An Indian Summer

India has been a lot in the news lately as one of the key destinations for outsourcing and offshoring business. The availability of a highly skilled workforce that speaks English fluently and costs a lot less to support than its counterpart in the US and European countries has made India a very attractive option. The boom started primarily with software development and call centers, and is now spreading rapidly across many industries. I am traveling in India at the moment and am witnessing first-hand the changes in the economy, infrastructure, urban landscape, lifestyle, and amenities that have been brought about by globalization in general and the recent outsourcing boom in particular. I see a frenzy of construction activity all over the cities, with projects of magnitude and complexity never seen before.I am using this opportunity to visit local architectural, engineering, and construction firms to study how the outsourcing and construction boom is impacting them, how they are adapting to the increased competition from global firms, and how their adoption of technology is changing, if at all.

The August edition of AECbytes is focused on capturing the AEC technology scene in India. Newsletter #12 published in the last week of July set the stage for the series by providing a broad overview of the construction boom and the changing architectural landscape of India and the level of its technology adoption. This will be followed by feature articles presenting studies of specific design and construction firms in India, including the Gurgaon-based DLF Group, and more vignettes from India including a look at the design practice of Hafeez Contractor, one of India's most commercial successful architects, the smaller but highly respected practice of Jasbir Sawhney and Associates, and others. Watch out also for a Viewpoint contribution from Nancy Cheng, Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon and chair of the forthcoming AIA-ACADIA Fabrication Conference.

Thank you
Lachmi Khemlani

Editorials > August 2004