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In the next in a series of interviews with prominent civil engineers, Shriyal Sethumadhavan meets JK Dasgupta, Managing Director and CEO, JPM Engineers Pvt Ltd.Modesty comes naturally to this man. 鈥淎ll those who have trained me in my career are my gurus,鈥� says JK Dasgupta, Managing Director and CEO, JPM Engineers Pvt Ltd. Courteous, straightforward, undemanding and easygoing are just some of the words that describe this 63-year-old engineer, who is based in Navi Mumbai. 鈥淚 always wanted to be an engineer, more an entrepreneur,鈥� says Dasgupta. 鈥淚 dreamt of owning big factories.鈥漌ith a bachelor鈥檚 degree in civil engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1969, Dasgupta began his career with construction company Simplex, and work颅ed there until 1974. With an aptitude for working as a consultant engineer, in his words, he grabbed the opportunity 鈥� Engineers India Ltd (EIL) 鈥� as it knocked at his door. In 1993, he took another step forward and started his own company, today known as JPM Engineers. 鈥淚 started in a small room with a single goal to offer engineering design, project management and consultancy services to clients,鈥� says the man who is witness to the growth of his proprietary firm to a private limited company with a client list that includes Udhe India, EIL, Gammon India, etc. Besides, structural design and detailing, JPM undertakes project management and complete detail engineering for cross country pipeline terminals and intermediate stations.Dasgupta has also had the opportunity to work in Sri Lanka and the UAE. Among his international projects, he was involved in monitoring the design of the multi-billion dollar Ras Laffan Cooling Water Project in Qatar. Another project involved the design, engineering and preparation of detail drawings for 12 substations at Abu Dhabi. 鈥淚ndian engineers are the best,鈥� he affirms. 鈥淚 have worked with engineers from the US, Japan, Britain...no one can multitask the way we do.鈥� He shares his perspectives and learning on projects and prospects for budding engineers in conversation with CW...A true professionalAn engineer is competent by virtue of his fundamental education and training, to apply scientific methods and analyse and give solutions to engineering problems. He is required to be an expert in particular areas of activity, which requires a high level of theoretical foundation. He has to take responsibility and accountability for his decisions. In engineering, there are no ready solutions to problems. In such a scenario, an engineer is re颅quired to devise a solution and make it applicable. Only then can he cope with rapid changes and contribute to the growth of the industry.Rising to the challengeIn the construction industry, there are many challenges! As for clients, they only serve to motivate me. The result of these challenges is the adoption of new technologies 鈥� 3D rendering and simulation, model-driven designs 鈥� that give way to new approaches to design, build, operate, and maintain buildings and infrastructure. For instance, today, a project can be managed through computer-aided software, which specifically highlights the requirements for timely completion, well in advance. In EIL, I had worked on major petrochemicals, cross-country pipelines, copper refinery, aluminium refinery, mining projects, etc. Each project came with its own set of challenges and difficulties and we had to solve them at site. Even after I started JPM, I executed the Kopar Khairane railway station project. Then, it was the first-of-its-kind in India. The level of difficulty in this project was such that many engineers reportedly avoided working on it. But, when CIDCO approached us, I accepted the challenge and completed it successfully. Another challenging project has been the convention centre (a steel structure) for Royal Palms Hotel. They required a convention centre over the existing building to connect the 35 m gap between the clubhouse and the hotel building. While many companies said it was not possible, I was confident and the convention centre is expected to start shortly.The march of technologyEarlier, at construction sites, we mixed cement by hand. Then, the mixer machine was introduced, followed by batching at site. And today, readymade concrete is available. Such, is the advancement. A number of chemicals are used in concrete to make it stronger and waterproof. Also, in the building industry, the recent technique is prefabricated buildings with sandwich panels. These are high-end form sheets with reinforced jaalis at both ends. Until 1990s, the use of computers in India was minimal. But today, with easy access to these and commercial software, any type of structure can be accurately designed. But, such software should be regarded as a mere tool in the hands of a structural engineer. While using these programmes, it is important to be aware of their limitations. For instance, results are based on fed inputs. Any inadvertent error or faulty assumption made in the modelling, boundary conditions, joint rigidity, etc, may produce erroneous results that may not match the actual behaviour of the structure. Unfortunately, in the present day, many new engineers are not properly trained to use such design software.The 3D edgeSpeedy, error-free and cost-effective design is the need of the hour and the use of software meets this requirement. In the past 18 months, the RBI raised interest rates almost 15 times and banks are also increasing lending rates. So what is the solution to reduce price? One simple idea is 3D modelling. In a 3D model, software helps create a virtual structure using envisaged actual member sizes and dimensions on a smaller scale. Actual support and joint conditions are also stimulated, vertical or horizontal (wind and seismic) loads are applied at the required levels or joints at all possible directions. During analysis, the software internally distributes the loads in the entire structure according to the member sizes and stiffness in all directions, which actually occurs in a structure during various loading conditions. Design forces obtained are thus very close to forces that are supposed to affect the actual structure, after construction. There is no scope for any assumption and over or under design. At JPM, I adopted this model in 2003 and, since, have only used this model for all my projects. Various reports from developers state that they are currently using nearly 7 kg to 7.5 kg steel per sq ft. Whereas, with this model, I achieved