Tobias Gimenez
Early Days
From his early school days, Amarnath’s love for construction manifested itself through the creation of small paper buildings. This childhood hobby evolved into a lifelong passion, leading him to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering in Bangalore, India – a city renowned as the IT hub of the country. Bangalore provided the perfect backdrop for Amarnath to delve into the technological aspects of the civil industry, and after graduating in 2008, he seamlessly transitioned into a Master’s program in Construction Management at Bangalore University.
During his academic journey, Amarnath discovered the transformative potential of technology in the construction field. Exploring software tools like Revit, SketchUp, 3ds Max, and Primavera, he realized that civil engineering was more than just simple construction; it involved intricate design, simulation analysis, and meticulous planning. Within this realm, one aspect captivated him – Building Information Modeling (BIM).
A New Beginning in a New City
Despite completing his Master’s degree, Amarnath felt the need for further preparation to navigate the complexities of the emerging BIM landscape. This led him to embark on a doctoral journey focused on BIM in India. Unfortunately, a setback occurred during his second year when his advising professor left the university, compelling Amarnath to seek guidance elsewhere. He searched endlessly in multiple countries for the best universities with exposure to BIM and finally landed on National Taiwan University, where he connected with Professor Patrick Hsieh, a renowned expert in BIM with both national and global recognition.
Studying at NTU was an enjoyable experience for Amarnath. He felt very welcomed by the friendliness of the people and the immersive culture in Taiwan. Although he had some troubles with the food as a vegetarian and the language, he was grateful that Taiwanese people were able to understand and help him. In particular, Professor Patrick was the main reason that Amarnath loved living and learning in Taiwan. Professor Patrick supported Amarnath in and out of his academic life during his time in Taiwan, even guiding him to be able to obtain an MOE scholarship. Seeing so much support that he received from Professor Patrick really made him feel like a father figure to him.
Amarnath with friends and Professor Patrick during his time studying at NTUCE
During his short 4 years at NTU, Amarnath accomplished many impressive feats. In his third year, he got married to his wife, who had followed him to move to Taiwan and pursue an MBA in NTU. He also connected his wife to Professor Patrick and she ended up doing a thesis on BIM management, which led to her later starting her own BIM management company in India called BIMCrew. Amarnath also completed another Master’s degree in Global BIM Management at Zigurat Institute of Technology in Spain. He was offered a free online Master’s program by them while also simultaneously supporting them as a consultant to build networks and new programs on BIM.
His doctoral degree culminated in 2018 with the thesis entitled “Establishing Organizational & Project Digital Transformation (BIM) Strategies”, aimed at assisting construction companies in adopting new BIM practices and transforming from a traditional to a digital approach. He hoped that it would make a big impact for construction companies in India in particular as the BIM industry there was still very new and growing rapidly.
Implementing BIM to India and Other Countries
After graduating from NTU, he returned to India and served as Head-BIM Strategy at Larsen & Toubro, where he worked with top contractor companies in India and Asia to create management and training programs as well as developed systems and procedures for the certifications of individuals and business groups.
First level leadership Programme-for leaders of tomorrow | 21.01.2020 | Larsen & Toubro Construction, Chennai HQ.
Amarnath also supported his wife’s company, BIMCrew, where he designed online courses called “BIM for Leadership” aimed at people with a background in BIM to learn how to set up companies for their organization strategies. This course has produced over 100 professionals with expertise in BIM leadership roles. They now serve as valuable consultants for companies seeking BIM leadership knowledge.
Not long after this, he resigned from his role at Larsen & Toubro and transitioned to a freelance consultant/advisor role for companies and organizations who are looking to transform into the BIM approach. He has helped many international companies to supervise and create customized programs and workshops for them on digital transformation. He also mentioned that new guidelines would soon be instituted in India where each professional in BIM would need to have their own technical courses (Ex. A drone specialist would need to have their own special courses on drone management), resulting in an increase of required management and technical-level courses that he is also currently helping to design.
Beyond corporate realms, Amarnath extended his influence to academia, contributing as a guest faculty in hundreds of universities across India, assisting in the design of BIM courses for nationwide implementation. Recognizing the absence of clear guidelines for BIM in India, he took on the initiative of assisting the Indian Standards Community in developing national guidelines for BIM.
Keynote Speaker | Natcon 2022 | 20-21.08. 2022 | Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, India
Inspired by Taiwan’s thriving BIM community, Amarnath also helped found the India BIM Association, aiming to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the Indian BIM landscape. His dedication to standardization and guidelines reflects his commitment to establishing a robust foundation for the BIM industry in India.
As Amarnath continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of BIM in India, his aspirations go beyond professional accomplishments. Rooted in a desire for a happy life with his family, he envisions a future where BIM practices are ingrained in the construction landscape, creating a more concrete and standardized work environment for professionals in the industry.