IIT Palakkad is reimagining construction education through a hands-on, technology-driven approach that prepares students with real-world experience. Guided by its motto of “nurturing minds for a better world,” the institute combines academic learning with live project experience using real project data on the 500 acres under development for the expanding campus.
“While most students learn from textbooks, our students at IIT Palakkad have a unique opportunity of learning by observing and analyzing the 20 billion Indian rupees of construction projects happening right outside their classrooms,” says Dr. A. Seshadri Sekhar, Director, IIT Palakkad.
“At IIT, we dismantle the four walls between the classroom and the construction site,” adds Professor Senthilkumar, Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Dean (Infrastructure), IIT Palakkad. “We've introduced the ‘campus as a classroom’ concept, which redefines the learning in a different way.”
With access and use of Autodesk Forma for Construction, Autodesk Forma Carbon Insights (formerly Autodesk Insight), and Revit for real-world campus construction projects, students gain true industry experience—and inspiration—outside the typical classroom curriculum.
“We can use Forma for Construction to coordinate among different teams, and I have learned how project managers function in construction projects,” Divesh Mishra, civil engineering student, IIT Palakkad.
“Doing projects like this compared to regular classroom training, I have learned the industry relevant skills and I also got technical confidence,” adds Sindhu Thambala, civil engineering student, IIT Palakkad.
For IIT Palakkad, the future of construction isn’t a far, distant reality. They are ensuring students are prepared for what’s happening now and what’s to come.
“Our vision is to establish a center of excellence in digital construction that serves as a national benchmark,” Dr. Sekhar says. “We are not just teaching students to build buildings. We are teaching them to build the future of India's infrastructure.”
