A new standard in the canton of Zurich
There will soon be a decisive change in property planning in the canton of Zurich. New buildings must be designed to be "bird-friendly" in future. The Zurich Cantonal Council has decided by an overwhelming majority to amend the Planning and Building Act accordingly. This is a significant step towards ecological responsibility and sustainable building practices.
Protect birds, prevent collisions
Environmental protection is the focus of this new law, which is intended to protect avian fauna. According to estimates, over three million birds lose their lives in Switzerland every year as a result of collisions with mirrored façades and window panes. In future, new buildings are to play a pioneering role here and take measures to prevent such tragedies. The Cantonal Council today decided at first reading that planning must take bird safety into account in future. Following the successful vote of 147 votes to 30, the bill will now be passed to the drafting committee and is expected to be formally enshrined in law in around four weeks.
Room for manoeuvre for sustainable solutions
However, the discussion about the exact wording led to controversial debates. While the SP called for a more comprehensive regulation that would also include existing buildings, parliament agreed on the current compromise. “It is crucial that we implement bird protection now, even if we would have liked more,” emphasised Theres Agosti from the SP. Thomas Forrer from the Greens also expressed the wish that larger conversions should also be included in the new bird protection article.
Challenges for developers and authorities
While some parliamentary groups supported the initiative, the FDP expressed reservations and saw no urgent need for action. They argued that the existing legal framework was already sufficient and that plans that endanger birds should not be authorised. Nevertheless, Agosti emphasised that there was often insufficient awareness of the problem of bird protection and referred to examples such as the Winterthur Cantonal Hospital, which caused hazards due to transparent glass railings.
Green Building Director Martin Neukom also recognised the dangers posed by glass and emphasised that a comprehensive law would be important to ensure a sustainable future. Nevertheless, the cantonal government expressed concerns about the additional workload for building owners and authorities and ultimately rejected the bill.