We want our phones to vibrate, but typically we don’t want that same effect on our buildings.
That’s the focus of a Euless-based business that celebrated 40 years in business last October.
Mason-Dallas Inc. specializes in providing equipment that minimizes extraneous noise and vibration in hospitals, government offices, sports venues, performance halls, museums, schools, hotels and churches
“We are in our 40th year of providing solutions to vibration and sound challenges; whether retrofits or new construction, every situation is unique,” said Phil Farco, founder and CEO of Mason-Dallas.
Most venues typically put their heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, pumps, chillers and air compressors on the roof, installed in a penthouse equipment room. Stand next to this cluster of equipment without isolation and you will feel vibration in the structure and experience a high volume of sound.
Mason-Dallas provides vibration control components – rubber isolators, spring isolators and air springs – that minimize the amount of vibratory energy transmitted to the structure. When the equipment is properly isolated and the “vibratory energy” (tech-speak for the vibration) is minimized, the people in the building never notice the beating, hard-driving pulsation of the roof-mounted equipment.
Another area of the company’s expertise is acoustical isolation of structural components within the building. Television studios, radio stations, performance venues and operating rooms are all areas sensitive to vibration and noise from nearby traffic, trains, aircraft and other outside sources. Architectural isolation items such as floating floors, suspended ceilings and isolated walls can address and eliminate vibration and noise to these areas.
Mason-Dallas works with engineers, architects, consultants, manufacturers and owners to specify and design isolation systems to fit their needs. That has led to work at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth; Winspear Opera House, Meyerson Concert Hall and Perot Museum in Dallas; AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and the Dallas Cowboys “Star” training facility in Frisco. Mason-Dallas also worked at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library in College Station.
One projects involved the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas in Denton. The arts center was designed with a metal roof, which caused concern about possible noise generated by hail and disturbing the patrons attending the venue below. The concerns were averted by installing thousands of captive rubber isolators that separated the building’s joist system from the roof structure itself.
“People can’t see what we do, but our work allows them to enjoy a quiet, vibration-free experience so the building occupants can perform their work without unnecessary distractions,” said Farco. – FWBP Staff
DENTON COUNTY COMPLEX
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Sundt Construction Inc. broke ground in December on the Denton County Administration Complex Phase III. The new four-story building will house a county commissioners courtroom with a judge’s and commissioners’ suite and support services. It will also house justice of the peace court, constable and human resources departments. The building will sit near the elections office and county health department on South Loop 288.
“This is a great project for our Texas team to build,” said Eric Hedlund, senior vice president and manager of the company’s Building Group, Texas District. “Our innovative and collaborative approach to this project will produce a great building for Denton County.”
Phase III includes site development work on over 10 acres with associated parking, a community park, and water quality and utility improvements. The work is scheduled to be completed in 2020.
The groundbreaking included representatives from Denton County, Sundt and HDR Architecture. – FWBP Staff