In an interview, Roy Aniruddha, CEO & Chairman of TechnoStruct Academy speaks with TimesTech on how TechnoStruct Academy is preparing the construction workforce for a data-driven built environment. Roy highlights the gaps between academic learning and industry expectations, the role of BIM, VDC, and live global projects in professional training, and how digital skills, collaboration, and real-world exposure are becoming essential for future-ready engineers and architects.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: TechnoStruct Academy works at the intersection of construction and digital technology. How would you describe the role the organisation plays in preparing the workforce for a more data-driven built environment?
Roy: Construction today is not limited to bricks and concrete anymore; it is more about how well we manage data, coordinate teams, and make informed decisions. At TechnoStruct Academy, we responsibly focus on providing practical knowledge and opportunities to prepare professionals who are comfortable working where construction meets digital technology.
We highly focus on industry-relevant, data-driven training that goes beyond traditional classroom learning. Our curriculum is built around BIM and Virtual Design & Construction (VDC), supported by emerging technologies such as AI-driven workflows and the growing use of IoT for real-time data, whether it’s monitoring energy performance, tracking equipment, or improving on-site coordination. Most importantly, this learning is anchored in live, global projects from TechnoStruct LLC, where data accuracy and collaboration are non-negotiable. We give our students a chance to work on live projects and gain practical knowledge about how real time work happens.
By offering internationally recognised programs, including buildingSMART-certified courses, we aim to strengthen the digital construction ecosystem in India and beyond. Our goal is simple: to create professionals who can translate digital information into buildable, efficient outcomes in a truly data-driven built environment.
TimesTech: What is missing in today’s construction education that the industry expects graduates to deliver from day one?
Roy: One of the biggest challenges I see is the gap between what students learn and what they’re expected to deliver on real projects. During the graduation period, students understand concepts well through theoretical knowledge, but when they step into live projects, a space where multiple teams are involved, designs evolve constantly, and client expectations shift from time to time, at that time, they often feel unprepared.
The construction industry today needs professionals who can add value from day one in the projects. What’s largely missing is hands-on exposure to real experiences and pressures. At TechnoStruct Academy, we address this gap by bringing live client projects directly into the learning process. Students work within real timelines, real coordination challenges, and real accountability. When education reflects industry reality, graduates stop being passive learners and start thinking like professionals. This transition from academic knowledge to professional readiness is exactly what the construction industry needs and is looking for in the newbies.
TimesTech: Digital tools like BIM, digital twins, and simulation platforms already exist. Why do construction projects still struggle with delays, cost overruns, and rework?
Roy: Digital tools like BIM and simulation platforms are powerful, but tools alone cannot solve project inefficiencies. Delays, cost overruns, and rework often persist when technologies are not applied with real-world understanding, and there is a lack of practical knowledge about management and functioning. Many know how to use software features but have no proper experience in applying them to complex, evolving site conditions.
In my experience, the biggest issue is a lack of training and mindset. BIM must be used as a collaborative process, not a documentation exercise. Without professionals who understand coordination, constructability, and decision-making under real constraints, even the best tools cannot work there. That’s why we focus on training professionals through live projects. When learners see how digital decisions impact physical outcomes, technology also delivers the best.
TimesTech: Can BIM realistically speed up construction timelines without compromising quality, or does its impact depend more on how teams are trained to use it?
Roy: BIM can definitely speed up construction timelines, but its real impact depends far more on how people are trained to use it than on the tool itself. It becomes truly effective when it is applied to how teams think, communicate, and make decisions. A model on its own is just a collection of geometry and data, but when professionals understand BIM as a workflow that is used for coordination, sequencing, and early problem-solving, it significantly reduces rework and last-minute problems.
At TechnoStruct Academy, our focus is on teaching BIM through live project exposure, where time, quality, and coordination are all interlinked. When teams learn to anticipate issues early with the help of data-driven models, timelines improve naturally without compromising quality. In short, BIM works best when it’s embedded in how teams think and collaborate.
TimesTech: Is the real bottleneck in adopting construction technology the availability of tools, or the shortage of industry-ready professionals who can apply them effectively on projects?
Roy: The real issue in adopting construction technology is not the lack of digital tools, but the growing shortage of professionals who know how to use and apply modern tools effectively on live projects. Most construction firms today have BIM and other advanced technologies, but they struggle to find people who can use them with confidence. In many cases, technology investments fall short simply because teams aren’t trained to integrate these tools into everyday workflows.
A major reason for this is the widening skills gap, as candidates often lack industry-relevant training or recognised certifications, making it difficult for organisations to integrate new tools into everyday workflows. This challenge is amplified by an aging workforce, where years of practical knowledge are exiting the industry faster than new, skilled professionals
are entering it. At the same time, construction leaders often see training costs as a major barrier, which leads to underutilised or misused technology.
We focus on closing this gap by training professionals through live, global projects. When people understand both the technology and the construction reality behind it, digital adoption becomes effective and sustainable.
TimesTech: As BIM becomes a core digital layer connecting design, data, and construction workflows, how do you see the future of work evolving for engineers and architects over the next five years?
Roy: Over the next five years, the role of engineers and architects will evolve from isolated design contributors to integrated, data-driven decision-makers. BIM is already evolving from 3D modelling into a data-rich digital ecosystem, and professionals will increasingly act as curators of data and strategic decision-makers rather than isolated content creators. The focus will move away from manual drafting toward managing intelligent models, where accuracy, interoperability, and data governance become critical.
AI is already providing assistance in generating and evaluating design options, predicting risks, and automating compliance checks, allowing professionals to focus on judgment rather than repetition. At the same time, real-time collaboration through cloud platforms will remove long-standing barriers between design and construction, enabling teams to work in a more connected, transparent, and coordinated manner.
At TechnoStruct Academy, we prepare learners for this future by exposing them to live international projects and continuous mentorship. The future of work belongs to professionals who can connect data, technology, and on-ground execution seamlessly and are adaptable, digitally fluent, and grounded in real-world project execution.
