Lab Notes | Field Dispatch · 20 May 2026

Crystal Mountain School — Sensor Installation at 4,000m

📍 Dolpo, Nepal (4,000m)

Dispatch from Dolpo: deploying thermal sensors during construction at 4,000m. Interior and exterior temperature loggers installed in the new school building. First readings show a 15°C differential — passive solar design is working.

Site

Crystal Mountain School, upper Dolpo. Altitude 4,000m. The school is under construction using rammed earth walls with south-facing glazing — a passive solar design adapted for extreme Himalayan conditions.

Sensors Deployed

Two DS18B20 waterproof temperature probes: one interior (main classroom, north wall, 1.2m height), one exterior (shaded, north-facing, 1.5m height). Logging interval: 5 minutes. Data stored on-device; manual retrieval until cellular backhaul is available.

First Readings

Night-time exterior temperatures dropped to −8°C. Interior stayed above 7°C. The ΔT of 15°C confirms the thermal mass and glazing orientation are performing as designed. This is the first empirical thermal dataset for a passive solar building at this altitude in Nepal.