John Messner inducted into National Academy of Construction

August 26, 2022

By Mary Fetzer

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — John Messner, Charles and Elinor Matts Professor of Architectural Engineering and director of the Computer Integrated Construction Research Program at Penn State, has been inducted into the National Academy of Construction (NAC).

The mission of the academy is to “recognize and honor individuals for their distinguished contributions to the construction industry and to share this reservoir of expertise as a service to the nation,” according to its website. New members are selected for “extraordinary leadership, exceptional achievements and lasting improvements to construction engineering and management,” according to the selection notification letter.

“John’s applied research in the area of digital construction is making direct practical improvements in the construction projects,” said Sez Atamturktur Russcher, Harry and Arlene Schell Professor and head of the Department of Architectural Engineering at Penn State.

A graduate of Penn State’s architectural engineering program, Messner specializes in building information management, digital twin technology, lean construction and automation in construction research. He has received multiple National Science Foundation grants to investigate the application of immersive technologies in the architectural, engineering and construction industries, and he led the development of Penn State’s Immersive Construction Labs.

“It is an honor to be elected to the National Academy of Construction and to join such influential leaders in the industry,” Messner said. “I’m particularly thankful to all my current and previous students who have advanced our research, as well as Victor Sanvido, who was my adviser when I was a student at Penn State and who is now a fellow member of the NAC.”

Since 2001, Messner has directed the Penn State Computer Integrated Construction Research Program. The program brings faculty and students from architectural engineering together with members of other departments and Penn State’s Office of Physical Plant to advance research in technology and process transformation to improve the construction industry.

“We have had an opportunity to work on digital modeling standards that have been adopted by many public and private organizations,” Messner said. “The adoption of these standards has resulted in a built environment that is becoming more sustainable and providing a better place for people to live.”

Messner received the 2022 Computing in Civil Engineering Award from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is the chair of the U.S. National BIM Standard Initiative at the National Institute of Building Sciences, which honored him with the 2021 Distinguished Service Award for his many years of involvement. He serves on the Lean Construction Institute’s board of directors, chaired the ASCE Computing Division, and is a core faculty member in the Penn State Partnership for Achieving Construction Excellence.

From 2011 to 2016, Messner led the Building Energy Informatics task group in the Consortium for Building Energy Innovation, a multidisciplinary collaboration of universities, private-sector technology companies and economic development agencies that focused on developing solutions to address the energy efficiency challenges of small- and medium-sized commercial buildings.

The induction will take place on Oct. 6 at the 2022 NAC Hall of Fame Gala in Scottsdale, Arizona.