Blog Items

Ever since we launched Pilkington AviSafe™, a glass that features a special coating designed to be visible to birds, we have been working to get it installed to save our feathered friends from collisions.

Birds collide with glass because of reflections of the sky and vegetation on the glass. Therefore, Pilkington AviSafe™ uses a uniquely patterned UV enhanced coating which disrupts reflections on the glass, meaning birds see it as a barrier.

Mere Sands Wood, a nature reserve local to our European Technical Centre in Lathom, has chosen Pilkington AviSafe™ to be used in its new visitor’s centre and café. With 170 species of bird visitors, protecting its large avian population and minimising the risk of bird strikes to the new building’s glazing was of particular concern. For more information on this project, click here.

We have also installed Pilkington AviSafe™ at our European Technical Centre where we found many birds colliding with a section of the glazing every year. This gave us a chance to take some pictures of the glass both internally and externally:

Internal view:

External view:

Manufacturing Pilkington Suncool™ in the UK

You’ll be glad to hear that Pilkington Suncool™, our high-performance solar control glass, has started production in the UK again! We manufacture it on our state-of-the-art coater in St Helens, Merseyside. To download the Pilkington Suncool™ datasheet click here.

International Year of Glass 2022 Events

Next month there will be a few of events taking place in the UK which celebrate glass. A full calendar of events can be seen by clicking here. Check out the glass events which will be taking place over the next month:

1^st May - 12^th June (Stroud)
A Thread of Light
'A Thread of Light' brings together three generations of internationally acclaimed glass artists, five of whom live and work in the Stroud Valleys. In association with the UN’s International Year of Glass, this collection of exquisite and intriguing contemporary kiln cast glass sculptures will be sure to delight and fascinate.
For more info, click here.

21^st - 22^nd May (Newcastle upon Tyne)
Glass in the North 
'Glass In the North' is a two day event organised by the AHG themed around glass and glass production in the north of Britain
For more info and tickets, click here.

24^th - 28^th May (RHS Chelsea Flower Show)
International Year of Glass Garden
This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will feature a garden focused on glass art, in collaboration with the Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) as it celebrates its 25^th year.
For more info ahead of the event, click here.