AIR Worldwide Collaborates with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design for Better Understanding of Building Vulnerability in China.

BOSTON -- AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) today announced a collaboration with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD) to better understand the vulnerability of buildings in China. BIAD, the leading design firm in China, researched and analyzed seismic response of building types common to China. The findings will be used to enhance AIR's industry leading China earthquake model.

"Through structural performance studies, we will quantify the relative vulnerability of various classes of engineered buildings throughout China," said Dr. Qisong Miao, director of the research department at BIAD. "Our team of experts will analyze the design of these commercial buildings to determine how various factors such as the seismic fortification levels and the age of the building impact their earthquake vulnerability. We are excited to work with a leading catastrophe modeling firm like AIR on this project."

As part of the project, BIAD will create a database of China-specific building characteristics and their seismic performance.

BIAD is the premiere architectural design and consulting institute in China. BIAD has completed the design works for many of China's landmark buildings, including the China Academy of Art, Xi'an International Finance and Trade Center, China International Exhibition Center, the National Museum, and the Beijing West Railway Station. Additionally, BIAD is leading some of the architectural projects for the 2008 Olympic Games and a number of landmark buildings in Beijing, including the Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 3 and the office building of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.

"We are very pleased to work with such a well respected institute as the BIAD," said Uday Virkud, P.E., senior vice president at AIR Worldwide. "BIAD's engineering-based approach to understanding the vulnerability of building structures throughout China will enable us to further enhance our industry leading model, which is used by the top property insurers in China to manage earthquake risk."

About AIR Worldwide Corporation

AIR Worldwide Corporation (AIR) is a leading risk modeling company helping clients manage the financial impact of catastrophes and weather. Utilizing the latest science and technology, AIR models natural catastrophes in more than 40 countries and the risk from terrorism in the United States. Other areas of expertise include site-specific seismic engineering analysis, catastrophe bonds, and property replacement cost valuation. An ISO business, AIR was founded in 1987 to provide its insurance, reinsurance, corporate, and government clients a complete line of risk modeling software and consulting services that produce consistent and reliable results. Headquartered in Boston, AIR has additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com.

About the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design

Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD), which was established in October 1949 following the founding of the People's Republic of China, is a large-scale state-owned architectural design and consulting institute. BIAD's businesses include city planning, investment planning, large-scale public architectural design, civil architectural design, interior decoration design, landscape design, engineering design of intelligent system for buildings, approximate estimate and budget making of project, project supervision, and project contracting.