maximum 4.6 kg to 5 kg per sq ft, despite large beams and a heavy load on the roof. Hence, there is a saving of almost 2 kg per sq ft. Now, the reason 3D wins over 2D is because the 2D model considers only one frame of the structure at a time. During analysis, the complete structure never comes into play and, therefore, design forces obtained are always approximate and higher owing to lower rigidity of the frame in lateral direction. Although, 2D modelling is simple and less time-consuming and can even be analysed manually without the help of software, 3D model analysis is very accurate and almost matches actual design forces that are lower than the results from 2D analysis; thus, resulting in savings in construction cost, especially for large projects.The scenario todayWhile the past six years were witness to India鈥檚 tremendous growth, the construction sector lost steam in the last fiscal owing to the global financial turmoil. This has negatively affected sectors like steel, cement and power, besides badly affecting the country鈥檚 economy as a whole. There is a need for present-day engineers to be good and quick learners. We need to be in sync with current requirements 鈥� to offer relevant solutions and efficient services to clients in this competitive economy. Civil and structural engineers have to learn and re-learn certain skills to develop new ones. Today, alongwith the current economic recession, a major problem in the construction industry also includes slow clearances of projects by Central and state governments. Construction projects can also suffer from financial problems. Often, projects are quoted low to secure the contract. But going forward, this only creates cash flow problems.Total satisfactionCivil engineering is said to be the father of all engineering. A project starts from barren land and, hereon, the engineer is involved in every stage of construction 鈥� right from design to construction and completion of a project. A civil engineer is gifted with a 鈥榲ariety鈥� of opportunities. At work, you may be designing the project on your computer and liaising with the client, or you could be on site, leading teams, solving problems and literally being hands-on. Taking it from here, research has also concluded that a career in civil engineering provides a high degree of job satisfaction. And speaking from my personal experience, I totally agree.Training trackThe education system in India is more theoretical; this applies to engineering as well. I have observed that most engineering students are not exposed to construction sites, testing laboratories, fabrication shops, crushing plants, landmark structures and failure sites. They are more computer literate, but here too they lack training in the terms of the latest software, which is most essential for their work in design offices. At JPM, I prefer appointing new as well as senior engineers; this only helps shape them as better professionals. In my observation, on-the-job training gives best results and I am proud that engineers who have worked with me are now associated with bigger companies. I am often asked how it feels to train an engineer and then see him use his expertise elsewhere. But, for me, I believe I am passing on to the next generation the values, work culture, knowledge and training my gurus passed on to me; I learn from them as well. It鈥檚 a continuous cycle. It鈥檚 the rule of the game! And I always take it with a smile.Major projects handledParker Hannfin (I) Pvt Ltd, Mahape, Turbhe (factory building)Convention centre at Royal Palm Hotel, MumbaiKopar Khairane railway station in Navi MumbaiVarious substations at Abu DhabiRelocation of metering station of ONGC at Koyali Refinery, VadodaraL&T/John Deere Tractor Plant at Sanswadi, PuneFiat New Car Plant (Ph-1) at Sanswadi, PuneRas Laffan Cooling Water Project, QatarPhosphoric acid plant of Pakistan Maroc Phosphore at Jorf LasfarTrack record: JK DasguptaEducation:BE (Civil) from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, in 1969Career:鈥� 1970-1974: Simplex, Kolkata鈥� 1974-1993: Engineers India Ltd 鈥� 1992-till date: JPM Engineers Pvt Ltd as Managing Director and CEOChallenging projectsProject: Koper Khairane, Navi Mumbai Railway StationPeriod: End 2001 to October 2002Client: The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO)Contractor: Lanco EngineersArchitect: Rushi Khanbatta and Team One ArchitectsDesign Consultant: JPM Engineers Pvt LtdScope of work: Superstructure over platform and approach corridors had to be designed. This included preparation of fabrication drawings from the structural steel portion. Also, the design had to withstand wind and earthquake force as well as regular traction forces of railway traffic. The area was covered by 27.154-m-span single pipe arches 鈥� it was said to be the first structure of this kind in India, at that point of time.Project: New convention centre at Royal Palms Hotel in Goregaon, Mumbai Period: December 2009 to March 2010Client: Royal Palms Hotel in Goregaon, Mumbai Contractor: LocalArchitect: In-houseDesign Consultant: JPM Engineers Pvt LtdScope of work: Many big companies had initially termed this project impossible. The brief was to build a 44.35-m-wide and 53.7-m-long convention centre, connecting the roof of the existing hotel building to the clubhouse. In the final product, the convention centre is 34.7 m long and 44.35 m wide without a column in between. Covering a huge gap of 33 m between two existing buildings at a height of 9 m from the existing ground level, as well as proper arrangement of trusses for keeping 44.35 m x 34.7 m area unobstructed, was an engineering challenge.Project: Factory building at Mahape for Parkar Hannfin (I) Pvt LtdPeriod: Started in January 2011 and nearing completionClient: Parkar Hannfin (I) Pvt Ltd Contractor: IVRCL, Hyderabad Architect: Intertek Architects, VashiDesign consultant: JPM Engineers Pvt Ltd (as an associate to Intertek Architects)Scope of work: The building required 18-m-span RCC beams with restricted column sizes owing to space constraint. Such a large span RCC beam is not very common. To execute this project, the shuttering was maintained and beams were supported for 28 days. After the removal of this shuttering, intermediate supports at every 3 m below the beams were kept till the upper level floor was cast and upper floor beam supports were removed. After removal of all supports, random beams were checked for any deflection beyond permissible limit.To share your engineering experiences with us, write in at [email protected]