Our friend and Dogtopia multi-franchisee brought us along for his expansion into the state of Massachusetts this past month! We are so flattered to aid this entrepreneur in yet another lucrative pet spa endeavor, especially in this unique location. Ranked as a top contender in many publications’ “Best Towns to Live in” lists, Dedham, MA offers its residents both historic New England charm and progressive, Bostonian suburban life alike. It will soon also offer them luxury pet care, thanks to our client’s vision and our thoughtful craftsmanship. Aside from a close relationship to the franchise, we were additionally motivated to tackle this project due to its unique requirements. More specifically: soundproofing.
If you have ever lived or worked proximally close to a dog, or dogs, you have likely dealt with unwanted noise. As much as our fur kids add to our lives, oftentimes a caveat exists in the form of incessant, unrelenting barking. If you could help it, would you live or work above a dog hotel? Probably not. That said, in the quaint, dense town of Dedham, it isn’t immediately plausible to build a Dogtopia location, especially underneath office space per these specific plans. In approaching the situation from a problem-solving angle, M&M Constructions made the impossible, possible!
Via an integrated impact noise deadening system, Dogtopia’s inevitable barking will be contained within the premises. As we mentioned, the new franchise location will be located directly underneath pre-existing commercial space, on the first floor of a downtown retail complex. In acoustically treating an existing ceiling exclusively from the first floor, it was essential for us to find a way to optimize effectiveness and minimize invasiveness, respectively.
The system we installed is the WAVE hanger from Kinetic Noise Control, which is essentially a leaf spring-style sound clip. Sound clips work by, in the simplest terms possible, adding space between two floors of a building, thus deadening floor-to-floor sound wave transfer. They are on the cheaper end, inconspicuously housed beneath an attractive layer of ceiling substrate, and they work! Various shapes of sound clip vary in effectiveness due to their subsequent absorption of sound waves. WAVE hangers were specifically engineered for the absorption of “low frequency ‘thuds;’” exactly the frequency those irksome canine vocalizations usually exist at. In addition to their marked performance at lower frequencies, the nature of sound absorption in a steel sound clip makes it an efficient deadener of higher frequency noises. Across the spectrum of seismic wave impact (more specifically classes A-F), and therefore across the spectrum of “woofs,” “yelps,” “screeches,” and whatever else we will hear from our Dogtopia guests.
With preliminary inspections complete, as well as an entirely redone sprinkler system fire alarm and electrical system, we will continue working on our friend’s latest Massachusetts business endeavor. Following state guidelines, integrating new technologies, and surpassing overall expectations, M&M Constructions is up for any type of franchise, small business or residential project!
