Since joining NDY in 2015, Mason has worked on a diverse portfolio of mechanical projects in both the new and existing buildings teams. He also spent time seconded to Engineering Commissioning Services (ECS) where he gained experience in commissioning and integrated testing for all building services.
Broadening his technical skills in mechanical services and gaining a holistic understanding of the services scope of a building, Mason has successfully implemented projects across several sectors including retail, education, health, sports, mission critical, offices and residential.
Mason was recently named our 2022 David Norman Young Engineer of the Year.
Here are some reflections from Mason on his career to date, including one of his favourite projects, a large biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility for CSL in Melbourne.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
I always enjoyed maths throughout school, and once I learnt that an engineer uses maths and science to solve problems in the real world I knew that was what I wanted to do.
Why mechanical engineering?
Being able to work on things that are physically large and visually interesting is what attracted me to the mechanical side of engineering. While some disciplines of engineering only get to see the output of what their systems achieve, in mechanical it is often very easy to see each working component do its function and achieve a final result.
What’s your career highlight project?
My highlight project at this point in my career is Project Banksia, which is a large pharmaceutical manufacturing facility. Our scope included the central energy plant (consisting of distributed steam, compressed air, and heating and cooling water) as well as a combined laboratory and support building. Other than creating a fit-for-purpose and resilient manufacturing facility, the client also wanted to focus on sustainability initiatives that they had not yet implemented on other sites.
Tell us something unique about this project that you enjoyed.
One great feature of working on this project was being able to work closely with our client without an external project manager to buffer all conversations. By having frequent and direct conversations with the owner/operator of the facility throughout the concept and detailed design phases, we were able to better understand how they needed to work in the building on a day-to-day level. Through this greater understanding we could tailor the solution to better fit what they wanted to achieve in the facility for their short and long term requirements.
What innovative new approaches are you seeing when it comes to mechanical engineering?
One item that is changing rapidly with air conditioning equipment is refrigerants. Due to the push to reduce the global warming potential of commonly used refrigerants, certain products are being phased out of the market which is causing a requirement for new refrigerants to enter the market. The challenge is for the new products to maintain the industry’s high energy efficiency expectations, as well as be safe to use, cost effective, and applicable to a range of different operating conditions.
Where do you see the future of mechanical engineering heading?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted to the industry the importance of a ‘healthy’ and well ventilated building. Increasing building ventilation has a significant impact on heating and cooling energy requirements and sustainability goals, which leads to a compromise having to be struck between these objectives. How designs and buildings standards adapt to these changes will shape the “best practice” of mechanical design, particularly in energy efficiency.
