Building Construction Page

Winer Observatory Sonoita Facility Building Construction Details

For each of the photos below, click on the photo for a larger version of the image.

West Wall Elevation

This shows construction details, including the use of concrete block walls grouted solid with 10-inch steel U-channel inverted on top and held down with J-hooks in the walls. The crane rail upon which the roof rolls is bolted to the channel using hooked bolts.

Cable Holes in the Walls

There are four PVC pipes embedded in holes in the walls -- in each of the east and west building walls, there is one of these in each of the shop walls and each of the observatory walls. These are for passing cables through the concrete block of the walls, which contain rebar and are grouted solid. To keep out insects, the holes are filled with expanding spray foam from an aerosol can. When a new cable is added, the old foam is cleaned out (a bit of a job, as it is quite sticky), the new cable is passed through the PVC liner, and new foam is squirted into the hole.

Shop Wall Counterforts

The first 10 feet of the 15-foot high shop wall is underground. To withstand the consequent overturning moment of the dirt piled against the walls, the structural engineer required counterforts every 64 inches -- piles of additional blocks with four vertical #5 rebars tied every other course around two vertical bars in the walls with a #3 horizontal bar looped through around all six bars. Each wall has a horizontal #5 bar in every other course in bond beam, plus a vertical #5 bar every 24 inches.

Shop Rainwater Scupper Downspouts

The shop roof is suspended between parapet walls, that is, the walls are higher than the roof, to permit the observatory roof to roll unimpeded over the shop roof. The roof slopes one block course (8 inches) from east to west (the side shown in this photo) so that rain water flows westward. Crickets built into the roof channel the water towards four scuppers through the wall into these downspouts. The downspouts empty into a concrete bed that moves the water into a small cistern and into a 4-inch pipe that drains downhill away from the house and observatory.

Top Wall Cooling Pipes

Cooling pipes are embedded along the top of the enire east and west walls of the building, including both the shop and observatory. This was done at the time of construction without knowing if they would ever be needed. They are ordinary black steel pipe embedded in the concrete block before it was grouted, with a pipe going in, running along the block, and exiting 8 feet later (8 feet was chosen as it was an integer multiple of the 16-inch length of the block size). The outside of the walls will be insulated with 4 inches of rigid foam, then covered with corrugated sheet steel of the type used on the roof.

Individual Pier Cooling Pipes

Each of the six major piers is encircled by a cooling pipe embedded in the concrete slab. The pipes enter and leave the slab at the nearest exterior wall. As of this time, just as with the wall cooling pipes, there is no water chiller and the pipes are not connected to anything. They had to be installed at the time of building construction before the concrete was poured -- adding them later would have been too disruptive, in terms of jack-hammering concrete and creating too much dust while we were trying to observe. So far, we have not seen the need to purchase a chiller and cool the walls or slab.

Exterior Wall Insulation Installation

During the summer of 2002, Winer used a local contractor to install six inches of polyurethane foam insulation on the east, west, and south exterior walls of the shop and observatory. The north wall of the building, which is the north wall of the shop furthest from the observatory facing the house, is coated with stucco to match the nearby house. This insulation not only makes the shop easy to work in during summer and winter, and reduces heating and cooling costs, it should improve seeing in the observatory by reducing the heating of the thermally massive walls of the observatory.

Finished Exterior Observatory Walls

After installation of the polyurethane foam during the summer of 2002 (see above), the installed foam was covered by wood firring strips, then 29 gauge corrugated sheet metal was placed over the firring strips, which keep the sheet metal (heated by the sun) off the foam, and provide a layer of air that also provides some insulation.

Last modified: January 1, 2008.

	West Wall Elevation This shows construction details, including the use of concrete block walls grouted solid with 10-inch steel U-channel inverted on top and held down with J-hooks in the walls. The crane rail upon which the roof rolls is bolted to the channel using hooked bolts.
	Cable Holes in the Walls There are four PVC pipes embedded in holes in the walls -- in each of the east and west building walls, there is one of these in each of the shop walls and each of the observatory walls. These are for passing cables through the concrete block of the walls, which contain rebar and are grouted solid. To keep out insects, the holes are filled with expanding spray foam from an aerosol can. When a new cable is added, the old foam is cleaned out (a bit of a job, as it is quite sticky), the new cable is passed through the PVC liner, and new foam is squirted into the hole.
	Shop Wall Counterforts The first 10 feet of the 15-foot high shop wall is underground. To withstand the consequent overturning moment of the dirt piled against the walls, the structural engineer required counterforts every 64 inches -- piles of additional blocks with four vertical #5 rebars tied every other course around two vertical bars in the walls with a #3 horizontal bar looped through around all six bars. Each wall has a horizontal #5 bar in every other course in bond beam, plus a vertical #5 bar every 24 inches.
	Shop Rainwater Scupper Downspouts The shop roof is suspended between parapet walls, that is, the walls are higher than the roof, to permit the observatory roof to roll unimpeded over the shop roof. The roof slopes one block course (8 inches) from east to west (the side shown in this photo) so that rain water flows westward. Crickets built into the roof channel the water towards four scuppers through the wall into these downspouts. The downspouts empty into a concrete bed that moves the water into a small cistern and into a 4-inch pipe that drains downhill away from the house and observatory.
	Top Wall Cooling Pipes Cooling pipes are embedded along the top of the enire east and west walls of the building, including both the shop and observatory. This was done at the time of construction without knowing if they would ever be needed. They are ordinary black steel pipe embedded in the concrete block before it was grouted, with a pipe going in, running along the block, and exiting 8 feet later (8 feet was chosen as it was an integer multiple of the 16-inch length of the block size). The outside of the walls will be insulated with 4 inches of rigid foam, then covered with corrugated sheet steel of the type used on the roof.
	Individual Pier Cooling Pipes Each of the six major piers is encircled by a cooling pipe embedded in the concrete slab. The pipes enter and leave the slab at the nearest exterior wall. As of this time, just as with the wall cooling pipes, there is no water chiller and the pipes are not connected to anything. They had to be installed at the time of building construction before the concrete was poured -- adding them later would have been too disruptive, in terms of jack-hammering concrete and creating too much dust while we were trying to observe. So far, we have not seen the need to purchase a chiller and cool the walls or slab.
	Exterior Wall Insulation Installation During the summer of 2002, Winer used a local contractor to install six inches of polyurethane foam insulation on the east, west, and south exterior walls of the shop and observatory. The north wall of the building, which is the north wall of the shop furthest from the observatory facing the house, is coated with stucco to match the nearby house. This insulation not only makes the shop easy to work in during summer and winter, and reduces heating and cooling costs, it should improve seeing in the observatory by reducing the heating of the thermally massive walls of the observatory.
	Finished Exterior Observatory Walls After installation of the polyurethane foam during the summer of 2002 (see above), the installed foam was covered by wood firring strips, then 29 gauge corrugated sheet metal was placed over the firring strips, which keep the sheet metal (heated by the sun) off the foam, and provide a layer of air that also provides some insulation.