Sundials as instruments, not decoration.

NORTIA SUNDIALS exists to make accurate wall sundials accessible to anyone with a wall and the curiosity to build one. At the centre of the site is an interactive calculator that computes the correct geometry for any latitude and any wall orientation: the angle of the gnomon, the position of every hour line, the direction of the substyle. Around it sit articles explaining how vertical sundials work and why they read the time they do, and a small range of products — printable templates and 3D-printed alignment jigs — that turn the calculation into a sundial that can actually be installed.

What sets the work apart is mathematical rigor over decoration. Most sundials sold commercially are ornaments: they look like sundials but don’t keep accurate time, because their geometry isn’t tuned to the specific wall on which they hang. NORTIA SUNDIALS treats every sundial as an instrument. The math is computed precisely from latitude, longitude, and the bearing of the wall; the templates print at exact 1:1 scale, so the dial cuts to the dimensions specified; the alignment jig is generated individually for each design. The intended result is a sundial that reads correct time within a few minutes of a clock — the same accuracy the carved Renaissance sundials of European facades achieved in stone.

There has always been a wide gap between two existing options. Cheap mass-produced garden sundials are decorative and inaccurate, painted with hour lines that have nothing to do with where they are eventually placed. Bespoke commissioned wall sundials are beautiful and precise, but typically expensive enough that they only get made for museums, churches, and wealthy clients. NORTIA SUNDIALS sits between the two — combining the accessibility of a self-build kit with the precision of a professionally designed instrument. The free calculator is open to anyone curious about the geometry; the paid kits are for the smaller group who want to take that geometry off the screen and onto a wall.