Bilkul Online | 15 Sept 2025
Ahmedabad: CEPT University hosted the Conference on Digital Technologies and Mega Projects through the Ahmedabad regional extension of Digital Built India, in collaboration with the Confederation of Digital Construction Practitioners (CDCP) and buildingSMART India, on September 12, 2025. The conference brought together visionary leaders, industry professionals, policymakers, and academic experts to deliberate on the role of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital tools in shaping India’s future infrastructure.
Recognising the transformative potential of BIM in the built environment, CEPT University has positioned itself at the forefront of this dialogue. By convening this conference, the University underscored its commitment to bridging academia and industry, advancing digital construction practices, and preparing future-ready professionals.
Welcoming all participants at the inaugural session of the Conference, Prof. Aanal Shah, Dean – Faculty of Technology, said, “India’s construction sector has sustained impressive growth of 8 to 9 percent over the past decade, and this momentum will only intensify with rising infrastructure demands. The challenge before us is not just to deliver more projects, but to build capabilities that can meet global benchmarks. Through close academia-industry collaboration, we will be able to have discussions that address current industry challenges and provide vital insights to the future construction leaders who can drive the sector’s transformation.”
The day-long conference explored digital transformation in India’s construction sector, focusing on the adoption of BIM, openBIM standards, and emerging technologies. Sessions highlighted global best practices, the Indian context, and the urgent need to move beyond design-stage applications of BIM towards its full integration across construction and operational lifecycles.
Dr. Jyoti Trivedi, Senior Assistant Professor and Program Chair of the Master’s in Construction Engineering and Management (MCEM) at the Faculty of Technology, highlighted CEPT’s efforts to contextualise BIM for India. She said, “Globally, BIM is widely adopted, but in India, its use, currently, remains largely confined to design and development. The real opportunity lies in extending it across construction and operations. Through the MCEM program at CEPT, we train students to work closely with industry stakeholders, understand challenges across the project lifecycle, and develop practical, integrated solutions.”
The inaugural session of the Conference was attended by industry representatives, including Rahul Shah, Global Director Built Environment, BSI; Mr Arunkumar Shambhu, Founder – SaptaDX, Digitalization Evangelist; Sunil Joshi, General Secretary – CDCP and Sonali Dhopte, Treasurer CDCP.
Later in the day, there were discussions on subjects including ‘AI and Advancements in Design and the Built Environment sector; Role of BIM & Digitalisation in Achieving Gujarat’s Infrastructure Vision and Open BIM Master Class with Entry Level Professional Certification (p-cert) from Building SMART India.