Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., Winner of ACEC New York Silver Award

Troy, NY – April 8, 2007 – Ryan-Biggs Associates, P.C., was named a winner in the Structural Systems category in the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) Engineering Excellence Competition. Selected for its work on the Kent’s Tavern in Calais, Vermont, this award reflects the successful completion of the exterior restoration of the structure. The tavern was constructed between 1833 and 1837 by Abdiel Kent. It served as his home, and from 1837 to 1846 it was a stagecoach stop on the road from Boston to Montreal. The building was later obtained by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation to be used as a museum.

Ryan-Biggs was retained to perform an investigation to ascertain the cause of several conditions, including masonry cracking on elevations, significant bowing at the west wall, and settlement of the west wall, that required intervention before the plan to use the building as a museum could proceed. After the investigation, it was determined that the exterior wall bowing was caused by the outward displacement of the brick nogging. Until the early 1900s, nogging was a common construction method that employed masonry as infill between the vertical uprights of wood framing.

With no documentation recorded on the repair of brick nogging, a considerable challenge presented itself to the design team. As the structural engineering consultant, Ryan-Biggs developed a cost-effective restoration scheme to renovate the masonry walls while maintaining the historical integrity of the building. To keep the aesthetic of the building intact and the associated costs down, the nogging was repaired without removing the entire masonry portion of the walls. Ganem Contracting Corporation of Clifton Park was the restoration contractor.

The panel of ACEC New York judges consisted of members of the professional engineering community and construction industry, including military and government officials, organization presidents, members of the engineering press, and educators. Judging was based on a number of criteria including original and innovative application of new or existing techniques, technical values to the engineering profession, social and economic consideration, project complexity, and meeting and exceeding client needs. The award was presented at a black-tie dinner dance at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.

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 ACEC New York
The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) was founded in 1921 and consists of 225 firms representing professional consulting engineers in private practice. The organization’s goal is to advocate consulting engineering and enhance the image and business practices of the professional engineering companies in the planning, design, and construction industry.