PITTSBURGH, June 6, 2018 — Under a canopy featuring more than 3,100 panes of laminated Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass by Vitro Glass and bird-friendly AviProtek^® Velour acid-etched finish by Walker Glass, workers at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh have begun to move hundreds of exotic plants and trees back into the venue’s popular Tropical Rainforest habitat.

When it reopens in mid-July after an extensive $1.2 million renovation, the habitat will be home to approximately 400 tropical plants, such as cacao trees, coffee plants, mango trees and coconut palms, which help create the natural environment conducive to wildlife. The exhibit’s more than 80 birds, including Victoria crowned pigeons, male and female Great Argus pheasants and several macaws, will be gradually reintroduced to the revamped habitat on or about July 13.

The new glass canopy, which was central to renovations that include a new 15-foot tiered waterfall, pedestrian walkway and immersive spaces for avian residents to bathe, play and nest, is a specialized product selected by experts from Vitro Architectural Glass and the National Aviary. It replaces the original single-strength annealed float glass that had been in place since the exhibit opened in 1952.

By acid-etching an opaque visual barrier over ultra-transparent Starphire^® glass, the new bird-friendly glass canopy will drastically reduce the chances of bird-glass collisions and prevent birds of prey living outside from seeing and attempting to reach potential prey living inside the building. The glass also maximizes ultraviolet (UV) and natural light transmittance to help sustain wildlife and plant life throughout the year.

To learn more about Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glass, visit www.vitroglazings.com or call 1-855-VTRO-GLS (887-6457).

Starphire Ultra-Clear^® and Starphire^® are registered trademarks owned by Vitro.
The PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
AviProtek^® is a registered trademark of Walker Glass Limited, Inc.

About Vitro Architectural Glass

Vitro Architectural Glass, part of Vitro, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: VITROA), is the largest glass producer in the Western Hemisphere, manufacturing a range of industry-leading, energy-efficient, high-performance products such as Solarban^®, Sungate^® and Starphire Ultra-Clear^® glasses. Committed to continually raising the industry standard for sustainability, Vitro was the first U.S. glass manufacturer to have its complete collection of architectural glass products earn Cradle to Cradle Certified^® status and the first North American manufacturer to publish third-party verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for flat glass and processed glass products. Additionally, as of April 2024, all Vitro architectural glass products meet the Top 20% Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) material Global Warming Potential (GWP) threshold the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) established pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Vitro operates seven glass production facilities across North America, four residential glass fabrication plants in Canada and one of the world’s largest glass research and development facilities in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit VitroGlazings.com.

Media Contact:
Robert J. Struble
Vitro Architectural Glass
412-820-8138
rstruble@vitro.com
www.vitroglazings.com