IStructE Awards Glenn Bell the 2025 Gold Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Structural Engineering

The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) announced former Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Senior Principal Glenn Bell as the recipient of its 2025 Gold Medal, recognizing his exceptional expertise in building safety and forensic investigations of catastrophic failures. The medal is IStructE’s highest honor and one of the most prestigious awards in the global structural engineering community, celebrating individuals whose work has profoundly advanced the profession. Glenn will formally receive the award on 7 November 2025 at IStructE’s London headquarters and deliver his Gold Medal Address, “Learning from Failures: From the Hyatt Regency Walkways to Champlain Tower South.”

Glenn’s career has been defined by technical excellence, professional leadership, and a deep commitment to advancing building safety. He spent forty-five years at SGH, where he contributed to the design, investigation, and rehabilitation of complex building structures and enclosures. As CEO from 1995 to 2016 and Chair of the Board from 2016 to 2018, he helped shape SGH’s growth and enduring culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and integrity.

Today, Glenn continues to advance the field as a Research Civil Engineer at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he co-leads the investigation into the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside, FL. He has also been instrumental in advancing Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures US (CROSS-US)—a confidential safety reporting system that helps professionals share lessons learned and improve structural reliability worldwide.

“Glenn’s impact on the structural engineering profession is immeasurable,” said Niklas Vigener, SGH Chief Technical Officer. “He has inspired generations of engineers here at SGH and around the world through his technical insight, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to safety and ethics. We are proud to see him recognized with this exceptional honor.”

He has inspired generations of engineers here at SGH and around the world through his technical insight, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to safety and ethics.

Glenn has been widely recognized for his pioneering work in design, investigation, and standards development. He led several notable forensic investigations while at SGH, including the walkway collapse at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City and the John Hancock Center scaffold collapse in Chicago. Some of his notable design projects include Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Simmons Hall, and the Baha’i Temple in Santiago, Chile. He co-authored more than fifty papers and presentations, has lectured internationally, and has served as Co-Founder of the ASCE Technical Council on Forensic Engineering, Past President of the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), past Trustee of IStructE, and Board Member of the Charles Pankow Foundation. Glenn is a graduate of Tufts University (B.S. Civil Engineering) and the University of California, Berkeley (M.S. Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics).

The IStructE Gold Medal has been awarded annually since 1922 to pioneers who have transformed the field of structural engineering. Glenn joins an esteemed list of past recipients whose work continues to shape the built environment.