RBA Engineer Authors Chapter in Masonry Designers’ Guide

Troy, NY – May 7, 2007 – David T. Biggs, P.E., Principal, of Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., in Troy, NY, authored a chapter on Prestressed Masonry in the fifth edition of the Masonry Designers’ Guide. The guide is published by The Masonry Society, Boulder, CO.

The purpose of the guide is to assist those involved in the design, construction, and regulation of masonry structures. The fifth edition was prepared to help users apply the provisions of the Building Code Requirements for Masonry Structures and Specification for Masonry Structures. These two documents were updated from the 2002 Code and Specification by the Masonry Standards Joint Committee (MSJC), which includes members of the American Concrete Institute, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and The Masonry Society. Mr. Biggs has participated in authoring portions of previous editions of the Masonry Designers’ Guide.

David Biggs is a masonry specialist with over thirty years of experience. He was elected an Honorary Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2005 based upon his engineering expertise with historical restoration and forensic evaluation of structures. Some of Mr. Biggs’ current restoration projects include the Jean Hasbrouck House (c 1680) in New Paltz, NY; Fort Ticonderoga (1754) in Ticonderoga, NY; Hacienda Santa Elena (c 1790) in Puerto Rico; and the Bennington Battle Monument (1889) in Bennington, VT. Mr. Biggs is also working as a consultant to the Supreme Council of Antiquities for the Republic of Egypt. He is part of a six-member international team providing restoration guidelines for use throughout Egypt.

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. Ryan-Biggs Associates has been involved with the restoration of over 300 historical buildings and structures in the United States. Over 80 of these buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, which is part of the US Department of the Interior, and 10 have been designated “Save America’s Treasures,” a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service