At Baltimore’s Cylburn Arboretum, the Vollmer Center is known for its striking glass façade, offering sweeping views of the park’s 200 acres. But that beauty came with a cost: soaring energy bills from solar heat gain and frequent bird collisions during migration season.
In 2024, Decorative Films introduced Solyx BSF-DB35 Solar Bird Safety Film — a solution that combines solar energy control with bird safety patterns. Partnering with AP Corp and the Baltimore City Department of General Services (DGS), Cylburn Arboretum became the first municipal park in Baltimore to retrofit its glass with this conservation-driven product, delivering results for both people and wildlife.
The Design Challenge: Preserve Views, Solve Problems
Completed in 2010, the Vollmer Center was Baltimore’s first green building, featuring geothermal heating, green roofs, and composting toilets. With glass panels comprising nearly 70% of the building, the design offered exceptional light and views — but also created two problems:
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Extreme solar heat gain, straining HVAC systems, and impacting comfort
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Frequent bird strikes, with six to ten collisions per day during migration seasons
“People love being in this building because of that indoor-outdoor experience,” said Christina Nutile, Events Manager at Cylburn Arboretum.
Any solution needed to address these problems without compromising the architectural vision of transparency, light, and connection to nature.
Innovation in Window Film
Solyx Bird Safety Films first entered the market in 2016 with the launch of their dot-pattern safety film, designed to make glass visible to birds without obstructing views. Decorative Films later expanded with horizontal and vertical bar patterns, trellis-inspired designs, and custom artist murals.
With new legislation in cities like Chicago, Washington, DC, and Toronto encouraging bird-safe building practices, Decorative Films identified a gap in retrofit product solutions: one that reduces solar heat gain and improves building efficiency while still allowing glass to remain visible to birds.
And, while it was easy to recognize the conservation benefits of preventing strikes, there was little to no financial return on investment for these products. Many facilities could access energy efficiency funding to support solar reduction, but not bird collision prevention grants, leaving facilities like Cylburn without the necessary funding to invest in preventive measures.
The answer was Solar Bird Safety Film — a product merging solar performance and energy savings with bird protection.
“Glass is not going away; it’s a wonderful medium within design, and it even has many health benefits for us as the occupants. But to protect birds, we have to be mindful of the dangers we’re creating for them,” said Aaron Lotinsky, Product Director at Decorative Films.
A Fundable Solution for Cylburn
When Decorative Films introduced the Solar Bird Safety Film, Cylburn’s facilities team recognized the opportunity. By combining solar performance with bird safety, the retrofit qualified for energy-savings grants from Baltimore City DGS.
“Buildings with glass walls get significant solar heat gain in the summer, which contributes to peak electricity loads. By adding solar film, we reduce cooling costs and stress on the grid,” said Frank Lee, Architect at the Department of General Services.
“We’ve dramatically improved the longevity and operating costs of the building and gained three things with this project: energy savings at peak periods, protection for migrating birds, and stronger, more resilient glass,” said Lee. “This is a permanent, 100% solution for the whole building.”
Results: Performance Meets Aesthetics
The film was installed across more than 4,000 square feet of glass in under a week. The results were immediate and measurable:
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Zero bird strikes recorded since installation (down from 6–10 daily)
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Reduced HVAC demand, cutting utility costs and improving comfort
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Preserved transparency thanks to Decorative Films’ colorless TruEtch finish — semi-transparent to humans, highly visible to birds
“During migration season, I was hearing and seeing between six and ten birds strike the glass within an eight-hour day. Since the film was installed, I’m happy to report we’ve had zero strikes—and there’s a noticeable difference to how much heat is coming through the glass,” said Nutile.
“The second day the film was installed, I drove by and couldn’t even see it,” said Melissa Grim with Baltimore City Recreation & Parks. “Sitting in the lobby, I didn’t notice the dots—it didn’t take away from the big vista of glass windows.”
Conservation and Design Leadership
The Cylburn Arboretum retrofit highlights how conservation and design can align. For Decorative Films, it also confirmed the innovation’s market value.
“The project was a success, and the feedback we’re hearing from Cylburn is exactly what we hoped for,” said Lotinsky. “They’re feeling a noticeable difference in the sun's intense heat, which means the solar properties of this film are doing their job, and they’ve had zero glass collisions.”
Decorative Films donates 3% of proceeds from every bird safety film to the American Bird Conservancy’s Glass Collisions Program, supporting ongoing research and advocacy.
“Our solar bird safety film is the only product on the market that empowers existing buildings to protect birds by covering exterior glass, offering a return on investment while improving building performance and sustainability. It's a true win for birds and tenants alike,” said Lotinsky.
Takeaway for Architects and Designers
The Vollmer Center case study demonstrates that aesthetic transparency, sustainability, and wildlife protection don’t have to conflict. By specifying Solar Bird Safety Film, architects and designers can:
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Preserve clear, unobstructed views
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Improve building performance and energy efficiency
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Support compliance with emerging bird safety legislation
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Enhance the conservation value of architectural design
For architects and designers, Solyx Solar Bird Safety Film offers a retrofit-ready solution that balances beauty with responsibility.