The 2006 ASTM International Walter C. Voss Award honors the leadership and service of Thomas A. Schwartz, P.E., to the international building technology industry for more than 30 years. Mr. Schwartz is president/senior principal and head of the Building Technology Group at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. (SGH).

Schwartz, an ASTM International member since 1982, received the award for his contributions to knowledge in the building technology fields of building envelope systems, including curtain walls, glazing, roofing, waterproofing, and masonry, as exemplified by his chairmanship of symposia and ASTM's Subcommittee E06.55 on Exterior Building Wall Systems. In addition, Schwartz was recognized for his dedication to education shown by his publication of numerous papers and presentation of more than 50 lectures.

"This award is particularly meaningful because my mentor in this business for 33 years, Werner Gumpertz -- also a Voss Award recipient -- was introduced to building envelope engineering by Walter Voss in 1948 when Prof. Voss was the head of the Construction Technology Course at M.I.T. and Mr. Gumpertz was a new graduate student. In effect, Walter Voss is my professional grandfather, and this award recognizes his legacy in a very direct and special way," Schwartz said.

An ASTM International fellow and Award of Merit recipient, Schwartz serves on Committees E06 on Performance of Buildings, C14 on Glass and Glass Products, and E30 on Forensic Sciences. In addition, he is a member of the ASTM board of directors.

Following his graduation from Tufts University in Medford, Mass., in 1973, with a B.S. in civil engineering, Schwartz started work as an engineer at SGH, a design and consulting engineering firm that focuses on design, performance evaluation, and repair of buildings, special structures, and infrastructure. While in his early years with the firm, he earned his M.S. in material engineering in 1977 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

Schwartz has held a number of positions at SGH, from engineer to senior staff engineer, and associate to principal, before assuming his current role. A registered professional engineer in nine states and the District of Columbia, he has focused on building envelope systems, including curtain walls, glazing, roofing, waterproofing, and masonry.

In addition to his ASTM work, Schwartz is a construction industry arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers. He was also a technical editor for Glass Digest for more than a decade.

Release #7512