The Emirates Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth harbour is the tallest and most iconic viewing structure on the UK’s South Coast, reaching a total height of 170m (547ft) and weighing 30,000 tonnes! Presenting spectacular views of the surrounding area, the tower also features Europe’s largest glass floor measuring 7.79m² and 6cm thick.

Hosting hundreds of spectators per day, on each of its three viewing decks, the safety of the tower and its visitors is paramount and Gill’s WindObserver ultrasonic anemometer is used to provide crucial wind measurement data.

The tower is located on the coastline and subjected to high salinity and fierce weather conditions with wind speeds of up to 30 m/s. At a height of 115 metres, in strong winds the tower flexes by up to 150mm.

The robust stainless steel WindObserver provides operators with real-time and highly accurate information on wind conditions allowing them to make decisions about the health and safety issues affecting maintenance and whether to close the tower to customers who can visit and abseil from the 110m viewing deck! If the wind speeds are too high, operators can close the tower to visitors.

The WindObserver is one of the most popular ultrasonic anemometers in the world and has been installed on hundreds of iconic building control applications due its range of options, solid-state construction with no moving parts, easy installation and excellent reliability in demanding weather conditions. WindObserver is ideally suited to low maintenance and restricted access applications and with a wind speed measurement range of up to 90m/s it can record the highest wind speeds from cyclonic regions around the world.

For more information on the WindObserver and how it can be used in a variety of industries please contact us.