One rooftop reading. Four facades.
Only one of them is sheltered.
Three-axis air-flow measurement, BMS integration and damper position feedback for natural and mixed-mode ventilation, so a good control strategy is not undone by a single reading.
A good strategy acting on poor information
Natural and mixed-mode ventilation open and close on outside conditions, which makes the external measurement part of the control loop rather than background information.
A single rooftop anemometer gives the system one speed and one direction for a building with four elevations. It cannot tell the control which facade is in the lee, which is how a well-designed strategy produces uncomfortable rooms and complaints that get blamed on the design.
Downstream of that, the system generally assumes the dampers went where it told them. Over thousands of cycles that assumption drifts, and a vent reporting closed while sitting slightly open is an energy cost that never raises an alarm.
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
Direction drives the strategy, feedback proves it happened
Direction is the parameter a mixed-mode strategy actually needs. Whether a facade is windward or leeward decides whether opening it ventilates the space or pressurises it, and the same wind speed produces opposite outcomes on opposite elevations.
Three-axis measurement adds what a 2-axis instrument cannot: the vertical component and the turbulence that tall buildings generate around themselves, which is what makes a rooftop reading unrepresentative of any particular facade.
Position feedback closes the loop at the other end. Knowing a damper actually reached its commanded position is what separates a strategy that is running from one that is only being sent.
That measurement lives in a plant room, a facade cavity or a roof void, cycling constantly for years, which is a poor environment for anything with mechanical contact in it.
Direction the control can act on
A ventilation strategy that knows only wind speed is working with half the information. Direction is what decides which openings help and which make things worse.
WindMaster provides three-axis measurement at 20 Hz with options up to 32 Hz, resolving direction and the vertical component, which is what a control strategy needs around a building that disturbs its own wind field.
Which facade, not just how windy
View WindMasterCommanded is not the same as achieved
Building management systems generally assume an actuator arrived. Over a few years of cycling, that assumption becomes an energy cost that appears in the bill rather than on a screen.
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). Blade25 measures 25 mm, Blade60 measures 60 mm, and Blade360 provides a full 360 degrees.
Confirm the damper actually closed
Explore position sensorsBuildings are judged on performance in use
Energy performance, post-occupancy evaluation and comfort complaints all examine how a building actually ran rather than how it was designed to run, and the ventilation strategy is usually central.
A record of external conditions and actual damper positions is what turns that examination into an analysis. Without it, a comfort problem becomes an argument between the designer, the contractor and the operator.
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, calibrating equipment from any manufacturer across temperature, humidity, pressure, air velocity and flow.
What a ventilated building measures
External conditions the strategy acts on, air movement where distribution is the question, and position feedback confirming execution.
External measurement
WindMaster
3-axis ultrasonic anemometer
Three-axis measurement resolving direction and the vertical component around a building that disturbs its own wind field.
WindSonic
Lightweight 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
Lightweight ultrasonic measurement at 0.5 kg for facade and roof positions feeding the control system.
MaxiMet
All-in-one weather station, no moving parts
Wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall from one unit for the full control input set.
Inside and feedback
Blade position sensors
Non-contact inductive position sensing
Non-contact position feedback on dampers, vents and louvres, sealed to IP67 for plant rooms and facade cavities.
MetConnect
Separable sensors for WMO-compliant siting
Separable sensors with analogue and Pt100 inputs, bringing internal temperature and humidity probes into one station.
WindUltra
Compact 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
A compact 2-axis anemometer for measuring air movement inside atria, plant rooms and occupied spaces.
Where ventilation measurement does the work
Facade control
Opening the right elevation for the wind direction rather than all of them for the wind speed.
Stack and cross flow
Strategies that depend entirely on external conditions being read correctly.
Distribution
Measuring whether air actually moves the way the design intended.
Damper assurance
Position feedback confirming that critical dampers reached their commanded state.
Performance in use
A record of conditions and positions supporting evaluation rather than argument.
Multiple buildings
One measurement architecture so settings mean the same thing across a portfolio.
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 a building estate carrying anemometers, thermal probes, pressure instruments, thermometers, temperature and humidity probes and data loggers, one accredited laboratory keeps everything 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 measurement into the BMS
A ventilation strategy is executed by a building management system, so both the external measurement and the damper feedback have to arrive inside it rather than alongside it.
Gill supports environmental monitoring, industrial sensing, embedded electronics and systems integration, so building services engineers, controls contractors and facade suppliers can bring measurement into existing control architecture.
Whether the requirement is Modbus into a BMS, analogue into an existing input, a serial link to a controller, or a configurable sensor embedded into an OEM facade product, Gill engineers can support integration from specification through commissioning.
Outputs and options
- Modbus RTU : Building management systems
- 4-20 mA & 0-10 V : Existing analogue inputs
- RS232 & RS485 : Controllers and local displays
- BladeCom : Travel, switch points and output limits set before fitting
What the specification looks like in practice
Direction, not just speed
Whether a facade is windward or leeward decides whether opening it ventilates or pressurises the space.
Three axes around a tall building
The vertical component and the turbulence a building sheds are what make a rooftop reading unrepresentative.
Feedback closes the loop
Non-contact position sensing confirms a damper reached its commanded position rather than assuming it did.
Built for plant rooms and cavities
Blade sensors are sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), with no mechanical contact to wear through years of cycling.
Nothing to service on a roof
Ultrasonic measurement has no rotating element to foul or seize above an occupied building.
Evidence in post-occupancy review
Independent UKAS-accredited calibration across six parameters, for equipment from any manufacturer.
Questions about ventilation and building management
Because it gives the control system one speed and one direction for a building with several elevations, and it cannot indicate which facade is in the lee.
That is how a well-designed mixed-mode strategy produces uncomfortable rooms, because the right openings are chosen against the wrong information.
Confirmation that the actuator arrived. Control systems generally assume it did, and over years of cycling that assumption becomes an energy cost that appears in the bill rather than as an alarm.
Blade sensors measure across a gap to a passive activator with no mechanical contact, and are sealed to IP67 for temporary immersion (1 m for 30 min), which suits plant rooms, roof voids and facade cavities.
MetConnect accepts third-party, analogue and Pt100 inputs, so internal temperature and humidity probes already installed can join the same station.
Generally yes. The sensors provide Modbus RTU, analogue and serial outputs, and the engineering team can advise on the interface a particular BMS expects.
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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