A man who is on a mission to change the world, vision in just one eye is also enough to thrive – Mr. Gaurav Agrawal shares his journey to success and his expertise

When your internal body needs care, you visit a doctor. Similarly, when a building’s internal structure requires attention, you consult a structural engineer. Structural engineers are the doctors of buildings, entrusted with the honorable responsibility of ensuring their stability and safety.

Meet Gaurav Agrawal, an alumnus of IIT Bombay and the University of Maryland, is the recipient of the 2024 Young Achievers Award. Driven by his vision of a sustainable future, Gaurav founded Agrawal Structural Consultants (ASC) in Mumbai in 2024. The firm specializes in structural designs for residential, commercial, and hospita-lity projects, and started its journey with a beach clean-up to emphasize sustainability. Gaurav’s professional experience includes desig-ning long-span Bridges, Airports, Film Studios, and Villas across the US and India. He has worked at prestigious organizations like the US Government, Walter P Moore, and Arup.

Gaurav’s journey began at the age of 10 when a vision loss almost derailed his education. Advised to quit studying, he chose resilience, undergoing multiple surgeries and working hard to earn a place at IIT Bombay. Today, he aims to revolutionize the Indian design sector by integrating global best practices and harnessing India’s talent.

Beyond his role as ASC’s founder and CEO, Gaurav actively supports education by providing affordable structural design services to NGOs to build schools and hospitals for the underprivileged. He also provides guest lectures to universities, colleges and teaches as a Visiting Professor at Rizvi College of Architecture in Mumbai. Gaurav is licensed by Thane Municipal Corpora-tion and possesses a Chartered Engineer license from IEI to practice Structural Engineering in India. Gaurav has LEED Green Associate and IGBC AP to provide sustainability services where he is also creating a community of like-minded SMEs to shape India’s sustainability roadmap to net zero.

Load Path is the most important analysis that structural engineers need to do. Following all code standards, Gaurav uses elements to maximum efficiency to get the most out of them thereby effectively transferring load from the point of origin in the building to the soil. Designing with high lateral forces is a challenge and requires knowledge of different Lateral load-resisting systems like EBF, SMF, CBF, and Shear Walls which Gaurav possesses. Thus, Gaurav understands the vision behind the design of the architects and works hard to make their dreams into reality.

Gaurav also understands the unique design challenges that each building possesses which are: Residential Buildings require flexible partition walls, limiting shear wall placement while Commercial Spaces feature glass façades, necessitating steel framing. Hospitality Projects emphasize crazy-shaped elements, making structural stability assessments complex while Industrial and Film Studios need wind-resistant steel framing/walls and different gravity and lateral load resisting systems.

Auditoriums and Malls demand column-free spaces which is achieved with post-tensioned slabs and beams and Airports require dense, column-free zones supported by trusses for roof loads. Sports Stadiums have cantilevered and long-span steel beams while Educational Buildings include cantilevered balconies and numerous windows, presenting span challenges and lateral element placements.

Hospitals and MEP Facilities host vibration-sensitive highly valuable equipment like MRI machines which require advanced vibration analysis. Lateral load elements need to be placed around them just like one does at the elevator shaft. Usage of Base Isolator becomes important in some cases as well. He meticulously balances safety, feasibility, and architectural vision with such complexities.

At ASC, Gaurav emphasizes sustainability and cutting-edge technology which is why ASC provides special expertise in the concept stage of the project. Earlier this year, he conducted a 9-city free-to-attend in-person presenta-tion in India guiding consultants about the future of building design which is Integrated Design—a collaborative approach where all disciplines work together from the project inception. This method saves time and money. Automation plays a pivotal role in improving productivity and sustainability. Prepare a simple graph -Time taken to do task vs Productive Output %. Tasks like modeling in different software, drafting, and change orders that take more time with less productivity are red alerts and will be automated. These have sustainability benefits as well.

When asked, “I credit my success to my parents Kalpana and Ajay Agrawal, sister Shreya, and his team, family and friends. I thank my professors and mentors for providing guidance. I would like to give special mention to my friends – Lawyer Sheetal Mishra, Rahul Chaturvedi, Upamanyu Barman, and Bharath Gurumurthy for motivating me with their inspirational stories and their hard work, dedication, and constant support”.

Gaurav dreams of making ASC India’s top design firm, prioritizing quality over quantity. His goal is to design sustainable spaces that leave a legacy for future generations.

Agrawal Structural Consultants
www.agrawalstructuralconsultants.com