By combining building glass surface area, reflectivity, and surrounding vegetation into a spatial risk model, this project will identify campus buildings most at risk for bird collisions, and be used to inform potential strategies for mitigating future collisions.

Project Overview

Team: Lauren Pickett, Campus As A Classroom Intern; Emily Nastase, Climate and Sustainability Academy; Stephanie Hatfield, Facilities Division

Duration: Fall 2026 – Spring 2027

Status: In Progress

Focus: Life on Land

Primary Contact: Emily Nastase

Summary

The project focuses on protecting migratory birds on NC State’s campus, specifically Centennial Campus buildings surrounding the Oval open space. Bridging urban ecology and geospatial analysis, the project integrates architectural data such as windows and window-to-walls ratios. An undergraduate Campus as a Classroom student intern, under guidance of staff mentors from the Climate and Sustainability Academy and Facilities, is utilizing GIS, floor plans, street-level imagery, and ground surveys to build a model that assess avian-window collision risk while integrating window reflectivity and proximity to plants and trees. The model will be an evidence-based tool to guide bird-friendly architectural design on college campuses.

Findings

This project is in progress. A Bird Collision Threat Rating for each building in the pilot project is in development, which will be used to create a spatial heat map to highlight vulnerable locations. Buildings along the Oval on Centennial Campus with high wall-to-window ratios were prioritized for analysis.

Looking Ahead

The project is in progress and will be updated.