.
* Assess risk before or after construction for external glass surfaces.
* Assist with setting up window monitoring programs, including providing data templates and protocol development tailored to fit each project.
* Train monitors, manage projects and data remotely, provide summaries and analysis of results.
* Provide sample data, analysis, and interpretation from case studies.
What I do: Residential
* Bird safe home window assessments - Are my windows safe? Determine risk and mitigation options for external glass surfaces.
* Referrals for product ordering and/or installation.
* Bird safe property assessments - determine risk and mitigation options for yards, landscaping, features.
What I do: Media
* Speak at conferences, meetings, and festivals. Topics include bird safe buildings, Safe Passage, bird safe backyards, Dead Birds (for Science!), case studies, and more.
* Provide sample data, analysis, and interpretation from case studies.
* Image licensing, writing, referrals (re: wind farms, cats, power lines, etc), fact checking, interviews.
What I do not do:
Wildlife rehabilitation, product installation (see referrals), specimen prep, taxidermy.
* Please inquire about consulting rates: NGOs receive discounts.
* Speaking engagements (local) have a $300 cancellation fee if less than one month's notice is given; this does not apply to weather events or Covid related changes if rescheduled or moved to a virtual session.
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