The International Automobile Centre of Excellence (iACE) is a skill development and training center, located on the Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) campus at Gandhinagar. It hosts state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology to deliver experiential learning to trainees in the automobile sector. With a total site area of 2 acres, the institute is set up by the Government of Gujarat in association with iNDEXTb. Maruti and Ford are the institute’s industry partners, while PDPU and IIT Gandhinagar are the knowledge partners. The project has been undertaken and executed by HCP.

The institute’s design is derived from its structural and functional aspects and is reflective of an industrial aesthetic with large-span trusses and deep columns. A central axis runs through the huge double-height workshop space, where manufacturing activities like panel beating, vehicle body-making, spray painting, automotive detailing take place. Considering the diverse nature of activities taking place in the workshop, the space is designed as a large-span structure formed by inverted bowstring trusses supported on 2.2 m columns. The spans between these columns are tactfully designed to be used as parking stations for cars undergoing work. The building also comprises of a multipurpose hall, an 120-seat auditorium, training rooms and a service center on the ground floor, and laboratories, admin spaces, and formal and informal dining rooms on the first floor.