In this exclusive conversation, Tejaswini Paranjape, Senior Correspondent at Architecture Update, speaks with Roy Aniruddha, Founder & Chairman of TechnoStruct Academy, about Indiaโs evolving BIM landscape, the academyโs global exposure, and how emerging technologies like AI are reshaping talent demand in the construction sector.
Q. How does TechnoStruct Academy cater to the sudden rise in demand for BIM-skilled professionals? How do you stay ahead of the curve?
Roy: The demand is not sudden. Iโve been in this industry for about 25 years, and India has always been a major resourcing hub for global BIM work. Roughly 30โ40% of BIM projects worldwide are executed from India. Whatโs new is the increased conversation about BIM within India itself.
TechnoStruct Academy (TSA) is an extension of Technostruct LLC โ the worldโs third-largest BIM consulting firm and the largest in California. When we set up our offices in India, we needed a pipeline of manpower trained to international standards. TSA was created initially as a hiring platform for Technostructโs own requirements.
However, not all our students could be absorbed internally due to limited hiring bandwidth at the time. Many were hired by MNCs who already knew of our work, and word of mouth drove the academyโs growth. Our success is primarily organic.
We stay ahead of the curve by focusing on skilling, not traditional education. Academia builds foundational knowledge. We equip architects and engineers to function in todayโs evolving AEC ecosystem โ which requires critical thinking, understanding of processes, and the ability to apply tools intelligently. Tools themselves change; thinking does not. That is how TSA stays ahead.
Q. How do you ensure your training aligns with the evolving needs of live projects and the industry?
Roy: We operate at the junction between industry and academia โ essentially bridging the industryโacademia gap. Universities give students a foundation, but construction methodologies and digital workflows evolve much faster than curricula can update.
We train them in real-world skills on following topics:
- projects executions
ย ย ย 2.digital workflows function
ย ย ย 3.multidisciplinary teams collaboration,
ย ย ย 4.why BIM is essential beyond modelling.
Software tools are necessary, but they form only a small part of the bigger ecosystem. Tools change; workflows and understanding remain.
Our trainers are not external freelancers. They are our own BIM engineers and architects working on live projects. They teach using the same project environments they themselves are handling daily. Students learn exactly how real projects are executed internationally.
Itโs like learning mechanical engineering and then dismantling and reassembling a car โ instead of just looking at pictures. TSA is ideally positioned to provide this because we practice what we teach.
Q. TSAโs international tie-ups, including your collaboration with Michigan University, provide strong global exposure. How does this translate into practical opportunities for Indian students and professionals?
Roy: When we started, the students whom we couldnโt hire internally were placed with our global partners such as AECOM, Atkins, and others doing large-scale work in India and abroad. Over time, this became a norm.
Our international collaborations bring several advantages:
- global benchmarks and best practices
- faculty exchanges
- project-based learning
- exposure to global code compliance norms
Understanding US and EU code systems is extremely valuable. These regions have strict standards with almost zero margin for error. Students trained under such benchmarks develop strong competence and confidence.
Our alumni now work on major US, Canada, UAE, and Singapore-based projects โ and many work abroad because of the certification and project experience they gain through TSA.
Q. As BIM adoption becomes mandatory in more Indian public and private projects, what new trends or requirements are emerging from corporate clients?
Roy: A lot of credit goes to NITI Aayog. Their study on BIM clearly highlighted the potential savings, efficiency gains, and project control benefits. Visionary leaders like Nitin Gadkari helped push this movement, especially with the Nagpur Metro project โ which is becoming the reference template for BIM in India.
Post-COVID, digital construction accelerated rapidly.
Clients now emphasise:
- multidisciplinary coordination,
- BIM Execution Plans (BEPs),
- audit trails,
- 4D scheduling (linking time with model),
- lifecycle BIM for monitoring carbon emissions, performance, and long-term sustainability
- Projects take 3โ4 years to build but last 40 years. Lifecycle BIM is becoming essential.
TSA is integrating all these modules into the curriculum to ensure our students are future-ready.
Q. With AI and automation entering construction workflows, how is TSA preparing talent? Do you see AI reducing or increasing job opportunities?
Roy: In construction, AI increases jobs โ not reduces them. Itโs the opposite of what people fear.
AI thrives on structured data. Indian construction is just entering the era of data-rich workflows. Because BIM in India is still at an early stage, adoption will be high and the need for skilled professionals even higher.
We are shifting from drawings to data-rich models. TSA trains students to:
- interpret BIM data,
- use AI for automated quantity takeoffs,
- detect design clashes,
- integrate time and cost models,
- optimise project planning.
Indian projects frequently exceed deadlines. A 24-month project becomes 36 months, causing massive cost overruns. If AI-enabled BIM can bring projects back on track, manpower gets freed up โ creating more jobs in the ecosystem.
For construction, AI means job transformation and job creation. TSA is embedding AI modules now so that students become data-literate BIM professionals while the industry is still forming its digital base.
Q. What are the major challenges preventing BIM from deeper penetration in India?
Roy: India needs a formal BIM framework, similar to Singapore or Dubai. Bodies like NITI Aayog, Building Smart India, CTCP, and experts like Venkata from IIT Bombay are working hard, but we need more unified direction.
Right now, about 90% of BIM adoption is a bandwagon effect. Many companies want to โdo BIMโ simply because it sounds modern โ not because they understand the goals.
BIM is not a 3D model. It is an information model. All BIM platforms are essentially data platforms.
Awareness must increase at the leadership level โ senior architects, engineers, and project owners. They must define the problem statement, desired efficiencies, and measurable outcomes.
The risk weโre facing is that mediocrity in digitisation is becoming normalized. That is dangerous. We must ensure quality and prevent BIM from becoming a superficial checkbox.
Q. What are TSAโs expansion plans for the coming years?
Roy: Weโre expanding in multiple directions.
1. Geographic Expansion
We already have students from 21 countries. We are now strengthening our international footprint, and have started a chapter in Germany. More university collaborations โ including Ivy League institutions โ are lined up.
2. Tier-2 & Tier-3 Penetration in India
We have already begun expanding into smaller cities. This will increase awareness and widen access to BIM education.
Many of our alumni now hold BIM Manager positions at major companies like Adani and L&T. They are pushing BIM adoption internally, which is helping the overall ecosystem grow.
3. New Programs for Senior Professionals
We are creating leadership programs and AI-driven courses specifically for professionals with 20+ years of experience. Senior decision-makers must understand BIM firsthand โ not through YouTube or second-hand interpretations.
4. Long-term moonshot
Our moonshot vision is that 50% of Indiaโs architectural and engineering graduates understand BIM. Itโs ambitious, but we believe itโs achievable step by step.
