Theatre Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Expertise
- Community
Services
- mechanical / plumbing engineering
- electrical engineering
Size
- 13,950 SF
BHB provided MEP engineering and fire protection services to the 13,950 square foot, two-story, renovation of Theatre Arlington. This theatre opened its doors for the first time in two years on Friday, March 25, 2022. Theatre Arlington was well overdue for a renovation to modernize it, as it is the only live theatre in Arlington and has been in operation since 1981.
A cost-saving measure implemented in this project was to re-work several panel boards to salvage as many circuits as possible, and luckily our team was able to reuse most of the existing ductwork on the second floor and in the kitchen area.
A special request from the owner was to make sure smoke/fog machines wouldn’t set off any fire alarms in the building. To accommodate this request, our team recommended using rate-of-increase heat detectors instead of traditional infrared smoke detectors.
Other special requests included lighting controls in the front lobby to support smaller performances and minimizing noise production of mechanical systems in the stage area with sound attenuators in the ductwork to mitigate airflow noise.
A creative design solution used in this project was updating the dressing room vanity lighting. The prior vanities had a vintage look to them with large, incandescent bulbs on the perimeter of the mirrors. The new vanities have a modern look and provide dimming and temperature controls.
BHB enjoyed being a part of this community project for the City of Arlington. We were delighted to help with these renovations to modernize the theatre and bring it to life after two years of it being closed for construction.
Key People
-
Saul Martinez, PE
Saul Martinez, PE
Associate | Mechanical Engineer
Growing up, Saul wanted to become an astronomer or historian. It wasn’t until high school, when his history teacher encouraged him to consider engineering, that he changed career paths. While attending TCU for a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, Saul heard BHB was looking for interns, applied, and the rest is history.
During his time at BHB, he has pushed his career and responsibility upward within the firm. His project experience includes retail, higher education facilities, municipal, religious, medical offices, data centers, hospitality, multi-family, commercial, historic, and industrial buildings. Saul is an active member of the leadership team for the Fort Worth chapter of ASHRAE.
Outside of work, Saul enjoys cooking, baking, running, trivia, trying new restaurants, and video games. He also loves spending time with his two nieces and nephew. His favorite place to travel to is Japan because of the beautiful hot springs and delicious ramen.
Education
Texas Christian University:
Bachelors/2010/Mechanical Engineering -
Richard J. Watters, PE
Richard J. Watters, PE
Principal | Senior Mechanical Engineer
Richard Watters came to BHB after working with a design-build contractor in the area for two years. As an active member of BHB’s leadership team, Richard manages some of the firm’s multiple long-term engineering projects, including healthcare, commercial, oil and gas, retail, and municipal. He is experienced in sustainable design, energy studies/audits, design-build, hospitality, data centers, critical environments, medical gas systems, and construction administration.
Richard has been named one of the Top 40 Engineers Under 40 in the country by Consulting-Specifying Engineer Magazine and one of the Top 20 Engineers Under 40 in our region by Engineer News-Record magazine.
In the office, his hands-on style has helped him successfully find solutions for clients and mentor young engineers. Outside of the office, Richard has been past president of the Fort Worth Chapter of ASHRAE and has been active with various student organizations as a guest speaker or project sponsor; he also travels back to Texas A&M to guest lecture and has sponsored projects for the construction science department at Texas A&M.
With his wife Yesenia, he enjoys being outside with their kids, traveling, working on multiple home improvement projects, and helping others. They have sponsored scholarships for children in El Salvador, his wife’s native country, who would otherwise not have access to advanced education. In addition to these, they also have four annual scholarships locally at TCU and UNT. Expanding on this desire to provide resources and forward momentum for everyone, Richard is also a founding board member of the Paul Schulte Foundation, a non-profit organization with a goal to empower, inspire, and facilitate individuals with disabilities.
Project Experience
Arlington Animal Services Center
Doss Heritage and Culture Center
Ott Cribbs Public Safety Center
Star-Telegram Building
Texas Wesleyan University Jack and Jo Willa Morton Fitness Center
Education
Texas A&M University:
Master’s Degree/2001/Mechanical Engineering
The University of Texas at El Paso:
Bachelor’s Degree/1997/Mechanical Engineering