looking for locations to look at weather

Hi, I am an architect and teacher at the Architectural Association in London.

Our students are spending the year studying the effects of weather on architecture,
viewing architecture as a form of climate control. Our main topic’s RAIN.

We would very much like to introduce our students to the way weather is monitored,
measured and analysed, the ways and places data is collected, and the areas and methods
in which this data is then distributed. This would thus include any form of monitoring station,
information and analysis centre, and broadcast room.

anyone got any suggestions on physical (non-web) places to visit?
So far, we haven’t had any luck with the Met Office or monitoring stations.
i’d be very grateful…

Have you tried any airports, e.g. Heathrow, Gatwick, etc. Whilst they probably use automated systems for METAR reports, there may be a knowledgeable person or two working there who might be able to help out. It might also be worth contacting some air force bases, e.g. Northolt, because they may have meteorologists on site and perhaps they might be more willing to help out if they’re not tied up in quite the same commercial sense as the Met Office?

This is a guess, but I think large buildings like Canary Wharf have some form of weather monitoring systems due to their size. Is it possible to find out who looks after those to see if there is anything that they do which might help you?