Red Apple School Bird Safety Window Film, 2026

Project at a glance

• Client: Red Apple School, a K-8 school in Racine, Wisconsin
• Year: 2026, new construction
• Problem: a large curved glass wall that could cause bird collisions
• Film: Solar Gard WingSafe Black Dot, specified by the project’s architects, applied to the exterior of the glass
• Glass treated: the top four rows, about 1,895 square feet, 204 panels
• Access: an 85 foot boom lift, because of the angles of the wall
• Bird rating: American Bird Conservancy threat factor of 4, as reported by Solar Gard

The new school’s design features a tall, curved wall of glass. Glass like this reflects sky and trees, and birds often do not see it as a barrier. The architects contacted Solar Gard to specify a bird safety film for the wall, and the top four rows of glass were the areas of most concern.

AAA Glass Tint supported the specification with samples and mockups, then installed Solar Gard WingSafe Black Dot on 204 panels, about 1,895 square feet, across the top four rows of the wall. AAA Glass Tint is a Solar Gard authorized dealer.

WingSafe Black Dot is an exterior film with small black dots, 11 millimeters across and spaced 65 millimeters apart in a grid. Birds see the pattern as something to avoid, while people inside look through the clear film between the dots. It has to go on the outside of the glass: on the inside, reflections on the outer surface can hide the pattern from birds.

Solar Gard’s published figures for WingSafe Black Dot:

• American Bird Conservancy threat factor: 4, tested on clear glass. ABC considers a material bird-friendly at a threat factor of 30 or less.
• Visible light transmitted: 81 percent on 6 mm clear double glazing, so classrooms keep their daylight and view
• Ultraviolet light blocked: more than 99 percent
• Warranty: 10 year product warranty on vertical surfaces

Because the school was new construction, we worked with the construction company to fit the installation into its schedule and site requirements. The angles of the curved wall meant the work was done from an 85 foot boom lift. We do not subcontract installation; our own crews do the work.

The top four rows of the school’s glass wall now carry a pattern that the American Bird Conservancy rates at a threat factor of 4, well inside its bird-friendly range. From inside, the film is clear between the dots, so the daylight and views the design was built around are kept.