The cradle is on the facade.
The wind limit should be too.
Ultrasonic wind measurement mounted at the facade the crew is working on, with non-contact position feedback on the equipment and traceable calibration behind the decision to stop.
The reading and the crew are on different sides of the building
Building maintenance units and cradles stop at a defined wind speed, and the reading that stops them usually comes from an anemometer on the plant room roof, which is the most exposed and least representative point on the structure.
A crew on a leeward facade may be stopped by conditions they are not experiencing, which costs access time on a programme that is already constrained. A crew on the windward side may not be stopped by conditions they are.
Whichever way the error runs, the sensor itself is in the worst possible place for maintenance. A facade or roof-edge instrument is reached by rope access or by the very equipment it controls, so anything that needs servicing effectively does not get serviced.
One building. Seventeen measurement points.
A building measures from the roof to the basement, and from the plant room to the pavement outside.
Wind above the parapet, at the facade and at the kerb. Conditions for ventilation and plant. Rainfall and level for drainage. Position on everything that moves. Measurement for the machinery that keeps the building operating.
Rooftop weather station
The roof is where a building finds out what the weather is actually doing, and it is the only place a met station can go without arguing with the architect.
- MaxiMet GMX551 wind, T, H, P, solar and rainfall in one housing
- MetConnect One Modbus and SDI-12 into the BMS
- WindObserver 75 316 stainless, IP66, for an exposed high roof
Rooftop plant and HVAC
Air handling responds to outside conditions, and a plant deck sheltered by its own parapet is not measuring the same air the intakes are drawing.
- MetConnect THP temperature 0.2 degrees C, humidity 1.5 percent RH
- WindMaster 3-axis for ventilation and air-flow control
- MaxiMet GMX500 wind, temperature, humidity and pressure in one unit
Tall building wind loading
Wind loading and perceived sway are the reasons the structural model exists, and the only way to check the model is to measure the building it produced.
- WindObserver 90 0 to 90 m/s, 316 stainless, no moving parts
- WindMaster Pro 3-axis to 32 Hz for buffeting and vortex work
- WindObserver 75 open head, accurate across a wide flow angle
Facade access and cradles
A building maintenance unit stops at a wind speed, and the crew on the cradle would rather that number came from the facade than the airport.
- WindSonic 60 0 to 60 m/s, 0.5 kg, mounts on the rail or parapet
- WindObserver 75 where the facade position is severely exposed
- Blade position sensors non-contact position feedback on the cradle drive
Tower crane and lifting
An urban lift stops on a wind reading taken at the jib, above a street that will be closed if it goes wrong.
- WindSonic 75 0 to 75 m/s, full-range accuracy published
- WindObserver 90 0 to 90 m/s for tall or exposed jibs
- MaxiMet GMX200 wind only, 0.5 kg, for a temporary works mast
Site hoarding and dust
Dust and noise complaints from a city site arrive with a time on them, and without wind data at the hoarding there is nothing to answer with.
- MaxiMet GMX551 wind, T, H, P, solar and rainfall at the boundary
- MetConnect THP two analogue inputs for dust and noise monitors
- WindSonic 60 a compact wind reference on the hoarding
Pedestrian wind comfort
A tower accelerates wind down its face and around its corners, and the people who feel it are at the bus stop rather than on the roof.
- WindMaster Pro 3-axis to 32 Hz for gust and turbulence at street level
- WindSonic 60 0.5 kg, discreet enough for a street mounting
- MaxiMet GMX200 wind only, for a short pedestrian-comfort survey
Urban heat and outdoor workers
A street of hard surfaces runs hotter than the met office figure, and the people working in it feel radiant heat rather than air temperature.
- MaxiMet GMX552 WBGT heat stress with wind, T, H and P, 1.29 kg, IP66
- MaxiMet GMX300 temperature, humidity and pressure at street level
- MetConnect THP Pt100 input for surface temperature probes
Green roofs and roof irrigation
A green roof is a maintenance liability if it is watered on a timer and a benefit if it is watered on a measurement.
- TruMet PW100 optical rainfall, no bucket to block with substrate
- MaxiMet GMX551 rainfall alongside solar, wind, T, H and P
- MaxiMet GMX301 solar radiation, 0 to 1600 W per square metre
District energy centre
Heat networks and combined heat and power are sized against outside temperature, and they run at their worst efficiency on the day nobody is watching.
