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This award was established by the Executive Council of 1971 to promote the aims and objectives of the Association to the world body of engineers and architects. The engraved medal represents the highest individual recognition given by the Association to members who embody the ideals and accomplishments of Eduardo Torroja.
The Torroja Medal is named in honor of the Founding President of the IASS, Professor Eduardo Torroja (Spain, 1899-1961), one of the world?s great structural engineers. Each of his works, from a humble chapel hidden in the mountains to the well-known and masterpiece structures of the Algeciras Market and the Madrid Racecourse Tribune, shows a lesson of originality and simplicity based on the knowledge of the way structures work and the possibilities of the ?new materials? of his age, such as reinforced and prestressed concrete. Torroja was also a humanist, a great teacher, a manager of several companies and testing laboratories, and a pioneering researcher.
Though the Executive council in 1971 decided to give the Medal both to Professor Arendt M. Haas (the former President of IASS) and to the wife of Eduardo Torroja, the first Medal was awarded in 1974 to Professor Haas only. This was due to the unforeseen delays in the process of the Medal design. Since 1974, the award has been given to 17 individuals, including multiple conferrals in 2009 in celebration of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee of the Association.
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