Jury Panel
R. Sundaram
Chairman and Managing Director, Sundaram Architects Pvt. Ltd.
R. Sundaram is the Chairman and Managing Director of Sundaram Architects Pvt. Ltd., a leading architectural and engineering consultancy firm. He has been practising both as an architect and as a consulting structural engineer since 1963. Sundaram’s contributions include large concrete hypar shells, large span RCC and steel folded plate roofs, inverted umbrella, cylindrical shells, precast prestressed folded plates, segmental bridges etc. The pioneering engineer-architect adopted construction methods and practices that were ahead of their time, while adeptly balancing the triumvirate of aesthetics, function and economy in structures. He adopted precast and prestressed concrete in structures all the way back in 1980. His contribution to shell structures in India has been immense. From his first shell structure in 1961 to the latest shell structure in the 2000s, Sundaram has demonstrated thinness of form while eliminating all visible surface stiffening to enhance the visual appeal of buildings. He has successfully conducted several international conferences, both in India and in foreign shores. He is a well-known speaker and a recipient of several awards.
Prof. Dr. P.S.N. Rao
Director, School of Planning and Architecture
Prof. Dr. P.S.N. Rao is an eminent personality in the architecture, town planning and urban development sector in India. He has been playing a proactive role as an academician, consultant, policy advocate and advisor for 32 years. He is trained as an architect, civil engineer and urban planner. He is the recipient of the SPA Gold Medal, Indian Buildings Congress Medal, the AICTE Young Teachers’ Award, Shiksha Rattan Puraskar and Best Citizens Award. Dr. Rao’s professional work focuses on a range of areas in urban planning, which include affordable housing, real estate, smart cities, urban land management, property valuation, public-private partnerships, water, sanitation, slums and urban governance. He has undertaken a large number of assignments and has published over 130 papers and four books.
Dhaval Monani
President, Future of Living Institute
Dhaval Monani is an investor, practitioner and researcher in real estate, sustainability and emerging business models of living spaces. He has extensive experience in affordable housing that target the lowest segment in India. His projects redefined the conventional approach and business models in this space. Monani has worked on housing solutions for both private companies and for governments across Asia, Africa and South Pacific. He is actively involved in the impact investing space and with numerous academic institutions such as Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter, Anant National University, Indian School of Business and IDFC Institute. Monani has worked with the Government of India and with various state governments on housing policies, integration of technology and construction practices. He also mentors several startups.
Dr. Ramachandra V.
Technical Head, UltraTech Cement Ltd.
With a Ph. D (Structural Engg.), M. Tech. (Marine) and B. E. (Civil), Dr. Ramachandra was a faculty of civil engineering for over two decades before joining UltraTech Cement Ltd. in 2005 as South Zonal Head in Bangalore. At UltraTech Cement Ltd, he has led many construction industry initiatives, such as the promotion of concrete roads and mass housing projects with alternate technologies. Associated with many statutory bodies, Dr. Ramachandra is a distinguished professor with in-depth technical knowledge.
Mahadev Desai
Chairman and Managing Director, Sthapati Designers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Mahadev Desai heads Sthapati Designers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd., a leading multidisciplinary consultancy organisation that handles a gamut of diverse projects. His firm is also associated with the design/PMC of over 50,000 houses under the Prime Minister Affordable Housing Project. He writes extensively on civil and structural engineering, architecture and related topics. With a degree in civil engineering, Desai is often invited to speak at workshops and meetings.
S. J. Vijay
Chairman, Salmon Leap India and hoMMision India Pvt. Ltd.
S. J. Vijay has more than 30 years of director-level experience and is an expert in Integrated Township, Urban Infrastructure and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). In 2011, he introduced the 3D Monolithic Volumetric Modular precast in India to manufacture, assemble and install different building types. Vijay has been a speaker in international forums and knowledge sharing sessions. He also sought for his expert recommendations, on policies and on-ground solutions, to address the challenges of the housing and infrastructure sector.
Ajit Bhate
Managing Director, Precast India Infrastructures Pvt. Ltd.
Ajit Bhate is a pioneer of Precast Construction Industry in India. In 2012, he set up the first world-class precast concrete element production factory in Pune. He also heads Bhate and Raje Construction Company Pvt. Ltd. His projects are developed with an enviable combination of speed and quality. He encourages research and development leading to multiple patent processes involving precast. Bhate is a well-known speaker on precast construction, both in India and internationally. He is the recipient of several awards.
Jayasankar K
Senior Vice President, Technical & Customer Solution, UltraTech Cement Ltd.
A Civil Engineer by profession, Jayasankar has an experience of over 30 years in the cement Industry. His key areas of interest are ‘Cement and Concrete Technology’. He has extensively interacted with civil engineering professionals across organisations for the promotion of ‘making good concrete – better’. He is the member of various professional bodies such as Institution of Engineers (India), Association of Consulting Civil Engineers and Indian Concrete Institute. Jayasankar was the Chairman of the Indian Concrete Institute, Tamil Nadu – Chennai Centre from 2007 to 2012, and was also the Vice President (South) for the Indian Concrete Institute. He is currently the Chairman of Training and Education Committee for the Indian Concrete Institute.
