REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
2013-7142 Discussion and Possible Action to Adopt Design Guidelines for Bird-safe Buildings (Study Issue)
Report
REPORT IN BRIEF
The City Council requested a study to address the effects of building design and placement on bird populations due to the concerns about birds striking the building and being harmed or killed. This study considers the possible methods of reviewing building designs to address the problem (see Attachment 1 for study issue paper).
Generally, it appears that the main cause of bird collisions with buildings is the use of transparent and reflective glass. This issue is especially true for buildings near large (one acre of more) open spaces or bodies of water. The area in Sunnyvale that most easily meets these criteria is Moffett Park, given its proximity to the bay.
Architectural design trends change over time with some styles using more glass than other styles. For example, many single-family homes with large expanses of glass were built by Eichler (or other developers using similar designs) in the 1950s-1970s but recent residential and retail developments have not included large walls of glass. New industrial/office buildings constructed in the 1970s and 1980s were one-story tilt up concrete with minimal glass, new office buildings in the city are larger, modern-designed buildings; many of which include wide expanses of glass. The use of glass meets owners' and tenants' design preferences, as well as provides good lighting into the office space. Natural lighting is also a prime method for reducing long-term energy costs.
This report looks for balance between the concern for bird-safe designs and the Green Building goals of the community. This balance is challenging given the relative lack of proven evidence of the impact and causes for bird collisions with buildings. In order to address bird safety concerns, staff recommends adopting bird-safe building guidelines (Attachment 4) that wou...
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