Keynotes

Ajoy Bhattacharya
Director, Technology Strategist
Microsoft

"Transforming the AEC industry and the built world with Microsoft’s technologies"

Bio:

Ajoy Bhattacharya is a Director, Technology Strategist at Microsoft, specializing in assisting companies within the AEC industry. He brings a unique perspective extensive experience in driving innovation and technology advancements in construction, most recently at Suffolk Construction. Ajoy has spearheaded transformative changes within organizations, resulting in improved efficiency, reduced costs, and the advancement of strategic objectives. His remarkable skill lies in rallying stakeholders across the organization to embrace IT initiatives, demonstrating how IT effectively addresses business challenges.

Ajoy holds an M.B.A. in Strategy, Innovation, and Technology Management from Boston University complementing his 25 year career in managing technology and innovation teams.

Information about the presentation:

The cost of construction has skyrocketed in the past many years. Labor costs, Supply Chain costs and other factors have led to huge inefficiencies and are some of the leading reasons for rising construction costs. Companies have been experiencing tech sprawl and are now faced with the challenge of being operationally efficient. This presentation explores a way to build a strategy around an ecosystem of technologies to help keep your focus on business value outcomes while maintaining a way to be interoperable, open, reliable, collaborative, flexible and sustainable. We will also look at the impact of AI on AEC and how that can help accelerate the journey.

Jugal Makwana
Senior Executive - Industry Transformation and Strategic/Open Ecosystem
Autodesk

"Role of Standards and Standardization in the Age of AI"

Bio:

With over 25 years of experience in the AECO industry, Jugal is dedicated to driving digital transformation across architecture, engineering, construction, and operations. Throughout their career, Jugal has led various industry transformation initiatives, fostering innovation through open standards, digital twins, and AI.He has also served as Vice Chair and Director on the bSI board, championing the adoption of openBIM standards to promote sustainable development globally.

Jugal is passionate about simplifying complex concepts and influencing cross-functional ecosystems. They are committed to empowering the digital future of the built environment. In his current role at Autodesk, Jugal focuses on industry transformation through a strategic open ecosystem, collaborating extensively with leading technology providers.

As we navigate the Age of AI, Jugal believes that standards will play a crucial in unlocking the full potential of AI technologies, ensuring interoperability, and driving sustainable growth in the AECO industry.

Information about the presentation:

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is no stranger to technological advancements. From the transition of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to Building Information Modeling (BIM), and more recently, the emergence of Digital Twins, each phase has promised transformative outcomes. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) represents the next frontier—but is it another technology hype cycle, or does it hold the potential to unlock unprecedented value for the AEC sector and deliver a sustainable built environment?

Unlike earlier technology-driven transformations, AI has the ability to not only automate tasks but also has a potential to provide predictive and prescriptive insights, enabling smarter decision-making across the project lifecycle. This new paradigm relies on tightly integrated workflows, enhanced by automation, cloud computing, and data analytics, to deliver real-time insights and optimized solutions. However, the success of AI adoption depends on more than just the technology itself. Organizations must navigate critical components, including data interoperability, ethical considerations, workforce upskilling, and scalable infrastructure. This session explores these foundational elements and emphasizes the role of global standards in fostering AI adoption that is both structured and impactful.

The significance of openBIM standards in this era cannot be overstated. Open standards ensure data interoperability across platforms and stakeholders, serving as the foundation for AI’s effective integration. They enable a seamless exchange of information, breaking down silos and ensuring that AI solutions can leverage accurate, consistent, and accessible data. This is particularly critical as AI applications depend on high-quality, standardized datasets to deliver meaningful insights.

Through a lens of the AEC industry’s digital transformation journey, the session will address key questions: How is AI fundamentally different from past innovations? What lessons can be drawn from the implementation of BIM and Digital Twins to guide AI integration? How can AI enhance human ingenuity? Which practices are imported for a transparent and trusted AI? Most importantly, how can organizations prepare themselves for this transition?

We will explore which frameworks can help organizations assess their current state, identify gaps, and develop actionable strategies for AI implementation. Which tools can provide a structured approach to overcoming challenges such as siloed data, fragmented workflows, and resistance to change, paving the way for sustainable digital transformation.

Attendees will gain insights into:

The role of standards in accelerating AI’s potential in AEC.
Key differences between AI and earlier technology innovations.
The critical importance of openBIM standards in ensuring AI’s success.
How to align AI adoption with broader organizational and industry goals.

This session is aimed to inspire participants to view AI not as a standalone innovation but as a transformative enabler within a larger ecosystem—ready to redefine the AEC industry’s sustainable future.

Samuel Teo
Deputy Director (Infrastructure Digitalisation Techno-Environment)
Land Transport Authority (LTA), Singapore

“Digital Transformation Journey with BIM and Integrated Digital Delivery”, from the perspective of the Land Transport Authority of Singapore

Bio:

Samuel is a distinguished leader, digital strategist, and systems thinker with extensive experience in both the public and private transport sectors. He has pioneered transformative digital initiatives, driving innovation in cloud adoption and next-generation technologies that set new benchmarks in the sector.

A strong advocate for openBIM, interoperability, and Better Information Management through the ISO 19650 framework. Samuel was pivotal role in developing InSIGHT, a platform that revolutionised collaboration across Singapore’s multi-billion-dollar transport infrastructure projects, transforming collaboration across stakeholders and eliminating information silos.

Samuel’s leadership goes beyond technology; he is committed to shaping the future of the infrastructure industry with vision and strategic foresight. Under his leadership, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) became the first transportation authority in Asia, and the second globally to achieve ISO 19650 certification.

A thought leader in his field, Samuel continues to drive digital innovation and industry-wide change, ensuring a sustainable, connected, and efficient digital future for Singapore’s infrastructure development.

Information about the presentation:

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a client-owner-developer of Singapore’s rail and road infrastructure network and stands as one of the largest Government Procurement Entities, second only to the defence sector. Although digital engineering was introduced in the Singapore sector back in 2010, the industry's adoption rate has been less than ideal. This lag is primarily due to the slower global adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) for infrastructure compared to the building sector, with the infrastructure sector being heavily reliant on contractor-led initiatives.

The ambitious masterplan to deliver mega projects such as the Jurong Regional Line (JRL), Cross Island Line (CRL), and North-South Corridor (NSC), among others, comes with a capital development budget exceeding S$45 billion and aims to complete these projects within a decade beginning in 2018. This challenge is further compounded by the infrastructure sector's reliance on conventional methods, such as drawing production processes, information silos, and a fragmented value chain, which have not kept pace with global digital trends aimed at improving efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. The situation was further exacerbated by the three-year impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presentation will illustrate how LTA embarked on an accelerated program of Digital Transformation to demonstrate the value propositions of Digital Engineering. These efforts aim to reshape the infrastructure sector and its value chain in Singapore to work in an open, interoperable, and collaborative manner, thereby achieving the envisioned outcomes.