- MetConnect THP reference temperature, humidity and pressure
- GS12 Ignition Module up to 12 cylinders, IP67, for CHP engines
- AF120 closed-loop air and fuel ratio control
Smoke control and pressurisation
Stairwell pressurisation and smoke control are commissioned once and then relied on for decades, in the one event where nobody gets to check first.
- MetConnect THP pressure 300 to 1100 hPa, accuracy 0.5 hPa
- Blade position sensors non-contact damper and actuator position feedback
- WindMaster 3-axis air-flow measurement for ventilation control
Barriers, gates and doors
A car park barrier cycles hundreds of times a day, and the sensor proving its position is the part that fails first.
- Blade position sensors non-contact inductive, unlimited-life feedback
- Blade360 contactless rotary position for barrier arms
- Blade Dual Output a second independent channel where redundancy is required
Kerbside air quality
An air quality reading without wind beside it cannot be attributed to the road, the site or the plant, which is exactly what everyone wants to know.
- WindMaster Pro 3-axis to 32 Hz for dispersion at street level
- MetConnect One analogue inputs for third-party analysers
- MaxiMet GMX500 wind, T, H and P alongside the analyser
Drainage, SUDS and attenuation
Sustainable drainage only demonstrates anything if somebody records what the attenuation tank actually did during the storm.
- LevelPro capacitive level, no moving parts to foul
- LevelSlick FEP coated for silty and contaminated water
- TruMet PW100 rainfall intensity to 0 to 200 mm/hr alongside level
Plant room machinery condition
Chillers, pumps and generators fail in a basement nobody visits, and the wear is in the oil before it is in the noise.
- WearDetect oil debris sensing for ferrous wear particles
- LevelPro lubrication and coolant level with no moving parts
- DD1615 level display local indication in the plant room
Ventilation and occupant comfort
Natural ventilation and mixed-mode control open windows on a wind and temperature reading, and get complaints when the reading is from the wrong side of the building.
- WindMaster 3-axis for building and clean-room ventilation control
- MetConnect THP temperature, humidity and pressure into the BMS
- MaxiMet GMX500 one unit, one cable, one output string
Calibration and commissioning evidence
Soft landings, performance in use and a dispute about comfort all come back to whether the instruments were right.
- UKAS-accredited air velocity calibration traceable certification for anemometers
- Multi-parameter calibration six parameters, equipment from any manufacturer
- Recalibration scheduling intervals, reminders and turnaround
Measured on the elevation being worked
Wind at a facade differs from wind at a roof anemometer by a large factor, and the sign of the difference depends on direction. Around a tall building, corner acceleration and downwash create conditions on one elevation that bear no relation to the reference reading.
Putting the measurement on the facade removes that entirely. The limit is then applied against the conditions the crew is actually in, which is both safer and less wasteful of access time.
The instrument has to last. Facade positions are reached by rope access or by the cradle itself, so a sensor with a rotating element becomes a job that is deferred and then forgotten, and a seized anemometer reports calm.
Position feedback on the equipment is the other half. Knowing where a cradle, davit or restraint mechanism actually is matters to the control system and to the people relying on it.
Stop on what the crew is in
A facade-mounted measurement describes the elevation being worked, which is the condition the limit was written for. A roof reference describes the most exposed point on the building.
WindSonic measures 0 to 60 or 0 to 75 m/s at 0.5 kg, light enough to mount on a facade bracket or the cradle itself without a structural case.
The elevation being worked
View WindSonicNothing to service at height
Everything mounted on a facade is expensive to reach and therefore rarely reached. The specification decision that matters most is how little the instrument asks for once it is up there.
Ultrasonic measurement has no rotating element to ice, foul or seize, and Blade position sensors measure across a gap to a passive activator with no mechanical contact, sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
Fitted once, left alone
Explore position sensorsA stoppage and an incident are both examined
Access equipment operates under a documented safe system of work, and both a stoppage and an incident are reviewed against it. The wind reading is the central fact in either case.
A reading with no calibration behind it is an assertion. An instrument on a traceable interval supports the decision to continue as well as the decision to stop, and the first is the one more often questioned.
