August 1, 2017
Vincent DeSimone (1937 – 2016)
The Concrete Industry Foundation (CIF) will honor Vincent J. DeSimone, Founder of DeSimone Consulting Engineers, with a Lifetime Achievement Award recognizing an enduring dedication to the concrete industry, and superlative contributions to architecture and development.
Stephen DeSimone, the firm’s current President and Chief Executive, will accept the posthumous award on behalf of Vincent DeSimone at the Foundation’s 2nd Annual Awards Dinner on September 12, 2017, at the New York Athletic Club.
Vincent DeSimone established DeSimone Consulting Engineers in 1969 and led the firm as Chairman and Senior Principal-in-Charge of design. Mr. DeSimone leaves behind a rich legacy of innovation and is widely acknowledged for his solutions to complex structural challenges.
Among Mr. DeSimone’s many award-winning projects are the Four Seasons Hotel & Tower, Miami (the tallest building in Miami when completed); Grove at Grand Bay in Miami (the first twisting towers in the U.S.); One Thousand Museum Tower (Zaha Hadid’s first skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere); the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida (the largest oceanfront convention hotel in the southeast); the Atlantis in the Bahamas; the Sofitel Hotel in New York, and Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Mr. DeSimone dedicated his spare time to the development of manufactured concrete housing as a solution to the critical need for affordable housing in New York. His design for low-cost, pre-cast concrete town homes has been used in more than 120 apartments in the Bronx.
Mr. DeSimone was a life member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and a member and past president of the Concrete Industry Board of New York City. A licensed Professional Engineer in 23 States, he was also a fellow of the American Concrete Institute and a Professor of Structures at Princeton University’s School of Architecture. From Manhattan College, Mr. DeSimone earned a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering, and later, an Honorary Doctorate Degree.
Industry Awards and Professional Accolades:
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Concrete Industry Foundation, 2017
- American Society of Civil Engineers, Homer Gage Balcom Award 2012
- American Society of Civil Engineers, Fellow 2009
- New York Society of Architects, Distinguished Leader of Industry 2008
- Concrete Industry Foundation, Humanitarian Fellow Medal 2007
- SEAoNY, Lifetime Membership 2007
- Concrete Industry Board, Distinguished Leader of Industry 2001
- Engineering News Record, Men Who Made Their Mark in Construction 1972
- Chi Epsilon, National Honors Engineering Society 1959