THE DOGRUN

a place to share ideas

piyer's picture

Dorothy

Say hello to the newest member of our team, Dorothy. Coming in at over 7 feet tall, she is a hard worker who really puts her head to the wind in everything does. Dorothy is energized on sunny days, and lets everybody know when it is raining. Named after the iconic robot from the movie Twister, Dorothy is our new weather station.  The unit remotely logs weather data that can be viewed and analyzed using HOBOware software. Powered by solar, the device can report a comprehensive list of climate information, including temperature, relative humidity, dew point, and wind speed (as well as direction).
HOBOlink provides the cellular link between us and Dorothy. HOBOlink provides the cellular link between us and Dorothy.

Fellow intern Corbin Lomas and I constructed Dorothy and set up the remote link to begin our test run for data logging. Rather than deploy Dorothy into an F5 tornado for its test run, we took to the roof of the Lake| Flato office. The weather station is built onto a tripod, with the weather sensors carefully mounted using premium, high-end, construction grade zip-ties. In order to properly anchor Dorothy to the roof (it would take less than a twister to knock her down), we tied down each leg to the most static parts of the roof we could find.  The assembly was relatively quick and easy, meaning Dorothy would be prime for mobile application. Having our own weather station will allow for us to retrieve accurate, site specific climate data. Lake | Flato projects tend to have unique microclimates, and having our own climate data retrieved on site will produce better results than surrounding weather climates. It can also allow for monitoring current conditions post-occupancy, permitting reactive and anticipatory actions based on weather patterns. We are very excited to have such a unique tool that will further aid in the environmental responsiveness of our architecture.
labeledpieces1 1. Tripod 2. Anchor screws 3. Zip-ties 4. Sensor mount 5. Wind direction sensor 6. Wind speed sensor 7. HOBOlink module 8. Solar panel 9. RH sensor w/radiation shield

labeledpieces2 10. Rope fastener 11. S-hooks 12. Anchors 13. Rope 14. More zip-ties

The HOBOlink unit encases all sensor connections, which are beautifully zip-tied onto Dorothy. The HOBOlink unit encases all sensor connections, which are beautifully zip-tied onto Dorothy.

The road to the roof was tiring, as Corbin passes parts of Dorothy up the ladder. The road to the roof was tiring, as Corbin passes parts of Dorothy up the ladder.

We improvised. We improvised.

Topping off Dorothy with the final piece. Topping off Dorothy with the final piece.

Dorothy in all her glory. Dorothy in all her glory.

Dorothy builders Pavan (left) and Corbin (right) Dorothy builders Pavan (left) and Corbin (right)

Go Back