IStructE’s Gold Medal is awarded annually for outstanding contributions to the advancement of structural engineering. It is renowned around the world as a sign of unique accomplishments in the profession.
IStructE’s citation for the 2025 award states: “The Institution of Structural Engineers 2025 Gold Medal will be presented to Glenn Bell for his significant contributions to structural engineering, particularly in the areas of building safety, standards development, and forensic investigations of catastrophic failures.”
This decision recognises his pivotal role as a Research Civil Engineer in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he co-leads NIST’s investigation of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside, Florida.
The Gold Medal also recognises Glenn’s extensive contributions to design, consultancy, and forensic engineering, and his leadership in advancing Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures US (CROSS-US) – the confidential safety reporting system in the USA that helps professionals make structures safer.
Glenn Bell says: “I am honoured to be this year’s Gold Medallist, and I thank IStructE for recognising my structural engineering career with this accolade. This award means a lot to me. However, I also think it honours the professionals I work with, as safety in the built environment is a hugely collaborative effort. I believe that constant vigilance to structural safety through learning from failures is integral to our desire to create elegant and sustainable structures.”
Yasmin Becker, Chief Executive of IStructE says: “We are truly delighted to award Glenn our highest accolade, the IStructE Gold Medal. Glenn has dedicated his career to the forensic investigation of structures that helps to find answers in very challenging situations. He has sought out the root causes to prevent future incidents, all with the aim of improving structural resilience, reliability, and safety.”
Glenn’s biography
- Glenn Bell spent 45 years at Simpson Gumpertz and Heger (SGH), where he engaged in the design, investigation, and rehabilitation of building structures, building envelopes and other structures.
- He was SGH’s CEO from 1995 through 2016 and its Board Chair from 2016 through 2018.
- Glenn was Co-Founder of the ASCE Technical Council on Forensic Engineering (now the ASCE Forensic Engineering Division).
- Glenn is Past President of SEI, a past Director of IStructE, and a Board Member of the Charles Pankow Foundation.
Glenn Bell will deliver his Gold Medal Address at a special event on Friday 7 November 2025 at IStructE’s London headquarters, where he will also be presented with the Gold Medal by IStructE’s President, Mohamad Al-Dah and the Chief Executive Yasmin Becker.
The Gold Medal was first presented in 1922, to Professor Henry Adams. Other past recipients include Felix Candela, Ove Arup, Oleg Kerensky and Edmund Happold. Glenn Bell is the 59th Gold Medallist.