AUA Press Release

PRESS RELEASE
June 20, 2006

American University of Armenia Corporation
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INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON BASE ISOLATED HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS

Yerevan – The Anti-Seismic Systems International Society and the
American University of Armenia (AUA), in collaboration with the
Armenian Association for Earthquake Engineering, held an international
workshop on "Base Isolated High-Rise Buildings" on June 15-17, 2006
at AUA. Forty experts attended from 9 countries, including Armenia,
Iran, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and the US.

The event provided a forum for the engineering community to assess
its accumulated experience with the behavior of civil buildings,
such as high-rise apartment buildings and multifunctional complexes,
during different types of earthquakes. Experts promoted the idea of
incorporating innovative Seismic Isolation (SI) techniques into design
rules for high-rise structures, and addressed the growing interest
in extending the application of SI techniques to other fields. Five
academic sessions and an international exhibition were followed
by technical visits to base isolated high-rise building sites in
Yerevan. Workshop findings were summarized during the closing session,
and all scientific documents will be published.

Armenia was the first among developing nations to implement seismic
isolation technology, and the only such country to have supported
substantial improvements to the technology, especially for apartments,
schools, hospitals and high-rise buildings. Armenia also pioneered
the practice of retrofitting buildings for seismic isolation at the
base and roof without vacating residents or terminating maintenance.

Mikayel Melkumyan, AUA Professor, President of Armenian Association
for Earthquake Engineering, VP of the International Association
for Seismic Isolation of NIS Countries, and member of the executive
committee/treasurer of Anti Seismic Systems International Society,
proposed the workshop and its location during the 9th World Seminar
on Seismic Isolation, Energy Dissipation and Active Vibration Control
of Structures in Kobe in 2005. "The aim of the Workshop is the further
strengthening of international collaboration on research, transfer of
technology and information, implementation of anti-seismic systems
in practice, and dissemination of information among decision makers
and construction designers in seismic-prone countries, to promote
implementation of innovative SI techniques in the construction of
high-rise buildings," he stated.

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The American University of Armenia Corporation (AUAC) is registered
as a non-profit organization in the United States and as the Armenian
University of Armenia Fund (AUAF) in Armenia .The American University
of Armenia (AUA) is affiliated through AUAC with the Regents of the
University of California.

Receiving major support from the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading
to the Masters Degree in eight graduate programs. For more information
about AUA, visit

http://www.aua.am/
www.aua.am.