Skip to content

American Society of Civil EngineersASCE Met Section

Advertisement
Home arrow Met Section arrow Awards
Homer Gage Balcom Award Print E-mail
This award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated a lifetime of excellence in the structural engineering of buildings, along with advances in the state-of-the-art, and a commitment to the advancement of the structural engineering profession. The award is named after H. G. Balcom (1870-1938), a structural engineer and a pioneer in designing tall structures to account for lateral wind forces. The Principal and Chief Engineer of H. G. Balcom Engineers in New York City from 1916-1938, his projects include the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal, and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. H. G. Balcom was a Director of the ASCE New York Section in 1929-1930. Since its inception in 1996, the Homer Gage Balcom Award has been presented on alternate years with the Roebling Award.

2010 Recipient:

Edward M. Messina, PE, M.ASCE
Chairman
Severud Associates Consulting Engineers P.C.

Always fascinated with buildings and structures, Edward M. Messina knew he wanted to be an engineer from an early age. After graduating from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, he went on to attain the rank of captain in the United States Army and establish an extraordinary career as a structural engineer at Severud Associates where he has worked for more than half a century.

During this time, Mr. Messina not only learned from influential engineers like Fred Severud, the firm’s founder, and Hannskarl Bandel, but he also worked on a wide array of projects with architects and firms such as Kevin Roche, Victor Lundy, Charles Gwathmey, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Philip Johnson, Polshek Partners, KPF, Mitchell/Giurgola, Weiss Manfredi and many others. Although Mr. Messina has designed many high-profile buildings, he is especially proud of his work on museums throughout the United States. He has, for example, been the Principal Engineer for the world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the unique Museum of Modern Art, also in New York, and the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., all of which introduced him to the art of structural engineering and the many creative opportunities it affords. Mr. Messina’s design legacy in the area of museums also extends to the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona, the American Museum of Natural History and the American Folk Art Museum, both in New York.

A sports enthusiast himself, Mr. Messina also designed a wide variety of notable athletic facilities including Madison Square Garden, the Davidson College Complex, the Princeton University Sports Center, The Cornell University Field house and the Yale University Hockey Rink. He is, especially proud of his contributions to the revered Gateway Arch at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis. Mr. Messina’s work takes him around the country and, as a result, he has earned licenses in 13 states.

Over the years, Mr. Messina’s clients and colleagues have come to trust his instincts and unparalleled ability to provide innovative and diverse solutions to the formidable engineering challenges presented to him at the beginning of a project as well as those that develop as the scope of the work changes. Mr. Messina has also contributed this experience and expertise to the NYACE where he served on the Board of Directors for five years.

Past Recipients:

2008 Mohammed M. Ettouney
2006 Ysrael A. Seinuk
2004 Irwin G. Cantor
2002 George J. Tamaro
2000 Leslie E. Robertson
1998 Charles Thornton
1996 Mario G. Salvadori

 
[ Back ]