Vitro Architectural Glass, the largest glass manufacturer in North America, announced a continued collaboration with the National Aviary. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Aviary is the only independent indoor nonprofit zoo in the United States dedicated exclusively to birds.

Vitro has been a valued partner of the Aviary for many years, generously donating glass that maximizes energy performance, views and bird safety for the Aviary’s Tropical Rainforest, Garden Room and Wetlands habitats. Vitro also sponsors the Aviary’s Birdly^® full-body flight simulator, a virtual reality experience that lets visitors experience soaring like a bird. In addition, Vitro has been a dedicated supporter of the Aviary’s school programs and field trips, which benefit Pittsburgh-area students. 

“We are honored to once again extend our collaboration with the National Aviary, a leading organization that works tirelessly to protect birds and preserve important bird habitats around the world,” said Vitro Architectural Glass Vice President of Marketing Fernando Diez. “We share many of the same values as the Aviary, particularly their commitment to environmental protection. Vitro is an industry leader in sustainability, and our teams continually work to improve the energy efficiency of our glass so we can lower our carbon footprint even further. This extended collaboration will surely positively impact the Pittsburgh community, and beyond.”

“Having Vitro as a corporate partner is invaluable. The bird-safe glass utilized in our habitats not only protects our birds, it also helps to highlight for our guests the importance of protecting wildlife through the prevention of wild bird collisions,” said National Aviary Executive Director Cheryl Tracy. “Vitro’s notable standing in the corporate world also gives our conservation work an elevated international presence, which helps us in reaching out for other potential partner support.”

Vitro’s roots run deep in Western Pennsylvania, as its architectural glass business (formerly PPG Glass) was founded in Pittsburgh in 1883 and its world-renowned glass research and development center is still headquartered there. Many groundbreaking advancements in low emissivity (low-e) and low-iron glass performance have been made at this location and are on display throughout the National Aviary.

Introduced in 1990, Starphire Ultra-Clear^® low-iron glass by Vitro is one of the world’s clearest, most transparent float glass products, transmitting 91 percent of visible light in a standard ¼-inch (6 millimeters) thick lite. Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass greatly enhances aesthetics and offers pristine views of the Aviary’s renovated Tropical Rainforest and Wetlands habitats. 

The National Aviary’s Garden Room is a LEED^® Gold-certified venue featuring Solarban^® 72 Acuity^® glass, a triple-silver, low-e coating on a specially engineered low-iron glass substrate. Together, they provide an exceptional blend of environmental performance and clarity for the state-of-the-art, 9,000-square-foot event space. 

All three areas also feature AviProtek^® bird-friendly glass by Walker Glass, a Vitro partner, which increases visibility to birds to help prevent collisions. The Tropical Rainforest features AviProtek^® glass with a velour finish, while the Garden Room and Wetlands incorporate AviProtek^® glass with acid-etched patterns. 

In 2023, the Aviary’s Wetlands exhibit space earned Quebec's most prestigious architectural award, taking home best Commercial Institutional Building honors at the Prix Lumières, organized by the Association de vitrerie et fenestration du Quebec (AVFQ). Vitro’s bird-friendly glass installations for the Tropical Rainforest and Garden Room at the Aviary each earned a Top Project of the Year Award in the elite Environment + Energy Leader Awards program in 2021.