The prototype of the Eco-Quake concept concrete building by the ITS ASURA team after being tested at KBGI 2024

ITS Campus, ITS News — Along with the development of technology, the construction sector has also experienced rapid growth in order to design earthquake-resistant and environmentally friendly buildings. In line with this, a team of students from Along with the development of technology, the construction sector has also experienced rapid growth in order to design earthquake-resistant and environmentally friendly buildings. In line with this, a team of students from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) innovated to create the Eco-Quake building concept, an earthquake-resistant building that applies the principle of sustainability. innovated to create the Eco-Quake building concept, an earthquake-resistant building that applies the principle of sustainability.

The head of the ASURA ITS team, Handika Ardhi Nugraha, explained that this building concept has optimal capabilities in overcoming the challenges of earthquakes that often occur in Indonesia. Not only that, the innovation was also designed by considering sustainability aspects to be more efficient in energy use and environmentally friendly.

Handika added that the key to the success of this building prototype in being able to withstand earthquake shocks is thanks to the application of the Strong Column Weak Beam (SCWB) concept. The team from the ITS Civil Infrastructure Engineering Department emphasized the importance of the strength of the building’s columns as the key to the resilience of a building. This is because the column is the main element supporting the building, so it plays a crucial role in determining the strength of the building.

The ITS ASURA team when assembling the Eco-Quake concept building prototype during the simulation stage in preparation for the competition

In addition to being designed to withstand shocks, this innovation also implements sustainable development by using Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) cement as the main material for the structure. This material is considered environmentally friendly because it uses alternative materials such as eggshells and granite powder. In addition, this cement is also considered to have a high level of efficiency because of the cement’s ability to compact itself in a faster time than ordinary concrete. In addition to the material factor, the student from Trenggalek emphasized the importance of considering environmental factors in building earthquake-resistant structures. The type of soil and seismic risk around the construction site must be analyzed in depth because it can affect the stability of the building during an earthquake. “By considering these factors, the building to be built is expected to be able to withstand shocks optimally,” he said.

Bayu Anggoro Sekti (left) and Handika Ardhi Nugraha from the ITS AZURA team during the competition at the 2024 KBGI event

The prototype, which has vertical column or pillar dimensions of 15 x 15 millimeters and horizontal beam or pillar dimensions of 12 x 8 millimeters, has undergone testing in a simulation of an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale (SR) or equivalent to an earthquake of 7 on the magnitude scale. The results showed that the building structure only experienced a deviation of 2,011 millimeters, indicating that the building has a good level of resistance to earthquake shocks.

With all the designs that have been taken into account, the ASURA team has proven that its design is capable of facing real challenges in the field after successfully surviving the test for one minute. Although there was some minor damage, this success opens up great opportunities to apply this technology to the construction of buildings in the future, especially in earthquake-prone areas.

Through this innovation, Handika and his teammate Bayu Anggoro Sekti have won third place in the Precast Concrete Building Model Competition at the 2024 XV Indonesian Building Competition some time ago. He hopes to make a significant contribution to the development of construction in Indonesia. “Hopefully in the future there will be more innovations to further improve development in Indonesia,” he said hopefully. (ITS PUBLIC RELATIONS)

Reporter: ion6