Suhas Mohol
Managing Director, StruEngineers India Pvt. Ltd.
Suhas Mohol is the Managing Director of StruEngineers India Pvt Ltd, which has an impressive precast project portfolio that includes residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Mohol has been in the precast industry since 2004 and has the experience of managing projects across the USA, UK, the Nordic region, Middle East and India. He has been instrumental in his contribution to engineering services and the development of ‘IMPACT’.
Amit Barde
Head, Precast Initiative, B&F, L&T Construction
Barde joined M/s Larsen & Toubro Ltd in 2012 as a part of the ‘Precast Initiative’ of the Residential Buildings SBG. He comes with a decade of ‘Precast Construction’ experience with a leading precast concrete manufacturer in the United States. He is known for his expertise in a variety of residential, commercial and industrial precast concrete buildings. With a penchant for modern construction technologies, Barde has spent extensive time in exploring state-of-the art construction technologies for rapid and cost-effective construction.
Asit Patel
Chairman, Coffor Construction Technology Pvt. Ltd.
Asit Patel, the Chairman of Coffor Construction Technology Pvt. Ltd., has an experience of over four decades in the industry. Coffor Construction Technology has a patented structural stay-in-place formwork system, which is used to build load-bearing walls. This proven technology optimises site resources and increases the speed of construction significantly. The panels are specialised and are used for load-bearing walls for a variety of applications.
Subrata Ray
Senior Team Lead, Studio Lotus
Subrata Ray brings the expertise of handling national and international large-scale projects, including Townships, Master-planning, Highrise, Residential, Commercial, Workspace, Retail, Museum and Pre-engineered buildings. He has over 11 years of domain experience in designing and executing architectural projects. At Studio Lotus, Ray heads a large number of projects in which he adds value with his diversified technical knowledge and detailing capability.
Punnose John
Zonal Head, Technical Services (South), UltraTech Cement Ltd.
Punnose John has a rich and diverse experience of almost 30 years in the Cement and Construction sector. The versatile civil engineer also has practical understanding of Project Management and Strategic Leadership. At UltraTech Cement, he handles multiple responsibilities of Technical Services, Key Accounts Management, Ready Mix Concrete Sales and Construction.Punnose John has a rich and diverse experience of almost 30 years in the Cement and Construction sector. The versatile civil engineer also has practical understanding of Project Management and Strategic Leadership. At UltraTech Cement, he handles multiple responsibilities of Technical Services, Key Accounts Management, Ready Mix Concrete Sales and Construction.
Aman Deep Garg
Managing Director, Creative Design Consultants & Engineers Pvt. Ltd.
A throughout meritorious and well-known professional consultant, Aman Deep Garg has served at the Bureau of Indian Standards (Ministry of Consumer Affairs), HSCC (India) Ltd (a ministry of Health and Family welfare undertaking). He also worked for Research and Development for Innovative Technologies at NMSEZ Pvt. Ltd. (A Reliance Group Company). With a multifaceted experience, Garg founded his firm in 2009. He provides consultancy for reputable national and international projects and civil engineering training for CPWD, National Council for Cement and Building Material Research (NCB) as well as other prestigious institutions and engineering colleges.
Supriya Thyagarajan
Managing Principal, Perkins Eastman
Supriya Thyagarajan champions design excellence as an architect and unparalleled professional leader. With over 17 years of experience of working in India and the United Kingdom, she brings expertise in higher education and project planning with major clients across Southeast Asia. As the Managing Principal, Thyagarajan has been instrumental in the growth and success of Perkins Eastman’s Mumbai studio and Board Director of the global firm. She believes in women empowerment and gender equality within the built environment and has been leading Women Leadership Initiatives at Perkins Eastman.
Pashmeena Ghom
Architect; Researcher; Ex. Associate Professor, Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, IIT Kharagpur
Pashmeena Ghom graduated from Sir. J. J College of Architecture, Mumbai, and subsequently completed her M. Arch in Construction Management from Rachana Sansad College of Architecture, Mumbai. She is currently a research scholar at the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. Ghom has over 16 years of academic and industrial experience.
Deepak Viswanathan
Founder, HomeStory Social Housing
Deepak Viswanathan founded HomeStory Social Housing in 2018. HomeStory is a social venture focused on ending global homelessness through innovative technologies in construction practices. The venture has already built over 1 lakh sq. feet of residential space. And, with the amalgamation of technology, modern systems and processes and research and development, Viswanathan set has a target to build over 1 lakh homes in the next 4 years. He was associated with NIRD (National Institute of Rural Development), Hyderabad, for the development of an affordable housing project. He is also a part of the GSF Accelerator, which is one of India’s largest accelerators to develop a prop-tech venture.
Arvind Mahajan
General Manager, Technical Services (West Zone), UltraTech Cement
Arvind has over 34 years in the field of cement and concrete construction. An expert in Cement Chemistry and Concrete, he has been associated with several institutions such as Indian Concrete Institute and Association of Consulting Civil Engineers. Mahajan has been nominated as the CMA representative in BIS for CED 30 Sectional Committee for Clay and Stabilized Soil Products for Construction. He is also a certified Auditor for ISO 14001-Environmental Management System.
