‘Invisible yet deadly’: A student-led movement to fix NTU’s award-winning bird-killing building

SINGAPORE – For nearly two decades, an iconic building of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has wowed visitors with its green, sloped roofs and efficient design that has bagged the university an award for environmental consciousness.

Shortly after the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) building’s completion, however, feathered visitors began to drop dead within its curved confines.

The birds had flown straight into the sleek, glass facade of the building, which conjured the illusion that its windows were part of the sky and surrounding landscape.

During the peak of the

southward migratory season

, when birds arrive in Singapore as they make their journeys to avoid winter in the north, birds collide with the ADM building on a near daily basis, NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum’s assistant senior curator of birds Tan Yen Yi told The Straits Times.

A total of 122 collisions involving 22 bird species were recorded by Project Avigate – an NTU student-led initiative – during the past three migratory seasons.

“While the high number of reports from the building could also be an artefact of the students’ monitoring efforts, it is unequivocal evidence that this building is deadly for birds,” said Dr Tan, noting that the phenomenon affecting all cities worldwide is “invisible yet deadly”.

After witnessing one such collision just metres from his dormitory in September 2022, Mr Zachary Chong, then an NTU environmental earth systems science student, and his peers started Project Avigate to investigate the extent of these avian deaths and make the building safer for birds.

The collision Mr Zachary Chong witnessed at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media building in 2022 that sparked Project Avigate.

PHOTO: PROJECT AVIGATE

Mr Chong, now a 25-year-old environmental consultant, said: “In the month after we started the project, we saw a multitude of birds die in front of our eyes, and in our hands.”

The project has since grown to more than 50 active volunteers, supported by scientists, architects and conservationists who share a vision of creating a safer and more sustainable campus.

On Oct 20, the project launched a campaign to raise $30,000 for the installation of decals that increase the visibility of the riskiest windows visible to birds. This accounts for a quarter of the glass areas.

A recent fund-raising week secured about 10 per cent of the target sum, said Project Avigate’s co-founder Tang Kean Seng, 23, a final-year student majoring in environmental earth systems science, public policy and global affairs.

The team is working on raising more funds so that the decals can be installed before the next migratory bird season starts in September 2026.

The total sum is projected to cost $100,000, with the university pledging to fund 70 per cent of the cost, he added.

This comes after Project Avigate authored a 51-page report – presented to NTU in April 2024 and made public in October 2025 – that identified the ADM building’s glass, funnel-shaped architecture as the main cause of these collisions.

Once surrounded by the glass surfaces, few escaped alive, said the report. On one occasion, a bird even hit the building four times, before dying.

Project Avigate’s highest daily record occurred when the team was preparing materials to raise awareness about the project at the building’s plaza on Oct 25, 2022. That day, seven birds collided into the building within an hour.

“After frantic rescuing and releasing, the team was exhausted,” recalled Mr Chong. “But our minds went to the two birds that did not make it earlier that day.”

The students have also created an online page that documents some of the affected birds.

Mr Tang said: “While presenting our data in a technical report is important, it is just as important to share with the public that the issue is about more than just statistics: It’s about the lives of these birds, and how we can do something concrete to prevent such pointless deaths.”

A spokesman for NTU’s School of ADM said the university has implemented several measures recommended by the report, such as replacing roof garden lighting to reduce glare and reflection, and installing protective netting to prevent birds from flying into enclosed spaces.

An exhibition by Project Avigate during its fund raiser to raise $30,000 for the decals.

PHOTO: PROJECT AVIGATE

Acting upon the findings was challenging, as it involved negotiations with many stakeholders, said Mr Tang.

This included dealing with concerns from the finance and facilities management about the affordability, maintenance and durability of the proposed measures.

Any pushback only motivated the students to improve on their drafts, for the final proposed solution to be as effective and efficient as possible for all parties involved, said Mr Tang, adding that the students have been engaging the school since the end of 2022.

He added: “We also organised a guided walk to show the respective offices our perspective in the greater context of human-wildlife interactions on campus.

“At the end of the walk, they actually witnessed the bird colliding with the window in person, which helped to put everyone on the same page.”

Bird-safe decals on a HortPark building designed in accordance with the National Parks Board’s bird-safe building guidelines, which inspired Project Avigate.

PHOTO: ST FILE

The hefty cost of decals was the most shocking discovery for the team, said Mr Tang.

“It turns out that since their effectiveness is maximised when they are applied on the outside of the glass windows, they have to be heat- and weather-resistant as well, which only adds to the cost,” he added.

“Furthermore, there were no commercially available options in the region for decals dedicated to making buildings safer for birds.”

“To make matters worse, the cost of installation on large glass buildings is also high due to the need for additional equipment like scaffolding for such a large-scale project.”

The spokesman for NTU’s School of ADM said the proposed decal system is a proven bird-safe design also used at the Singapore Zoo, and is supported by the National Parks Board under its bird-safe building guidelines.

“The project will serve as a pilot to guide future bird-friendly building efforts across the university,” he said.

A Hodgson’s hawk cuckoo that collided with the ADM building and fell into a pond.

PHOTO: PROJECT AVIGATE

To date, the total number of bird collisions recorded by Project Avigate across the campus has exceeded 200 cases. Such collisions occur across the NTU campus, which tends to get wild visitors due to its proximity with the Western Catchment forest.

The NTU spokesperson commended the student-led project for its proactive approach to help protect birdlife, contribution to sustainability, and exemplification of NTU’s commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible design.

“With the support that we have garnered, acting any later will only result in unnecessary loss of lives,” said Mr Tang. “We hope that our efforts can set a precedent for installing bird-safe solutions and catalyse a wider movement to make our other buildings safer for travelling birds.”

Those keen to donate to the cause can do so at

this website

Read Full Article At Source