Ryan-Biggs Engineer Selected to Serve on American Institute of Steel Construction Panel

Troy, NY– December 22, 2006 – Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., a consulting firm specializing in structural engineering, announced today that Paul A. Rouis, III, P.E., Principal, was selected to serve on the Connection Prequalification Review Panel for the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. (AISC).

The 30 member panel is comprised of research faculty, structural engineers, and structural steel fabricators from across the US. The panel, formed in accordance with Appendix P of the Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 341-05), is responsible for reviewing, developing, and accepting prequalified structural connection details for use in special and intermediate steel moment frames, without the need for additional testing. These frames are the portion of a building constructed with structural steel that resist lateral (wind and earthquake) loads and are required in areas of high seismic risk or in critical structures such as hospitals, fire, police, and EMS facilities. The use of prequalified connections is intended to streamline the design and approval process for these types of structures.

Prior to their development, project designers were required to provide substantiating test data from project-specific full scale tests or test results reported in the literature for review by the Code Enforcement Official. The prequalified connections are included in ANSI/AISC Standard 358 – Prequalified Connections for Special and Intermediate Steel Moment Frames for Seismic Applications.

Paul was chosen based on his expertise, professionalism, and dedication to the steel design community and construction industry.

Paul Rouis is President of Ryan-Biggs and principal-in-charge for engineering design and renovation for cultural, education, medical, industrial facilities, and parking structures. He received a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from Pennsylvania State University and is a registered professional engineer in New York. In addition to the American Institute of Steel Construction, he is also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the American Concrete Institute where he serves on committees for the Design of Slabs on Grade (ACI 360) and the Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction (ACI 302).

About Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C.
Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., is a consulting engineering firm specializing in structural engineering. Since 1973, they have been providing design services from their main office in Troy, New York, and branch offices in Skaneateles, New York, and West Chester, Pennsylvania.

About the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc.
The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. (AISC), headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States. Their mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural-steel-related technical and market-building activities, including: specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry providing timely and reliable information.