The students of the Department of Civil Engineering organized the Ideathon 2026 at the Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering in Mysuru on Thursday. | Photo credit: MA Sriram
The Department of Civil Engineering at Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering (VVCE) on Thursday hosted Ideathon 2026, an idea generation competition that brought together civil engineering students from all four years to develop innovative solutions focused on automation and sustainability.
Automation and sustainability in the construction industry are among the most important emerging fields worldwide. In line with the demands of modern education policy, the event emphasized experiential learning by transforming the campus into a hub for technical discovery, organizers said.
The problem-based competition encouraged students to go beyond textbook learning and tackle practical challenges in the modern built environment.
The competition had a structured, tiered format where students from different academic years worked on specific topics. First-year students developed concepts such as smart traffic management systems and intelligent rainwater harvesting models. The second-year teams focused on automation safety mechanisms and sustainable stormwater management strategies.
“By addressing core urban challenges, the junior batches have demonstrated concepts in line with Smart City integration and environmental protection,” the college said in a report, adding that the initiative reflects the growing impact of practical and policy-driven education.
Older students presented more advanced technical models focused on industrial applications. Third year students demonstrated predictive flood warning threshold models and innovative solid waste management solutions.
Fourth-year students tackled professional and industrial challenges with projects such as automated Bill of Materials (BOQ) extraction from CAD drawings and tools to assess the life cycle carbon footprint of buildings, the report added.
“These solutions highlight the shift towards digital transformation and demonstrate that the next generation of VVCE engineers are striving to balance rapid urban development with environmental responsibility,” the report said.
Published – 05 March 2026 19:03 IST
