A most innovative energy efficient glass product –
Ornilux Bird Protection Glass from Arnold Glas, Germany

The Building Society Gartenstadt Wandsbek office in Hamburg, Germany features the Ornilux Mikado product.

Ornilux Bird Protection Glass, developed by German glass manufacturer Arnold Glas, is a multi-functional, energy efficient architectural glass that offers the added benefit of reducing bird window collisions. It is available as an argon-filled insulating glass unit with a low-E or solar-control coating, or in a triple-laminated configuration.

Ornilux uses a special, UV reflective, patterned coating that is virtually transparent to the human eye but is visible to birds. In the triple-laminated configuration, the glass features a UV reflective pattern on both sides for applications like outdoor glass walls and railings where concern for bird strikes is bi-directional.

Applying the principles of Biomimetic Design, the inspiration to create this glass came from the knowledge that some species of spiders use UV reflective materials in their silk to weave their webs, and that one of the functions of this is to act as a deterrent to birds.

Ornilux has been tested by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany and offers significant bird strike reduction compared to standard double glazing, according to company officials. Arnold Glas introduced Ornilux to the North American market in mid-2010 in response to growing concern regarding bird-protective glazing solutions. Overall, Ornilux offers a unique, energy efficient, bird-friendly glazing solution that maintains the aesthetic transparency of glass while creating “visual noise” to alert birds to a barrier.

Ornilux Bird Protection Glass as seen by humans

Ornilux Bird Protection Glass as seen by birds