SINGAPORE, Nov 3 — An award-winning building at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) here has reportedly become the focus of a student-led conservation effort after being found to cause frequent bird deaths.

According to Singapore’s The Straits Times, for nearly 20 years, the School of Art, Design and Media’s (ADM) glass-fronted building has been admired for its distinctive green, sloping roofs, but its reflective façade has also proved deadly to migratory birds that mistake it for the sky.

During peak migration seasons, birds are said to collide with the building almost daily, The Straits Times reported today.

Project Avigate, a student initiative launched in 2022 after one of its founders witnessed birds flying into the building, has since recorded 122 collisions involving 22 bird species over three migratory seasons.

A 51-page report by the group, presented to NTU in April 2024 and released publicly in October 2025, identified the ADM building’s funnel-shaped glass design as the main cause of the collisions.

To tackle the issue, the team aims to raise S$30,000 (about RM126,000) to install decals that make high-risk windows more visible to birds, while NTU has pledged to cover 70 per cent of the total S$100,000 cost.

NTU’s School of ADM has already reduced roof glare and installed protective netting as part of wider bird-safety measures.

Project co-founder and final-year student Tang Kean Seng said the decals must be heat- and weather-resistant, which has driven up installation costs due to the need for specialised materials and scaffolding.

Despite challenges in securing approval and funding, the students are working with university officials to put the measures in place before the next migratory season in September 2026.

To date, more than 200 bird collisions have been recorded across the NTU campus, which borders Singapore’s Western Catchment forest and often attracts wildlife.

NTU said the initiative will serve as a pilot for future bird-safe building designs, reflecting its commitment to sustainability and wildlife protection.