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, calibrating equipment from any manufacturer, which suits a building with instruments fitted by different contractors.
What facade access measures
Wind at the elevation being worked, position feedback on the equipment, and the calibration that makes the stop decision defensible.
Wind at height
WindSonic
Lightweight 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
Lightweight ultrasonic measurement at 0.5 kg, mounted on a facade bracket or the cradle itself.
WindObserver
Heated 316 stainless open-head 2-axis anemometer
Heated 316 stainless measuring to 0 to 90 m/s for the building reference position that has to survive every winter.
WindUltra
Compact 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
A compact 2-axis anemometer sealed to IP69k for mounting on the unit itself.
Equipment and control
Blade position sensors
Non-contact inductive position sensing
Non-contact position sensing on cradle, davit and restraint mechanisms, sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
Level sensing
Capacitive liquid level sensors
Continuous level in hydraulic reservoirs on building maintenance units, with no float to jam.
MaxiMet
All-in-one weather station, no moving parts
Wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall where the building keeps a fuller record.
Where facade access measurement does the work
Roof-mounted machines
Wind measurement at the working position rather than at the machine.
Temporary access
Measurement that travels with the cradle down the elevation.
Working at height
Conditions at the facade supporting the decision to descend or to stop.
Corner effects
Elevations where downwash and corner acceleration make a roof reference meaningless.
Long programmes
Access programmes where unnecessary stoppages compound across months.
Documented systems
Measurement supporting a safe system of work that will be examined.
UKAS-accredited calibration for six measurement parameters
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory, Lab 0625, operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. It provides calibration across gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
For access equipment and building instruments carrying anemometers, thermal probes, pressure instruments and data loggers, one accredited laboratory keeps instruments fitted by different contractors on a single traceable schedule.
Gas meters · Mass flow controllers · Dispensing systems
Anemometers · Pitot tubes · Thermal probes
Flow meters and sensors · Process control equipment
Gauges · Transducers · Manometers · Transmitters
Thermometers · Probes · Thermocouples · Data loggers
Hygrometers · Probes · Transmitters
Getting the limit to the equipment and the crew
A stop decision is executed by the access equipment control system and taken by a person, so the measurement has to reach a controller and a display.
Gill supports environmental monitoring, industrial sensing, embedded electronics and systems integration, so access equipment manufacturers, facade contractors and building operators can bring measurement into control systems.
Whether the requirement is analogue into an equipment controller, Modbus into a building system, a serial string into a display, or a configurable sensor embedded into an OEM build, Gill engineers can support integration from specification through commissioning.
Outputs and options
- 4-20 mA & 0-10 V : Equipment controllers and interlocks
- Modbus RTU : Building and estate systems
- RS232 & RS485 : Displays and local readout
- BladeCom : Travel, switch points and output limits set before fitting
What the specification looks like in practice
Measured on the working elevation
Wind at a facade differs from a roof reference by a large factor, and the sign depends on direction.
Access time not wasted
Stopping a leeward crew on windward conditions costs programme time that compounds across a long access job.
No servicing at height
No rotating element to ice, foul or seize on an instrument reached by rope access.
Light enough to mount anywhere
WindSonic measures 0 to 75 m/s at 0.5 kg, mountable on a facade bracket or the cradle.
Position without a wear item
Blade sensors measure across a gap to a passive activator, sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
Defensible either way
Independent UKAS-accredited calibration across six parameters, so the decision to continue is as supportable as the decision to stop.
Questions about facade access and cradles
Because it is the most exposed and least representative point on the building. A crew on a leeward elevation may be stopped by conditions they are not in, and a crew on the windward side may not be stopped by conditions they are.
That is set by the equipment manufacturer and the safe system of work rather than by the instrument. What the instrument decides is whether the limit is applied against a reading that represents the working position.
Ultrasonic sensors have no rotating element to ice, foul or seize, which matters most in a position reached by rope access or by the equipment it controls.
On cradle, davit and restraint mechanisms. Blade sensors measure across a gap to a passive activator with no mechanical contact, sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min).
The sensors provide analogue, Modbus and serial outputs that can feed an equipment controller. The interlock function itself is specified by the equipment manufacturer against the installation requirements.
Yes. Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory, Lab 0625, operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, calibrating equipment from any manufacturer across gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
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